Flea and Tick Information

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1.Fleas have a flexible life cycle. A flea’s life cycle can be broken down into four parts: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The adult lays eggs on a host, which then roll off into the environment. When these eggs hatch into larvae, they feed and go through several molts until they spin a cocoon and become pupae. 

Eventually, from the pupae they become adult fleas, which then seek out an animal host for a blood meal. Under ideal conditions, this entire process takes about 21 days. However, fleas have a very flexible life cycle, and will wait until conditions are just right to move from one stage to another. The warmer and moister it is, the faster the life cycle will go, if it’s cooler and dryer, the process slows down until the temperature goes up. 

2. This life cycle makes fleas very hard to get rid of. Most of the flea medications on the market will kill adult fleas, but it’s much more difficult to get rid of eggs and especially pupae. Some products have a compound that keeps eggs from hatching, but don’t kill the pupae. This means that even if you wipe out all the adult fleas, the next generation might just be waiting to hatch.

3. During a flea infestation, treating your pet isn’t enough.  You have to treat the environment too—that’s where the eggs and pupae are hiding. There are eggs and pupae in the carpet, in between the floor boards, and even in your car, if you take your dog on rides. If you vacuum during a flea infestation, you should immediately throw that vacuum bag out because any eggs and pupae you vacuum up may still be alive. You also want to wash everything—bedding, clothes, etc.—in hot water.

4. Fleas can go a long time without eating. Research shows that pupae can stay in their cocoons for up to a year. Once the adults emerge, they try to find a blood meal immediately but, if necessary, can survive for one to two weeks without eating. However, it is only after they eat that they can lay eggs. 

5. A female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day. Typically, it’s more like 20 eggs, but that means that a single female flea can cause a major infestation in less than two months. In just 60 days you could have more than 20,000 fleas on your hands. This is how a serious infestation can happen before you even realize there is an issue

6. Fleas have Olympic-caliber jumping skills. Fleas are some of the best jumpers in the world, able to jump more than 150 times their body length. This ability is a necessity for the fleas’ life cycles. If fleas are unable to jump onto an animal, they’re not going to be able to feed and then they can’t reproduce.

7. Indoor-only pets are not safe from flea infestations. Fleas, in all of their stages, are easy to transport from place to place. This means that even if your animals never go outside, they are still susceptible to fleas. Some animals are more at risk than others. An indoor cat who lives in a high-rise apartment in a major city is less likely to pick up fleas than an indoor cat who lives in a house in the woods. Also, some parts of the country are more infested with fleas than others. Areas of the country that are warmer and moister tend to have more fleas.

8. Your pets can develop an allergy to flea bites.  There are two types of itching associated with fleas. The first is mild itching associated with the creepy crawly feeling of a bug on your skin. The second is a much more intense itch, which happens when an animal develops an allergy to the proteins in a flea’s saliva. When a dog has an allergy to the saliva of fleas, just one bite of a flea can cause an allergic reaction. This condition is known as flea allergy dermatitis and causes intense itching and discomfort for your dog. Signs include generalized hair loss, reddened skin, scabs and hot spots. Flea allergy dermatitis often leads to skin infections. If animals with an allergy are left untreated, the bites can become infected and require extensive veterinary care.

9. Fleas can transmit diseases that impact humans. Fleas are carriers of all sorts of bacteria that can cause disease in people. One is the bacteria responsible for cat scratch disease.

10. Fleas can also transmit parasites. Fleas can also carry parasites, which they then transmit to their hosts. Tapeworms are most commonly transmitted by fleas. When dogs and cats groom fleas off their bodies, they often swallow them and if the flea is carrying tapeworms, they’ll then be released into the dog or cat’s intestinal tract.

11. Flea infestations can make animals very sick. Since fleas can consume 15 times their own body weight in blood, they can cause anemia or a significant amount of blood loss over time. This is especially a problem in young puppies, which can be life-threatening to some dogs. Signs of parasitic anemia include pale gums, cold body temperature and listlessness.

When a dog has an allergy to the saliva of fleas, just one bite of a flea can cause an allergic reaction. This condition is known as flea allergy dermatitis and causes intense itching and discomfort for your dog. Signs include generalized hair loss, reddened skin, scabs and hot spots. Flea allergy dermatitis often leads to skin infections.

Customers questions and answers will be posted soon. REMEMBER - ALWAYS check with your VET.