How to Stop Fleas For Good.

The best methods to safely remove fleas and prevent them coming back.

What are fleas?

Fleas are robust parasites that feed on the blood of animals, this includes your pets. Using their powerful legs they jump from animal to animal, making them difficult to catch. They can lay up to 50 eggs a day and can quickly get out of hand. The cat flea is the most common type of flea among dogs and cats.

Why are fleas a problem?

Flea bites are irritating to your pet’s skin. This may lead your pets to excessively bite or scratch at their skin, which can cause inflammation, hair loss and sensitive or sore skin. Animals can become agitated and uncomfortable and have less energy. You should also be aware that fleas can transmit diseases.

The life cycle of a flea

Understanding the life cycle of a flea will benefit you greatly when trying to prevent them.

The egg stage

A female flea lays 20-50 eggs on the host’s fur. The eggs are small, oval-shaped and white. They will typically fall out onto pet bedding and carpet, waiting for the right conditions to hatch.

The larvae stage

This is the stage where the egg evolves into a worm like insect. The larvae will feed on organic debris, such as flea faeces.

The pupae stage

The larvae spins itself into a cocoon. The flea will remain dormant until sensing a host nearby – heat and vibrations are big indicators of a nearby host.

The adult stage

once sensing a host the flea will emerge from its cocoon as an adult flea. It will jump onto the animal and feed on its blood before starting the cycle again.

Symptoms of Fleas

Your pet is scratching excessively
you see small dark brown/orange insects or dark specks
you have insect bites of unknown origin
your pet’s skin is irritated

to confirm whether or not your pet has fleas you can take a fine toothed comb and gently go through your pets fur to catch any fleas.

Getting Rid of Fleas

Now that you understand fleas it is time to finally learn how to get rid of those nasty buggers.

Once you are certain that your pet has fleas you must get your hands on a vet approved flea treatment and apply as stated in the instructions. This will kill the fleas and provide longer term protection. For maximum effectiveness make sure you treat every flea prone animal in your house and do not stop using the product prematurely as visible adult fleas may be dead but there may still be hundreds of flea eggs you can not see.

To physically remove the fleas use a fine toothed comb to gently comb through your pets fur. Do this daily but be gentle as to not irritate the skin.