It is Flea Season....

Did you know 95% of fleas live as immature stages in the pets surrounding? Adult female fleas lay 40-50 eggs on your pet per a day. These eggs fall off into the environment aka your house. Eggs hatch into larvae that feed on the blood found in flea feces and eventually form into Pupa. Pupa can remain dormant for months as they wait for opportunities hatch into adult fleas. Adult fleas find a host, take a blood meal, and find a permanent home on your pets. Female fleas find a home, and start producing eggs within 20-24 hours of their first blood meal on your pet. That means at a rate of 20-50 eggs a day, the adult female flea can produce 2,500 eggs in her 4-8 week adult life!

Getting Rid of the Flea Problem
Treating your pets:

• First, do not panic! Eliminating fleas from your home will take time and work, but it can be done.
• If you have a flea infestation, ALL dogs and cats in your home must be treated at the same time. If not all animals are treated at one time, the fleas will go from one pet to another.
• Prescription-strength flea and tick preventatives are preferred as they are the most effective on the market. It takes about 3 months of flea prevention products used on your dog to ensure fleas are eradicated from your home.

Treating your home/environment: 
Indoor:

• Vacuum multiple times a day to remove flea eggs, larvae, and pupae from your home. After vacuuming, remove and throw away the vacuum bag or empty the canister; fleas can crawl out of the bag or canister and re-infest your home.
• Wash and dry all bedding, stuffed toys, and cloth materials (yours and your pets) with hot water if possible; flea larvae can be killed at 95 degrees.
• Commercial indoor flea sprays can help clean upholstery, cushions, pillows, drapes, drapes, etc.

Outdoor:

• Pet areas (dog houses, kennels) should be washed.
• Wash or throw away pet bedding as eggs, larvae, and pupae can hide in it.
• There are yard flea treatments available if you have a reoccurring flea problem. 

Preventing a Flea Outbreak 
All dogs and cats should be on a flea preventative to protect your pet and home from a flea invasion. Since fleas are contagious, all pets can easily become infected with fleas from other pets, wildlife, and rodents infected with fleas. That means strictly indoor pets could get fleas from a mouse that may be in your home. Indoor-outdoor dogs and cats could get fleas from another animal outside. Unfortunately, your pet can become infested with fleas in any season due to fleas surviving on other animals and in houses. If a flea problem is left untreated, the fleas can cause dermatitis, skin irritations, and in severe cases anemia. For rental properties and pets with a high exposure risk (dog parks, trips to groomer, boarding facilities) we do recommend year-round flea preventatives to prevent your pet from getting fleas. 

We hope this education spotlight on Fleas helps solve your recent flea problems but also help to prevent a flea out break in your home. If you have any questions, call us at (605) 697-5252.