How do I know it’s fleas?
The following are usually signs of fleas on your pet:
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Your pet is itching more than normal (but not always)
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You’ve seen live fleas, or flea dirt (small black dots) on your pet or in your house
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You’ve noticed flea bites on your or your pet
How did my pet get them?
Fleas are found in warm places where animals visit a lot, which unfortunately is a lot of places outside! They can feed off all animals, including wildlife. They can bite people but they don’t live off us, they need other animals to survive. They can come into your house on your clothes or shoes.
How do I get rid of them?
95% of a fleas life cycle is actually not on your pet, they are eggs/lavae and pupae found in your carpet. This means you need a treatment plan that approaches your pet and your house.
1. Treat your pets
Use flea treatment on all animals in your household, even if they are not itching. Any animal can be a food source for adult fleas. Below are some recommend products you can buy without a prescription:
Dogs
Cats
Rabbits
2. Treat your house
You should flea spray the rooms in your house and hot wash all bedding at 60C (where possible). This should eliminate all adult fleas currently in your house. However the pupae part of the fleas life cycle are very hard to kill, these are larvae who have cocooned and will emerge into adult fleas (kind of like a really gross butterfly!). These usually hatch within 3 weeks in a normal house environment, so we recommend repeating treatment of your house every 3 weeks.
Below are some household flea sprays we would advise:
3. Keep going!
If you have an infestation, where fleas have layed eggs and are breeding in your house, then unfortunately this can take 2 to 3 months to clear. This is because there will still be eggs/pupae hatching throughout the next few weeks. Keep flea treatment up to date on your pets and treating the house every 3 weeks and you will win eventually! You are likely to see a re-emergence in a few weeks after treating, this is normal don’t worry.
If you've found this article helpful, you might be interested to read our other related articles: Why should I worm and flea my pet regularly?, A guide to de-fleaing your pet, Spring clean your home from fleas, What you need to know about fleas, Cat fleas, Top 5 myths about fleas.
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Written by: Dr. Nick Garside BVetMed MRCVS