February 23rd, 2021 by Sarah Miles

All animal lovers want the best for their pets and the thought that they may be suffering for any reason is unbearable. One of the most common afflictions for dogs is fleas. They’re not pleasant for your pet, and they’re not too pleasant for you either.

What are fleas?

Fleas are similar to bed bugs in that they are small mites that feed on the blood of their hosts. However, they are different: fleas jump and bed bugs don’t, and fleas will live on their hosts, while bed bugs live in and around beds and just crawl onto their hosts to feed.

Although adult fleas live on their hosts, often their eggs will develop through their life cycle (from eggs, to larvae, to cocoons, to adulthood) elsewhere, such as in carpets, as their eggs are not sticky and therefore easily fall from the hosts on which they were laid. This is by design – it enables the flea infestation to spread far and wide in a small amount of time.

Fleas prefer to live on furry animals like dogs as the thick layers of fur give them lots of places to hide. While this means they’re less interested in humans, they will still hop onto your body if they need to!

Signs your dog has fleas

There are a number of signs that will indicate your dog has fleas. These include:

Scratching or biting their skin

This is the number one sign you have a flea problem. It’s not the fleas themselves on the skin that makes your dog scratch, it’s the allergic reaction the skin has to their bites that’s itchy. Persistent scratching is, therefore, a strong indicator that they have fleas, though there could be other causes of skin irritation, so you need to look out for other signs too.

Your dog may even bite their own skin to alleviate the itching.

Red and irritated skin

If your dog is itching, examine their skin for bite marks. These will look like round, red, inflamed spots on the skin, or may be scabbed over. If your dog’s itching is due to dry skin or other conditions such as mange, it will present differently to this, so this is a dead giveaway of a flea problem.

Bald patches and thickened skin

Excessive scratching over time could result in hair loss or thickened skin. This can often be concentrated around the neck and ears, which are easy spots for your dog to reach.

Flea dirt

Check your dog’s fur carefully for visible signs of the fleas themselves. Look for dark specks or small brown insects moving around or jumping. You may even be able to spot eggs, which are tiny white specks, like grains of sand, in the fur. You might find tiny, transparent caterpillar-type larvae, droppings, or shed skin. All of this debris is collectively known as flea dirt. Anything that resembles ground black pepper on the skin is a sign that they have fleas. A good tip is to collect these black specks from the skin, place them onto a white paper towel and sprinkle with a little water. If they turn a dark reddish-brown colour this indicates that it’s flea dirt, as opposed to regular dirt picked on their walk.

Bites on your legs

Fleas are not picky and while they prefer living in the fur of your dog, they will feed from any living host – including you. They can jump, but only to around ankle height, so bites tend to be around the lower leg.

What to do if your dog has fleas

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Fleas will make your dog pretty miserable, plus they’re not a pleasant thought for you either, so you will want to get rid of them as efficiently as you can. There are two aspects to this: firstly, you will need a flea treatment for your dog themselves. This could be a spot-on treatment, spray, or shampoo. Natural remedies, such as rabbits’ ears, are also thought to keep fleas at bay.

Secondly, you will need to treat your home as there could be fleas, eggs, or larvae living in your carpets or furniture. Dusting powder, surface sprays, biopren sprays, and fumers are all effective treatments. Use a combination of these and retreat after a few days to make sure you have eradicated all forms of these undesirable pests.