Dealing with Fleas!

Fleas can infect all warm blooded vertebrates, including humans!

They can be a problem for many pet owners, and when there’s an infestation in an animal shelter it can be a major job removing them.

Fleas are hard to get rid of because of their life cycle. They go through three stages; larva, pupa and imago (adult). As an adult flea, they will appear like black dots on your animal. They feed on blood; therefore if you catch one and squeeze it between your fingers, you will see some reddish blood (or a deep metallic red hue) – then you know they have been feeding on your pet.

Eggs are laid by adult fleas in batches of 20 or more, so unfortunately, for every flea you find, there may be 100 eggs. Eggs hatch at around two weeks and the cycle begins again.

So, even if you manage to kill the adult fleas, there will be a number of eggs possibly still in the animal’s fur, and in the atmosphere around you. Therefore, to treat a flea infestation you must treat your environment too; sheets, cushions, carpets, pillows; anything that has come into contact with your pet must be treated.

You can treat infested areas with various different products available on the market. You can also treat the animal directly but either way, you must always combat the environment and the pet.