Fleas in dogs: excellent treatment options

Fleas in dogs treatment, and all else you must know

If you ask a dog guardian what do they dread the most about the warm months, the first thing they are most likely to tell you is fleas. Flea infestation is the nightmare of the dog care regime. Fleas are generally small and dark brown in color. They prefer to live in temperatures of 65 to 80°F with humidity levels of 75 to 85%. The infestation of fleas is most prominent in regions of the southern United States. In this post I discuss about fleas on dogs treatment, signs, transmission and prevention. 

What are fleas?

Fleas are tiny (1 to 2 millimeters), wingless insects that live on pets and feed on their blood. The flea found on most dogs is actually the cat flea. An adult female can keep feeding and laying eggs on your dog for more than three months, and the full life cycle (egg, larva, cocoon, adult) can take anywhere from two weeks to several months. 

How do dogs get fleas?

Most dogs pick up fleas from the environment (yards, parks, kennels, carpets) where new adult fleas emerge from cocoons and jump onto a warm animal. Less often, they get fleas from an infested pet. Fleas do not have wings, so you will not observe them flying.

Once a flea settles on your dog, it starts laying eggs within a day or two. The eggs are about 0.5 millimeters long, oval and white, and they fall off your dog into bedding, carpets and soil, which is why the home needs treating too.

Fleas are capable of transmitting via contact and are the usual causative organisms of many types of skin conditions in dogs.

Modes of flea transmission:

• Cats, dogs, squirrels and rodents can bring fleas into your house and drop them on the floor. From here, the fleas can jump up on your other dogs, cats or other animals as well as other members of the household.
• Mice entering your house can bring in fleas along with them. 
• Dog kennels, dog houses or even dog day cares may harbor fleas if not properly and regularly cleaned. 
• Fleas have a tendency to hatch and populate on bedding and furniture and can easily get transmitted to your dog from here. 

Some other articles you may find useful:

• How to get rid of fleas on dogs
• Flea dirt in dogs: how to check
• Flea collars: do they work?

Fleas in dogs symptoms

The situation most commonly encountered is fleas in dog fur. This is how they generally get transmitted from one place to another. In dogs, fleas mostly cause itching. However, if your dog is allergic to fleas or has a generally sensitive skin, the itching can be severe. This can lead to constant chewing and scratching of the region leading to inflammation, hair loss and secondary skin infections. If your pup is hypersensitive to flea saliva, he or she may itch or scratch all over their body from the bite of a single flea.  A flea specific skin allergy is the flea allergic dermatitis (FAD) which is generally caused by a flea bite.

Fleas on dogs signs:

How do you understand that the itch your dog is feeling is because of the presence of a flea? There are a few signs which you can look out for when checking for fleas on your dog:

1. Is your dog scratching or biting himself more than normal?

Any behavior when exhibited over the top can be an indication of a problem. If your dog is constantly biting, scratching or chewing at a specific region on their body, chances are that particular region is suffering from a flea infestation.

2. Look closely at your dog’s fur: 

The good part about fleas is that they can be observed running around the surface of your dog skin, are dark in color and about the size of a pin head. To look for fleas, check the furry regions of your dog, the inner thighs and belly. You can also use a flea comb. These are designed to pull out fleas. Use the flea comb on the tail region of your dog’s fur where the flea infestation is maximum.

3. Check your dog for flea dirt:

If your dog has flea dirt, it can also signal the presence of fleas on your dog. Flea dirt looks like dark specks of pepper scattered on your dog’s skin.  If you observe the presence of the dirt on your dog, you can check for the presence of fleas on your dog in the following manner:

Pick up some of the flea dirt (flea feces containing digested blood) and place it on a pre-wetted paper towel. If in the span of a few minutes, the flea dirt spreads out like bloodstains on the paper towel, it is a clear indication that your dog has fleas.

4. Finally, check your dog for flea bites:

Always stay on the lookout for flea bites if you’re afraid of flea infestation. Flea bites generally look like small red raised bumps on your dog’s skin.

Signs and symptoms of flea allergies in dogs:

Some dogs are allergic to fleas. Even one flea bite can cause a severe allergic reaction in a dog who has flea allergy. Check out this blog post to understand the signs and symptoms of allergies in dogs. Some symptoms which may indicate that your dog has flea allergy are:

• Development of crusts on the skin
• Development of redness on skin
• Extreme itchiness
• Presence of moist red regions like hotspots on the skin
• Loss of hair
• Infection of the skin

If you are worried that your dog might be suffering from flea allergy, I would recommend that you pay a visit to your veterinarian as soon as possible. Your vet can prescribe quick-acting medications for your dog which can kill the fleas and provide relief from the constant scratching. Your vet might also prescribe some antibiotics if your dog is suffering from skin infection which has risen due to the flea allergy or is present secondary to the flea infestation.

Can fleas kill dogs?

If your dog is unfortunate enough to land up with a severe infestation, it can cause anaemia (low haemoglobin).  A normal flea would feed on fresh dog blood and feed on fifteen times its own body weight. The fuel gained from the consumption of so much blood will allow them to lay 20-50 eggs on an average everyday. These eggs will hatch and give rise to more fleas. These new fleas will repeat the same cycle which will cause blood loss. Severe blood loss can be life-threatening, especially for puppies and small, old or sick dogs. 

Fleas in dogs, treatment and prevention:

Prevention of flea in dogs

The best way to protect your dog from fleas is to prevent the flea infestation entirely. Do not give fleas a chance to infect your dog or get into your house. For a step-by-step plan, see how to get rid of fleas on dogs.

Your vet can recommend a monthly or three-monthly product that suits your dog; year-round prevention is often needed because fleas can survive during winter inside homes.

In case of fleas, care must be taken not only to protect your dog but also to protect your dog’s bed, your yard as well as your home as these are the hibernation regions for fleas.

How to treat fleas in dogs?

Fleas in dogs treatment mostly involves the following steps:

1. Ask your vet for a flea product that suits your dog’s age, weight and health (oral chews or spot-ons). Many start killing fleas within hours.
2. Treat every dog and cat in the home at the same time, each with a product made for that species.
3. Clean the home: hot-wash bedding, vacuum daily for 2–3 weeks, and ask your vet about a house spray with an insect growth regulator.
4. Keep treating for at least 3 months (ideally all year), because new fleas keep hatching from cocoons in the home.
5. Use a flea comb to check progress. A flea shampoo can wash off fleas on the day, but it has no lasting effect and some spot-ons shouldn’t be applied right after a bath, so check the label.

Are there home remedies for fleas?

I get asked about home remedies a lot, so here’s my honest answer: there’s no good evidence that vinegar, lemon, neem, garlic or essential-oil sprays get rid of fleas, and some of them (lemon, garlic and many essential oils) are toxic to dogs or cats. What does help at home is cleaning: wash your dog’s bedding in hot water every week, vacuum carpets, sofas and car seats every day for a few weeks (and empty the vacuum outside), and use a flea comb to check how things are going. 

Some final thoughts

Have you ever encountered a flea infestation on your dog? What did you do? How did you get rid of the flea from your dog, your bed and your house? Please share your flea related experiences and anecdotes in the comment section below. If you have a story you wish to publish on my blog, contact me on any of my social channels or my email id.