Fleas!

I had a customer contact me a couple of months ago to ask if I had seen fleas on his dog as they had been bitten by something and wondered if she was the guilty party. As a dog groomer I would usually see fleas in the bath, they are not keen and will jump off the dog. However, I recently came across fleas (actually a flea) for the first time in six years on one of my dogs. I took immediate action and advised customers who had come in that week to double. check their dogs as a precaution (my other dog did not have any "livestock" or "visitors", but I believe in being transparent when these things happen). If I didn't contact you, you were not affected. However, I thought I would take this opportunity to write up the signs of fleas and what to do if you too have some extra visitors.

Signs of Fleas

Excessive scratching may be a sign to look closer at your friend. Flea can be seen visually as black specks or tiny insects near the base of the tail, neck and groin area of a dog. Another sign is dirty specks around the tail. If you can get these on to a white piece of paper and run some water on it and the liquid runs red this is flea dirt, which contains blood. Other signs may be hair loss. I use a fine comb and a torch to hunt when I am suspicious about potential flea situations.

Why should you care

Untreated fleas can cause dermatitis, and skin issues but also generally will affect the health of your dog. They may become lethargic due to blood loss and it can even cause organ damage. In the rescue I work with they took in two dogs who were totally infested with fleas. Although treated they both developed heart issues which their vet attributed to untreated pests over time. Fleas will also bite you if they take hold in the house.

What to do next

The dog will need treatment. Many over the counter or pet shop flea treatments are outdated and the flea can get round them so it is likely you need a flea treatment from a vet. Flea treatment acts for about a month to six weeks after it has been used and is available as a dab on or tablet treatment.

A mistake many people make is just to treat the dog. Fleas can jump off a dog that has been treated and will happily survive for six months or so in your carpets and soft furnishings, as well as cracks in flooring or skirting boards. You need to treat the house as well.

• Wash dog bedding on a hot 60 degree wash. We are used to cold economic washes now, but they don't kill fleas or mites.

• I like using Indorex spray available online or most good pet shops. It lasts for 6-12 months. Spray each room being careful pets and people are out of the room until it settles. Full instructions are on the back of the bottle and as a bonus it will also tackle dust mites and other tiny pests you can't see. Some people use flea bombs and these are also quite effective.

• Wash any soft furnishing the dog has been on if practical. If not shake out, vacuum and spray

• Vacuum carpets (ideally twice a day).

• Don't forget to treat the car

Even if you think you found the flea straight away, still follow these steps. The flea has four steps to it's life cycle and in the third pupae it forms a cocoon which is hard for pesticides to penetrate. This takes at least 5 days. So even if all clear be vigilant for the next 30 days. I always like to act like I have a major infestation even if it is one adult flea, because I would rather overkill and know the house is flea free than under cater.

Prevention

It is much better not to have fleas that to have them. Fleas are outside in the environment and although there is a dog flea, dogs quite often have cat fleas so visitors to your garden may bring them in. Some people worry about the amount of pesticides we use on dogs, but regular treatment is the best way to prevent pests. I always regularly treat one dog, but only do the other way at the height of the pest season as he has kidney disease and I do worry about the pesticides.. You can guess which dog had the fleas. Treatments come as a dab on (do not bath the dog for a few days afterwards) or a tablet. If you really don't want to use pesticides on your dog then consider regular spraying of your house every six months with Indorex will help prevent issues. In my case I did this and Bud still had a flea.. but it was just one flea and when dealt with there was no further evidence of activity.

My little fleabag... and he loves the sofa so that got treated as well!