FLEAS

Is your cat or dog scratching? Can you see tiny brown specks in its fur? Or are there small brown or black insects scurrying about? Do you have any unexplained insect bites yourself? A yes to any of these questions could mean unwelcome visitors - FLEAS...

Fleas can be a problem even in the best kept homes and on the cleanest pets. You can control them, as long as you treat both your pet and your home. Fleas live and feed on pets. After feeding on your pet's blood the female flea lays eggs which drop into the animal's bedding or favourite resting place. The highest concentration of eggs, larvae and pupae are likely to be in these areas rather than on the animal itself.

Did you know... fleas can lay up to 50 eggs per day and 1,500 in its lifetime.

What's more it's not just the flea bites that can make your pet scratch - they can also be allergic to the flea saliva. This is called flea-bite hypersensitivity. Cats are particularly susceptible and can develop itchy crusty spots throughout their coats. This is one cause of a condition called miliary dermatitis and can be initiated by just one flea.

Did you know... the flea's life cycle may be as short as 14 days or as long as 12 months.

Adult fleas prefer to live on the animal and their diet consists of blood meals courtesy of the host animal. The female flea lays white, slightly oval eggs. The adult female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day, 500-600 eggs over several months.

EGG: Eggs are laid on the animal, but are quite smooth and easily fall off into the environment. The eggs are not sticky (like some parasites), and they usually fall off of the animal into the carpet, bedding, floorboards, and soil. When the flea egg hatches varies -- anywhere from two days to a few weeks, depending on environmental conditions. The larva emerges from the egg using a chitin tooth, a hard spine on the top of the head that disappears as the flea matures.

LARVA: (plural = larvae): The larval stage actually has three developmental stages within this stage. Larvae are about 1/4" (6.35 mm) long, and semi-transparent white. They have small hairs along their body and actively move. They eat the faeces of adult fleas (which is mostly dried blood) and other organic debris found in the carpet, bedding, and soil. Depending on the amount of food present and the environmental conditions, the larval stage lasts about 5 to 18 days (longer in some cases) then the larva spins a silken cocoon and pupates.

PUPA: (plural = pupae): The third stage of the flea larva makes a cocoon where the adult flea develops. The egg, larval, and pupal stages almost always take place in the environment off of the animal, where the microenvironment is often ideal for growth. These larvae and cocoons are found deep in carpeted areas or areas with a layer of organic material (e.g., a garden or flower bed). They are protected from insecticides in this hard-to-reach area. The pupa is the last stage before adult. The adult flea can emerge from the cocoon as early as 3 to 5 days, or it can stay in the cocoon for a year or more, waiting for the right time to emerge. When is the right time? (Never, say pet lovers everywhere!) Stimuli such as warm ambient temperatures, high humidity, even the vibrations and carbon dioxide emitted from a passing animal will cause the flea to emerge from the cocoon faster. This brings us back to the adult flea.

Adult fleas hatch from the cocoon when proper stimulation is present. The stimuli include: vibration, increased carbon dioxide levels, heat, and motion. The adult can emerge from the cocoon in a very short time period...less than a second....and immediately jump to find a proper host. Once on the host they feed on blood obtained by biting through the skin.

An egg may develop into an adult flea within 14 days if conditions are ideal. Each fertilized female may lay as many as 50 eggs per day....more than 800 in her lifetime. In just thirty days, 25 adult female fleas can multiply to as many as a quarter of a million fleas

The best way to stop fleas is to pay us a visit and we will recommend products suitable to treat your cat, dog and your home. Make sure you follow all the instructions to the letter for maximum effect.

Regular cleaning of bedding combined with thorough vacuuming of furniture and floors particularly around skirting boards will help to destroy each stage of the flea's life cycle. You should throw away the dustbag from your vacuum after each use to prevent any flea eggs and larvae from developing.

Did you know... the larvae which develop from flea eggs can become infected with tapeworm eggs. If your pet eats an infected flea, it can also become host to this parasite.