Fleas Part I

What are fleas?

Fleas are wingless insects, they have 6 legs and a thin, flat, brown body, which makes it easy for them to move between an animal's hairs. There are 2 main species of fleas; Ctenocepalides Felis, the cat flea and Ctenocephalides Canis, the dog flea.

The Flea Lifecycle

1. Adult Flea - The flea infestation begins when the flea emerges from the pupae and takes a blood meal from your pet. Female fleas begin to lay eggs within 24 hours and can lay many hundreds in their 3 month lifetime!
2. Eggs - the eggs are smooth and shiny and fall into the environment and hatch within 2-10 days
3. Larvae - the larvae emerge from the eggs and crawl into cracks and crevices, they are often found in the carpet under furniture, where it is warm and dark.
4. Pupae - the larvae becomes a pupae within 5-10 days. The silk-like cucoon protects the developing flea and can resist very low temperatures. The flea can remain like this for months, which is how they survive the winter outside. Increases in temperature, vibrations and increased carbon dioxide will cause the flea to emerge and the life cycle to continue.
   

How do I tell if my pet has fleas?

There are many different symptoms your pet may show if they have fleas:

1. Itching and scratching - this is the most common sign your pet has fleas. Dogs especially will scratch themselves a lot, often causing damage to the skin so it becomes scabby and sore. The most common places to scratch are the armpits, flanks, groin and back.
2. Over grooming - this is more common in cats. When cats are itchy they are more likely to lick themselves than scratch like dogs. The most common sites are along their backs, where the hair are often short and coarse as the hair shafts have been broken, or in the groin where they can lick themselves bald.
3. Scabs - some animals, especially if they are sensitive to flea bites, will develop multiple small scabs, most often over their backs. Each scab is where a flea has bitten.
4. Fleas or flea dirt is seen - if you see fleas on your pet, this often means there is a heavy infestation as they are not often spotted. See below for how to check for flea dirt.
5. You get bitten! Fleas will also bite people. The bites come up in small, red raised spots, often in a line over the legs or tummy, where the flea has had several meals!

How do I check for flea dirt?

• Flea dirt is flea faeces and looks like small flecks of black sand on your pets coat, it is most commonly found at the back of the neck or the base of the tail.
• Comb out some flecks onto cotton wool or white toilet paper and dampen
• Flea dirt will go red when it is added to water, all fleas eat is blood, so all they produce is blood, it just looks black because it is dry.
• However, just because you don't find flea dirt doesn't mean your pet doesn't have fleas! Cats will commonly groom out any signs of fleas from their coats, especially if they are itchy.