We have been seeing an increase in pets coming in with fleas. But there’s no fleas in Creston. Yes there are, especially with the milder winters.
What are fleas, and how can they affect my pet?
Fleas live, feed, and mate on many animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, opossums, rodents, and raccoons. Flea eggs fall off these animals into the environment, where they hatch into larvae. The larvae eat organic debris until they mature into pupae (the stage within a cocoon). The pupae may lie dormant for weeks to months, awaiting the ideal environmental conditions before hatching into adults. For example, you may notice your pet “suddenly” has fleas after you washed your carpets, turned the heat on in the fall, or after a rain during a hot summer. Fleas love humidity and warmth.
Newly hatched adult fleas jump onto a host animal to complete their life cycle. Within two days of eating a blood meal from the host and mating, the female flea begins to lay eggs, which then drop off into the environment. One female flea can lay up to 2000 eggs in her lifetime. Under ideal conditions, the flea can complete its entire life cycle in as little as two weeks; in adverse conditions, the cycle can take as much as a year!
The highest numbers of flea eggs, larvae, and pupae are found in areas of the house where pets spend the most time, such as their beds and furniture. Even if fleas are in your house, you probably will not see them. The eggs are tiny, white specks the size of dust particles, while the larvae are somewhat larger, with dark heads and lighter bodies. They migrate deep down into carpets, furniture, or cracks in floors, away from the light.
Cats also get fleas but you may not notice them as often as cats are great groomers and tend to groom the fleas off them. However, fleas can carry tapeworms, so after the cat digests the flea, the tapeworm eggs are released into their intestinal tract, and now it has tapeworms as well.
Pets respond to flea bite irritation by excessive scratching, areas of hair loss, small scabs on the skin, or black “dirt” at the base of the tail. This black “dirt” is flea excrement (poop), which is actually digested blood. Take some of the “dirt” and put it onto a white piece of paper, then add a tiny drop of water and swirl it around. If the paper looks brown or rusty in colour, that is flea dirt. If it stays as black pieces, it is ground dirt. An adult flea consumes many times its weight in blood over its lifetime and can even cause severe blood loss and anemia in debilitated pets or puppies and kittens. Your veterinarian will help you choose a product that works best for you and your pet based on your lifestyle, your pet’s lifestyle, and your needs and preferences. Examples of available products include the following: Bravecto, Revolution, Advantage, NexGard Spectra, and Simparica Trio.
Certain types of pets may be susceptible to some products (e.g., birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates). Avoid using any flea control products in the room where these pets are kept without first consulting your veterinarian.
Why does my pet still have fleas after treating him/her and the environment?
The apparent failure of treatment is almost always due to improper use of the flea product, inadequate treatment of the home, or exposure to other infested pets or environments. It is important to continue to administer flea control to all pets in the house for 3–6 months following an infestation to allow time for remaining flea life stages to develop into adults and then be killed when they jump on your pet. Pets who are kept primarily outdoors should be on flea prevention year-round because it would be difficult to de-flea the barn!