FLEAS

One in ten dogs in the UK, at any given time, will have fleas. But the flea itself is only 5% of the problem. Much of the lifecycle takes place within the environment as eggs, larvae and pupae.

From around 24 hours after jumping on your dog the adult flea will begin to lay it's eggs, these eggs are distributed around the home as the animal moves about. The eggs hatch into larvae that hide in little nooks and crannies of flooring and furniture and a protective layer is created known as the "pupae", inside which the adult flea develops. After emerging from the pupae the adult flea finds it's host and the cycle starts over.

What many people don't realise is that the pupae stage of the fleas lifecycle cannot be destroyed by any of the insecticidal sprays used to kill fleas, so killing the fleas on the dog is of utmost importance because it breaks the cycle. It is also important that all the animals in the household are treated at the same time to prevent the freshly hatched fleas from simply finding an alternative host.

Fleas feed on the dogs blood so a serious infestation, especially on young pups, can result in anaemia which if left could be serious to the health of the dog. However, the most common side affect for the dog is F.A.D or "Flea Allergy Dermatitis". This is basically an allergic reaction to either the flea's faeces or it's saliva. The skin becomes irritated and can become infected so veterinary treatment may be needed for any secondary skin infection that may arise, remember too that fleas can also play intermediary host to the tapeworm.

If your dog has fleas you need to be aware that there will also be eggs, larvae and pupae around the home, so ensure you vacuum regularly and although nothing kills the pupae, the eggs and larvae can be controlled with household flea sprays. Subsequently a serious flea problem can take a little while to get on top of as it becomes a constant effort to break the life cycle. It is therefore very important that your animals continue to have free roam of the home as this ensures all the freshly hatched adult fleas are attracted to them so they can be killed with a topical spot on flea killer and aim to routinely treat your dog for fleas every two months to keep on top of the life cycle.

FAQS

• Routine treatment of fleas should be repeated every two months
• All dogs in the house should be treated at the same time
• Allow all animals to have free range of the home to ensure newly hatched fleas jump on them and die
• Use a household spray on the rest of the house as 95% of the life cycle occurs off the animal
• You may still see flea activity for several weeks after treatment as newly hatched fleas begin to emerge