Protect your pets from fleas

“Summer time and the livin’ is easy” are lyrics from an old George Gershwin song. But in today’s complex world, things are a bit different. Fleas continue to survive and thrive. All they need to do is find an unprotected dog or cat, and fleas are on easy street. With a food source of blood and some romance with another flea, life is jumping.

Adult fleas spend all of their time on a single pet and start laying eggs one day after their first blood meal. Females will produce 40 to 50 eggs per day and will survive for months. Each female flea can produce 2,000 eggs in her lifetime. The life cycle can be as short as two weeks or almost a year depending on environmental temperature and humidity. Eggs are deposited on the pet and fall off into the environment within hours. The eggs hatch into larvae that feed on flea feces and other organic debris. The larvae will then become pupae and can stay in this protected state for months until conditions are right for the adults to emerge. The cat flea is the common parasite of both cats and dogs.

There are thousands of types of fleas. The adult flea is a superstar. They eat 15 times their weight in blood daily and can jump 150 times their own height to about 8 inches. If they do not find an animal to bite, they will jump on humans and they love ankles. Fleas can transmit some diseases, but intense itching and blood loss are the biggest complaints. I have seen infected kittens that were barely alive after hosting a severe flea infestation. Pets with flea bite allergy suffer terribly from exposure to flea saliva.

Even without seeing a single flea, we suspect fleas until proven otherwise in pets with irritation on their rear in mid- to late summer. The use of a flea comb will make detection easier. The area above the tail, belly and inner thighs of a pet are good places to start looking for fleas.

With a host of products available, control of fleas has never been easier. A variety of products has recently been introduced. Some include safe ingredients that disrupt the development of the egg. This concept has revolutionized flea control. Once an infestation includes all the stages of a flea’s life, cycle surface sprays or foggers may be necessary to combat an out of control situation.

Owners should look for products that are both safe and effective, but finding the right product will depend on the situation. A pet that spends time outside may need a different product than a house pet that is in close contact with children. Cat owners must use products made just for them. Using dog products on a cat can lead to death. After infestations, owners need to be on the lookout for tapeworms as one species of that parasite comes from fleas.

Taking precautions early in the summer will prevent misery with a serious flea problem later in the year.