Top 5 myths about fleas

7 March 2016
Updated: 8 April 2024
Posted by Aaron in Pet Discussion

Fleas are a total nuisance, as those of us with pets will know. They're tiny, quick, and next to impossible to get rid of once they take up residence. But treating fleas effectively would probably be a whole lot easier if there weren't so many myths surrounding them.

So, to help you in your quest against these pesky little bloodsuckers and to keep your pets and homes flea-free, let's take a look at some of the top myths doing the rounds and compare them to the actual reality!

1) Fleas live on pets, not in homes - although fleas are typically introduced to the home by a pet, once there, flea populations waste no time in multiplying and can thrive in the warm refuge of your home. This means it is not enough to simply treat your pet and consider the problem solved. By leaving the household untreated, you are missing roughly 80-90% of the developing flea population, which spells trouble for your pets who can quickly reinfect themselves!

Tackle the problem head-on by regularly washing all toys, bedding and fabrics in the home, and administer a topical treatment (such as a spot-on) to your pet every month. Vacuum your carpets and use a household flea spray like Johnson's House Flea Spray to treat the environment.

2) Indoor pets can't get fleas - wouldn't it be lovely if this were true? Unfortunately, even pets that spend most of their time inside are susceptible to fleas, which can be carried in on clothes and other pets. That fleas only live in carpets is another myth; in fact, fleas will live in all manner of places, including the cracks of floorboards and along skirting boards.

3) I only have to treat when I see fleas - just because your dog isn't scratching, doesn't mean he doesn't have fleas or that you shouldn't administer a preventative treatment to keep them at bay. As with many things, prevention is so much easier than cure, so even if you don't see fleas, you should always treat for them just in case. Trying to tackle a problem once it manifests can take weeks and even months to resolve, which is a lot of hassle, discomfort and expense in the meantime.

These days there's really no such thing as 'flea season' so ideally you should aim to de-flea your pet monthly. Be extra vigilant with outdoor cats as they may need treating more regularly.

4) Fleas have become resistant to certain topical treatments - in reality, there is no scientific evidence to support this claim, which is based mainly on vague anecdotal information. If you have any queries about the effectiveness of your spot-on, it is best to speak to your vet as other factors could be at play.

5) Beside causing itching, fleas are harmless - not only can flea bites trigger severe skin allergies such as Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD), fleas are also carriers of tapeworm which can infect dogs and cats if fleas are accidentally swallowed. The flea stage is necessary to the life cycle and reproduction of the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum, which thrives in the small intestines of dogs and cats. If your pet does contract tapeworm, as well as treating the worms, you will also need to manage the flea problem at hand, otherwise your pet will quickly become reinfected.

If you've found this article helpful, you may be interested to read our other related articles: Help! My pet's got fleas, Cat fleas, What you need to know about fleas, Spring clean your home from fleas, A guide to de-fleaing your pet, Why should I worm and flea my pet regularly?

If you have any comments on this discussion, or would like us to dispel any other myths, please let us know by commenting below!

Written by: Aaron

Comments

11th Mar 2016

VioVet Customer

Do I need to flea my dogs every month please ?

5th Apr 2016

Christine Fraser

Customer Since: September 2015
From: Castell-nedd Port Talbot, United Kingdom

can you tell me if advocate is the only thing I need to keep the flees away ? Or do I need frontline also ?

7th Mar 2017

Hannah Dyball

Hi Lisa,

Monthly treatments are advisable, unless your pet has greater exposure to fleas and therefore needs treating more often.

Christine, Advocate or Frontline would be sufficient, you definitely don't need to use both. Remember to also treat the home with a topical spray such as Indorex.

5th Mar 2018

Steve Boyd

I have owned dogs for over 30 years and the last time I had to treat a dog for fleas was nearly 20 years ago. They have a healthy raw diet supplemented with salmon oil and have healthy glossy coats. Poor diet can lead to dull coats and dry skin and is more likely to attract fleas. Dog owners should avoid putting chemicals on their dogs except as a last resort as this could lead to other problems, keep them healthy and fleas should not be a problem. Definitely do not use chemical treatments a a preventative measure!

5th Mar 2018

Jes Chr. Børlum

I learned it the hard way, fleas are really awesome insects, and you just can't give any slack before the home is infested.

5th Mar 2018

Bushra Salahuddin

I've been using advantage flea treatment on my cats for years and haven't seen a flea in sight :)

6th Mar 2018

Steve Pugh

Customer Since: October 2017
From: Gloucestershire, United Kingdom

I wanted to print the article off for a friend but it only printed first page down to (1) fleas live on pets not home

6th Mar 2018

Amelia

Very interesting article on Flea Myths, and useful to be reminded of the connection with tapeworm - thank you

6th Mar 2018

Sue Whitlock

Customer Since: July 2010
From: Durham, United Kingdom

A useful thing to know is that one shouldn't apply spot-on treatment immediately after a dog has had a bath - it doesn't seem to work on squeaky clean skin. I was told this by a vet when I once asked how my regularly treated dogs could be carrying fleas!

7th Mar 2018

Lis

I have just spent eight long torturous weeks combating the problem of fleas on my pets and in my home.
I have spent over Â£300 on various products to treat my two cats and my dog. thats without the cost of boil washing everything in my house that can be boiled plus the pet beds I have had to buy to replace the beds that could not be hot washed.
Having treated the three of them every four weeks with spot on and adding "Flea Guard" tabs daily in their food I dont know what else I can do to treat them.
Sadly I have had to give my dog to my daughter as no matter what I did she constantly had tiny black fleas dropping out of her coat which I assume the cats had passed on to her. I have also used flea collars but as my cats are not indoor cats I dont like to put collars on them.
I tried a product called "Billy no Mates" but it is ever so expensive so I am hoping the Fleaguard will be effective.
Is there anything that I can use to prevent the fleas attacking my cats inbetween the four weekly spot on reatment?
The cats are semi ferrel sibblings but where as the male is willing to be combed the female is more likely to rip my hand off, treating her with the spot on is hit and miss.
I dont want to tempt fate but daily checks of where they sleep has shown to be clear of anything flea related but I am stressed out with the whole episode.
ANY help or advice will be most appreciated
many thanks in advance

17th Jul 2018

Ron West

Customer Since: November 2014
From: United Kingdom

I use. frontline on a monthly basis you are suggesting that this may not be sufficient to prevent fleas My concern is if I use additional insecticide this may have an adverse effect on the dog

17th Jul 2018

Anne Wells

Customer Since: August 2011
From: West Sussex, United Kingdom

I use Bravecto tablets for my dogs and Seresto collars on my cats I do it twice a year and never see a flea or tick on them I have four Bernese Mountain Dogs and three cats so I know they work get a prescription from your vet and order on line much much cheaper

18th Jul 2018

Stephen Boyd

Customer Since: December 2016
From: Gwynedd, United Kingdom

The last time I had a dog with fleas was 20 years ago. Keep your dog healthy on a good diet supplemented with oil, such as salmon oil, and you shouldn't have a flea problem. Preventative treatments are unnecessary and you could be exposing your dog to harmful chemicals.

4th Mar 2019

Tracy Sweetman

Customer Since: May 2015
From: Norfolk, United Kingdom

I have been using Advocate on my dog every 4 weeks for 2 years. He has (fingers crossed) never had a tick and he doesn't get fleas. I also treat my house every Spring with Indorex. He has a Droncit pill every 6 months for Tapeworm as Advocate doesn't treat that.

30th Jul 2019

Kath Holt

Customer Since: July 2014
From: Cheshire, United Kingdom

In my experience, while outdoor cats do need to be treated every few months (not every month) with a good quality spot-on (not cheap and nasty supermarket-shelf junk) you will not succeed in eliminating fleas without a whole-house treatment with a pesticide such as Indorex. I found this to be really effective when I had a bad infestation, it got rid of the fleas completely but you DO need to follow the instructions very carefully and follow up the spraying with regular and constant hoovering until all the existing pupae have hatched. I now have two indoor cats and have not needed to treat them as yet, but I have cans of Indorex at the ready. I am not keen on putting insecticide on the cats unless absolutely necessary, but of course I will do so if I see any sign of fleas - they think I am caviar and bite me to bits!

13th Apr 2021

Matthew Bell

Customer Since: May 2015
From: Hampshire, United Kingdom

Reading a few of the comments I feel some additional info is needed.

"Avoid chemicals!"
- Not all of the 'chemical' treatments are bad, and they don't all work in the same way.

Active ingredients such as Fipronil are non systemic, meaning they are not absorbed into the body, but rather bind with the oils on the skin to provide a 'protective' barrier.

When the flea bites through this barrier to feed it ingests the poison and starts to die.

The way a active ingredient work will also determine what you see next.
Fipronil sends the flea into an active frenzy as it starts to kill it, so you will actually see 'more' fleas on your pet when its working as they will no longer be shying away from the light but running all over the place.

Other actives work by 'getting in to the blood/body fat' so that when the flea feeds it picks of the poison. Whilst these active ingredients have also been tested, a lot, these are the ones that some owners are more likely, although rarely, to see a side effect.

If you have a pet that spends a lot of time in the water, or needs to be bath more than once a month, a systemic product is likely to offer your pet better protection, as it can't be washed off.

A non systemic, such as Fipronil, is a very safe way to protect your pet, but the correct application is VITAL to is having the desired effect.

It must NOT be applied within 48 hours of being bathed (before or after). Remember, it binds to the oils on the skin, if you wash these off and apply it too soon, what will in bind with?

'Oh, it can wait another week' - It probably could, but it only takes one pregnant flea to get onto your pet, to then be brought in to your home to bring about the next flea way.

And always make sure you are using the product at the correct intervals for the pet(s) you have. with Fipronil cats need it applied more often than dogs. This isn't a random number they have decided on, it is what years of research has shown to provide to the cover.

"Diet protects my dog"
Fleas are not an internal parasite! They do not give a monkeys about that your pet is being fed. Please remember that rabbits, hedgehogs and other wildlife are prime carriers of fleas. they eat a 'raw / natural' diet and are still covered!

Diet is more likely to support the bodies defence against internal challenges, not external parasites. (but of course, please feed your pet the best diet you can)

"The house sprays don't work" - next time you ant to kill an invading pest (such as flies or wasps), use your household flea spray and then tell me it doesn't work. The actives in these sprays will kill almost all insects/spiders!!

The reason it may not work is always going to be down to the application and timing.

The sprays come in different concentrations, slightly different actives, and some with or without an IGR (insect growth regulator).

Without an IGR the spray will kill what's there on the day, maybe the day after, but then that it is. done once dry.

The IGR will 'hang about' on the fabric/surface and works by stopping the continuation of the lifecycle. The eggs are very tough, so it most cases is stops the early stages of the flea from shedding their skin and developing, and because this can't happen they die.

The IGR will not last forever, and when you read the can it will say how many months of protection you can expect, but like all things, this is based on the ideal conditions. If the can says 12 months, repeat it within 9-10 months, if it says 8 months, do it around 6 months.

Don't wait for the IGR to fully breakdown, protect your house and repeat at suitable intervals. And spray EVERYTHING you can't was above 60c.

This includes taking ALL the cushions off the sofa, turning over the mattress (and spray the bed slats to).

With the exceptions of your work tops and side units, spray the whole house.
Keep ALL of your pets (water based ones and cats especially) away from the property as you treat, but once dry and aired out then can all come back in (yes it is a bit of hard work, but that is how to get the best protection).

The extra attention to detail can also save a lot of money. When I used to work in a business that sold these products it was sometimes hard to get the person in front of me to understand why such a strong approach was required once they had an issue (as well as reassuring them it was not because their house is dirty!). If the preventative options are done correctly, the year cost can be dramatically less than trying to win the infestation war.

For most, 1 or 2 cans of a spray (such as Indorex), and a generic Fipronil product (there are quite a few listed on here, don't shop by brand name, shop by active ingredient) which can be very cheap, is all that should be required.

If you get an infestation, it is likely to require additional cans of spray, and repeated much sooner than normally required.

So, after all that..

Choose an active ingredient /mode of action that is suitable for your pet and their lifestyle.
Choose a suitable household spay, and always aim for one with an IGR, repeating the application at suitable stages throughout the year. (NEVER EVER apply these to the pet, EVER!!)
And if even after your best efforts things still go wrong, it can happen, it just takes one pregnant flea to get though and survive, but just don't make it easy for them.

And for those still needing reassurances, additional support or have additional questions, Viovet will have a number of SQPs (those LEGALLY qualified to advise of the use of most flea treatments) and at least one vet who will be happy to provide the support you need.

And that is probably enough rambling from this pet owner...