Dog Fleas Article from AllergicPet.com

Dog Fleas

Dog fleas are more than just an annoying pest, they can carry many serious diseases, parasites and even lead to an overall weakness in your pets immune system. Also, fleas can bite other pets and humans in the household leading to infestations, possible allergic reactions and even allergies and skin rashes. Dog fleas are found almost everywhere in the world, although they tend to be more problematic in warm climates and in more southerly locations. Remember that dogs in kennels or dogs that interact with other dogs are always at risk for flea infestations because not all dog owners are responsible with flea control.

Suggested Treatments
	Skin-eze	Skin-eze Shampoo
	Skin-eze Spray	Skin-Eze Oil O3

The good news is that there are many effective topical solutions and other vet prescribed treatments to eliminate and control dog fleas in the house and on your pet. Many of the herbal and homeopathic flea controls, such as those shown here on the right, are quite effective for both controlling dog fleas and stopping the dog itching and scratching that occurs after a flea bite. There are also a lot of ineffective and fraudulent over-the-counter flea control treatments that simply don’t work. Before deciding on a flea control program consult with your veterinarian to decide what will work best for you and your dog.

Life Cycle of a Flea

Even though they're a nuisance, dog fleas actually have an fascinating life cycle and it is easy to see why they are so commonly found throughout the world. Their entire lifecycle protects them and gives them the best possible opportunity to reproduce, which they do in large numbers. To understand the life cycle of the flea the stages are outlined below:

Eggs – the eggs are laid in the hair and are not attached to the follicle, rather they are simply deposited against the skin. This means that the eggs can fall off the dog onto bedding (yours or theirs), furniture, or even onto other pets. The eggs can survive for a number of years under the right conditions. Each female lays about 15-20 eggs per day and about 600 eggs during her lifespan. The eggs hatch in a very short time ranging from a couple of days to two weeks, depending on the temperature and other conditions.

Larva – about 30% of the fleas on a dog are in the larva stage at any given time. There are actually three separate stages to larva, but it is important to know that the larva are blind and try to avoid light. They prefer to live in dark areas. Folds in bedding and furniture are common locations where larva can be found. They eat dried blood found in adult flea fecal material as well as dead skin. At this time they are not a parasite in the true sense because they don't actually suck blood or affect the dog’s health in any way. The larva stage can last from two weeks to a month or longer.

Pupa – the larva spins a cocoon then rests and develops for anywhere from five days up to two weeks. During this time they do not eat anything but the cocoon can cause irritation to the dog’s skin if it is on the body or in the bedding.

Adult Fleas – adult fleas are in the biting and serious stage of development. They bite the skin and suck small amounts of blood from the victim, be it a dog, cat, other animal or human. Dog fleas can cause allergic reactions in most species and may also lead to scabs, dry and flaky patches of skin and even hair loss. Adult fleas cannot reproduce without first ingesting blood but they can go into a form of hibernation for a number of months if there is no blood available.

Be sure to plan for routine flea control and management for your dog. Watch carefully for any of the signs of dog fleas, especially flea dirt, in the dog’s coat. Flea dirt is small round dark balls that look like large, black sand grains close to the skin. This is a sure sign of flea infestations and means that immediate treatment is needed.