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Fleas
Where
does my pet get fleas?
The most common flea found on cats and dogs is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides
felis). Rarely rabbit fleas or hedgehog fleas are found on cats and dogs.
The
most important source of fleas is newly emerged adult fleas from pupae
in your house. Adult fleas live and feed on our pets but the female flea
lays eggs, which fall off into the environment. Under favourable conditions,
these eggs develop first into larvae and then into pupae. The pupae contain
adult fleas that lie in wait for a suitable animal host. Modern carpeted
centrally-heated homes provide ideal conditions for the year round development
of fleas. The highest numbers of flea eggs, larvae and pupae will be found
in areas of the house where pets spend the most time such as their beds,
furniture and so forth. Even though fleas may be in your house, you probably
won't see them; the eggs are too small to see without magnification and
the larvae, which are just visible, migrate deep down into carpets, furniture
or cracks in floors away from the light.
What
effect do fleas have on my pet?
Many
pets live with fleas but show minimal signs. The following problems can
occur:
• Some pets develop an allergy to flea bites. If these pets are bitten by fleas they groom or scratch excessively and develop skin disease.
• Adult fleas live on animals and feed on blood. In puppies and kittens and debilitated animals this may cause anaemia.
• The flea acts as the intermediate host for the tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum). Tapeworm eggs, which are shed within tapeworm segments in faeces, are eaten by flea larvae that develop into infected fleas. Pets become infested by eating infected fleas during grooming. Any pet with fleas is likely also to have a tapeworm infestation.
Flea
Prevention
It
is really important to start flea prevention early on in life. This will
not only get your pet used to the administration, but also help to prevent
flea problems later on. There are various products available to use on
your: spot-on treatments, sprays and tablets.
If you would like individual advice on the most suitable flea treatment
for your puppy, please contact either surgery. Totton 023 8066 0400, Lyndhurst
023 8028 2358