PETS & PESTS – Fleas
So my birthday was coming up and I asked for a Beagle puppy. Well, we ended up getting two. Sisters. And they came with a special bonus … fleas!
To say the least, seeing those little puppies scratching and nipping at their hindquarters was horrifying to me. Now they were on my front room carpet and I could just see the fleas bouncing off their unwitting hosts and swan diving into my carpet. I was ‘itching’ for days to follow. Certainly this was all conjured up in my mind (the swan dive anyway), but nevertheless, it was unacceptable!
If you think your pet has fleas, here are the tell tale signs to look for.
Top 5 Ways to know if your pet has fleas:
1.Flea Dirt: If flea dirt is visible on your pet, you can be assured that fleas are present. Flea dirt, as it is commonly referred to, is nothing more than flea feces (digested blood). Flea feces can be identified by placing some of the ‘dirt’ (which looks like black specks) on a wet paper towel. You will know this is flea dirt if it spreads out like a small blood stain within a few minutes.
2.Itching and Wimpering: If your pet is scratching constantly, primarily on the lower back, tail and the abdomen surrounding the urogenital and anal opening, he more than likely has fleas. Wimpering for no apparent reason could also be an indication that fleas are biting and feeding on your pet.
3.Skin Irritation and Hair Loss: When you inspect down into your pets fur, you will see irritation on the skin. You may also see spots of hair loss as well.
4.Bites on you: Bug bites on your feet, ankles and calves may appear. These bites are generally small and red. They are typically hard and cause more pain than itching. But you will more than likely notice if fleas have been biting you.
5.Physically Visible on Skin: Fleas can sometimes be seen moving in a hurried, agitated way along the surface of the skin. They appear as tiny, dark copper colored dots. They are more likely to hide in ‘darkness’, such as the fur of your pet, since they have an aversion to light.
*Although the 5 ways listed above will give you a good idea of whether your pet is suffering from fleas or not, diagnosis and treatment should be made by a licensed veterinarian. A Veterinarian may take a thorough history of your pets health and perform a physical exam. If fleas are not visible, a skin-allergy test may be performed. Whether your pet is suffering from fleas or a malady of a different sort, a veterinarian will be able to develop a treatment plan specifically tailored for your pet’s needs. This can include oral antibiotic and/or anti-parasitic medication.
Remember, the life cycle of the flea makes it a formidable opponent and it is imperative that you treat the host animal as well as the indoor and outdoor environment. Once fleas establish themselves in your home, your pet or your outdoor environment, it may take several treatments to eliminate them. Therefore, do not take a flea infestation lightly. Strict eradication is the only effective treatment for fleas.
The good news is that you will know your efforts have been successful when your pet experiences decreased scratching and healthy skin.
Posts Tagged ‘Fleas’
Top 5 Ways To Know If Your Pet Has Fleas
Saturday, February 27th, 2010Fleas – The Circus Performers of the Insect World
Friday, February 26th, 2010What’s Buggin’ you?
FLEAS – The circus performers of the insect world
Yes, you heard that right. Dating back to the 1800’s imaginative directors have utilized the aboriginal traits of the flea to entertain and delight audiences. Fleas could be observed walking tightropes, juggling, and even dancing! However, fleas are even more notorious for their specialized talents in tormenting mankind. The chief fame of the flea rests in it’s ability to transmit disease, therefore we must look at it in more than just a jocular vein.
The body of the flea appears to be well adapted for forward movement. Dark colored adults are flattened from side to side with many bristles or ctenidia that point backwards and facilitate forward movement through fur, hair, or feathers. Fleas are wingless creatures, with strongly developed legs and hind legs that are especially adapted for jumping (and dancing, apparently!). Their sucking mouthparts also make them well equipped for a parasitic lifestyle on many animals and birds.
While difficult for some of us to imagine, some individuals become accustomed to fleas and are not disturbed by them in the least! Others are extremely irritated by the mere presence of fleas, let alone their painful bites. Fleas are common in the United States because of the even temperatures and high humidity. Newcomers are especially susceptible to flea bites, even though some individuals have to be bitten repeatedly to become sensitive to the bites, and often become immune after being bitten over a long period of time. Flea bites may be mistaken for a rash but various cooling preparations will often give relief to those who are sensitive to the bite.
Since the tendency of the flea is to feed on several different species of animals, it is prone to carry disease from one animal to another, for example, from rat to man. The flea life cycle varies according to the living conditions. In hot weather and with no blood to feed upon, fleas may live from two to five days. However, when fleas have a blood source to feed upon, they may live for a month to almost a year!
Keeping the health of the occupants of your home or structure as the first priority, we offer several different approved pest control techniques for the treatment of Fleas. These methods may include handspraying, dusting, fogging, baiting and the use of residual crack and crevice aerosol products among other treatments. Because each occurrence is different, treatments will be employed as applicable in specific situations. IGR (Insect Growth Regulators) are used to disrupt the life cycle of the eggs and larvae so they cannot grow to become biting adults. Once adult fleas have mated, the female flea will not lay eggs until she has a blood meal. Fleas can get their blood meal from a variety of sources. Rat or cat fleas may attack humans who come into a house where the preferred host has been removed.
Fleas are an unwelcome sight and can be unnerving, disrupting your peaceful home or building. It is for this reason that we suggest a recurring service plan for residential or commercial properties. This will maintain a healthy barrier around your structure should fleas come crawling.
