flea bites on dogs

flea bites on dogs and cats

flea bites on dogs and cats

Flea bites are becoming a big-time problem for everyone, especially for the people living in the coastal regions. Like most of the insects, Fleas too are born in Cold temperature with high humidity. Mornings and Evenings are the time during which these fleas are highly active and the chance of getting bitten by them at that time is high.

Flea bites has taken its toll, not only on humans but on animals also. Pets are mostly targeted because their owners like to take them for long walks on beach. Dogs love it. Now days, these walks are becoming problematic as Sand fleas hatch on to Dogs, hide between their furs and then initiate their attack by sucking blood. At time, your pets carry these fleas inside your house which then poses a threat to you and your family.

Now to deal with fleas, you need to be extra alert and cautious. Fleas are very small in size and are often mistaken as insects. These Fleas are nothing like your common mosquitoes, because flea bite hurts! These crustaceans cannot be seen with the naked eye, it’s possible only if you know what you are trying to look for. They look a lot like shrimp but are far smaller in size. One thing which gives away the presence of fleas is that they make a very high pitched sound and its pinching to ea
rs. So when you are out on the beach, even it is for just a walk and if you hear such a thing then just walk away from there as fast as you can if you don’t want to get bitten. If you have a dog, then do give him a bath after a walk on the beach which will remove sand fleas if any has hatched on it.

Now we will show you how cats and dogs have been affected by these fleas and what a mess it is.

To start with, here are some pictures of dogs which have been treated for fleas Bites.

Following are some pictures of Cats which are infested by fleas due to which hair fall is also noticed on them.

How Fleas May Harm Dogs?

Fleas feed on blood. Although aquatic animals are the

common target for fleas but they also can burrow into

dog’s skin and eat his flesh and blood. This causes a lot of skin problems which can further cause secondary infections. If your dog is bitten by a Sand flea, an advisable thing is to consult a veterinary for a treatment of your Dog with utmost care and caution.

How Fleas may Harm Cats?

Flea bites itch a lot and at times even your cats can catch a Sand flea from somewhere. When these blood suckers start feeding on the cats, they become irritated and start scratching furiously. That is the first give away if your cat is infested by a flea.

Flea Bite Symptoms on Dogs and Cats

Dogs and Cats show variety of symptoms if they have been bitten by sand fleas. Following are the Symptoms:

Black dots under their skin (Breeding of female Sand fleas after feeding)
Fever
Formation of white lumps on the affected area
Constant Scratching

Treatment or Remedy for flea bites on dogs

How to Treat Flea Bites on your Pets?

Flea bites should be treated as soon as possible because the further it takes to treatment, the more the threat they pose. Fleas often start breeding on their host skin and must be removed by your veterinarian which will prevent any infection on your Pet. When your vet’s work is done, then you will have to take care of your pet. Thorough skin cleaning is required at the bite site so as to lessen the chance of any infection. An immediate action which you can take before you take your cat or dog to a veterinarian is to clean their skin with alcohol or another antiseptic.

Flea Bites on CatsFlea Bites on DogYour dog may also benefit from an antihistamine cream to soothe his itchy skin, and pain relievers may help him feel better. It may take a week or more for the itchiness to completely leave your dog’s skin, even with treatment.

Following is the list of Sprays and medicines which can be helpful in the treatment and prevention of flea bites.

Frontline- It is available as sprays, drops and medicine. It’s highly effective and is used on a large scale. It is easily available at your local Chemist.
The advantage is a medicinal cream which is directly applied to the skin. It’s a fast action medicine.
K9 Advantix is one of the most commonly used insect killers as it is not only effective on fleas, but also on biting mosquitoes, flies and lice.
Capstar is an oral pill only for dogs that kills 98% of the adult fleas. Eggs and larvae which might be breeding under the skin don’t die.
Revolution is a named medicine available mostly in drop form. It protects dogs against heartworm, fleas and various other parasitic infections.
Program- It’s a flea treatment product and it’s one of the most popular products used to fight fleas. It is available in pill or liquid form and the cat must eat it every month together with a meal. It kills all the fleas by targeting their reproductive system.
Biospot is a broad-based solution which is also economical. It kills fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. The effect of treatment lasts for about 3 months against fleas and only 1 month against ticks and mosquitoes. It’s not water resistant.
Choosing an appropriate treatment for your Cat or Dog is very important and it should be done only with the consultation of your Vet. Only the medicines advised by your vet should be consumed. Overdosage of these medicines can also be deadly.

How To Diagnose Flea Bites on Dogs

Your dog has an odd behavior and it constantly scratching and tries to bite its tail. These are the first symptoms of dog flea bites. If you look closer on your pet’s skin you would find some tiny red wounds. That is nothing more than flea bites on dogs.

DO FLEA BITES ITCH?

The flea’s bites cause itch and appearing of great number of red spots on the dog’s skin. Actually flea’s saliva releases anticoagulants and it prevents the blood from coagulating. In this manner it has constant supply of flowing blood. Flea’s saliva causes irritation, itch, inflammation and swelling to the skin. The bites of this insects lead to the allergic dermatitis, secondary bacterial infections and, in more serious cases, to severe anemia. The fleas are even able to transfer tapeworm eggs into the digestive system of dogs. Actually it can make the dog weak so that the dog will suffer from many health problems.

FLEA BITE SYMPTOMS ON DOGS

The dog constantly scratches, bites, nibbles and licks its body, especially in the tail end area
You can find tiny red blisters or bumps on the dog’s skin.
You can observe the hair loss in patches.
The intense itch causes the pain and discomfort to the animal.
Secondary bacterial skin infections appear due to excessive biting and scratching

HOW TO TREAT DOG FLEA BITES

First thing to do is to give to your dog a nice bath with cold water. Actually not very cold water just normal water from the tap will do. It will reduce the itch and inflammation.You can also use anti-flea shampoos and soaps, which you can easily get in the pet shops, to rid out of fleas. And of course you can visit a veterinarian, who will prescribe to your dog the medicines from the inflammation and itch. Besides, the wounds can be treated by steroid ointments or hydrocortisone creams.

Now, when you helped your pet to get rid of itch and inflammation, it’s high time to give him a hand with extermination of fleas on its skin. Pay a visit to the veterinarian and him for a flea collar. He will give you advice which collar is more suitable for your pet. It will help to keep the fleas away from your dog. But be careful, because such collars contain many harsh chemicals. Use only those collars, which your veterinarian recommended you, otherwise your pet can have nervous system damage. Moreover, it is highly possible that the vet may recommend some ointments or drops from fleas. Besides, there are oral medicines too, that are very effective. You may also use flea shampoos, flea powders and flea combs to get these nasty insects out of your dogs’ fur.

Keep your lovely pets healthy!

The flea was easily get rid of fleas in the house

Don’t skip any of the following steps or your flea problem will be back, most likely stronger than before.

Fleas are very resilient and can hide easily in your home. If you don’t start home flea removal as soon as you realize that fleas are in your home, you will end up with a flea infestation problem!

You may have been told that fleas don’t survive in the winter, this is not true! Fleas can live through all seasons. During colder months a flea can live very happily in your home where it’s heated. So if you think your home has fleas and it’s cold outside, you’re probably right. Continue reading on for home flea removal!

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Step 1: Get Rid Of Fleas On Your Pets

You need to treat your pets for fleas first and foremost. If you don’t have pets but still have fleas, start with step 2, treating your carpets for fleas.

I have step by step instructions to get rid of fleas on your dog, puppy, cat or kitten. After you have treated your pet for fleas, follow the steps below to complete your home flea removal.

To get rid of fleas on your pets naturally: There are many ways that you can get rid of the fleas on your pets without harsh chemicals and with home remedies. If you have a kitten or puppy, I would recommend not using any chemicals directly on their skin. There is a wonderful product out there called wondercide, this product is safe for all pets and they have a complete line of products you can use on your pets of all ages and in your home. It is a bit pricey but well worth it.

Step 2: Treating Your Carpets For Fleas:

Your carpets will need to be treated with a carpet spray that specifically targets fleas. Thoroughly spray your carpets with the spray being sure not to avoid any areas. Fleas love warm, moist, dark places, so be sure to move any furniture on your carpets and spray under them.

A Natural Alternative To Chemicals For Carpets Is: table salt. If you would prefer a natural inexpensive alternative, you can use table salt. You can read about killing fleas with table salt, this is a very effective home flea removal treatment that will only take your time and about $10, depending on the amount of carpets in your home. You can find step by step instructions to use table salt on carpets at:

kill fleas naturally

Step 3: Treating Your Furniture For Fleas

All of your furniture will need to be treated with a flea furniture spray. Fleas can and will hide in the furniture stuffing, so be sure to saturate this as well. If you’re furniture could be ruined or stained from the spray, using a steam cleaner will be just as effective. The steam will kill the fleas, in all of their life stages. this is a very effective home flea removal treatment!

Step 4: Using A Flea Fogger To Kill Fleas:

You will need a flea fogger to reach the tiniest spots in your home that you can’t see. Remember flea eggs are the size of a grain of salt. There are many places that the flea egg could be hiding that you wouldn’t even think about. The fogger will reach all of those spots that are blind to the human eye.

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Step 5: Washing Everything For Home Flea Removal:

You’ll need to wash all bedding that your pet goes on. Toys that your pet plays with, will also need to be washed, if they’re made of a cotton like material. If the toy is rubber or plastic, just rinse in hot soapy water. If it’s not possible to wash your pets toy, just throw it out! If this step is skipped during your home flea removal, you will find the fleas again within a week. Your pets will continue sleeping on their beds and playing with their toys ultimately scattering the flea eggs again throughout your home!

Wash all the bedding in hot soapy water. I use flea shampoo to wash my animals things, I know it’s safe and it kills fleas. Dry everything you can on high heat, in your dryer. This is an extra effective process in killing all the flea stages. If you can’t wash something that your pet uses, like a pet bed, just throw it out and buy a new one or steam clean it.

Step 6: Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum!

Vacuum all of your carpets extremely thoroughly. Be sure to get all the nooks and crannies with your vacuum, remember fleas like dark places, so be sure to move furniture and vacuum under it.

When your done vacuuming throw the canister bag out or empty the bag-less vacuum canister. Put the garbage bag with the vacuum debris outside of your home. The fleas can stay alive in the vacuum bag or canister! Do this everyday until you are no longer seeing any fleas, this usually takes 4-6 weeks, before you can say you are completely flea free.

Going over your carpet a few times is a very good idea, as the larvae stage of the flea has a sticky outer coating, that makes it easy for it to stay deep in your carpet fibers.

Watch this video about the importance of vacuuming for flea removal

Step 7: Mopping All Of Your Floors To Get Rid Of Fleas

You will need to thoroughly mop all your hardwood floors and any tile flooring as well. Make sure you reach all the cracks and crevices of your floor, fleas like the littlest spots!

You can use whatever cleaner you normally would for cleaning your floors. Fleas don’t like wood and tile because they’re cooler surfaces. However, the egg stage and larvae stage can fall from you or your pet when travelling through your home.

If you have a floor steam cleaner this is very effective as well. The steam cleaner will kill the flea stages on contact because it is so hot, while the pad will pull them off the floor.

Get Rid Of Fleas In My House Completed!

You did it!!! Your home is well on it’s way to being flea free. Now to keep your home flea free be sure to keep your pet protected with a monthly flea treatment or an alternative natural flea treatment.

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You should also repeat the previous steps weekly, except the vacuuming, this should be done daily. It is highly possible to have a few fleas still survive but if you stay one step ahead of them you will keep your flea free environment for you and your family!

If you live in a warm area, where fleas can live year round outside, you should also treat the outside of your home. Fleas can live very well outside but there are preventative measures you can take. Make the outside of your home flea free, and protect your home from re infestation

You may enjoy some more information in the following articles:

– How to get rid of Fleas from your home , a methodical guide.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to share it below I will get back to you within 24 hours!

how to get rid of fleas on dogs

Discovering that your pet is infested with fleas could be troubling, a lot of pet owners find it really worry and usually associate flea infestation with inadequate housekeeping. Some other owners find it disturbing that these pests reside in their carpets, beds, floors and furniture. It is important you swing into action immediately after you notice a flea infestation.

Proceed with discovering the “Flea Dirt.”

The first thing you have to do is to be sure whether you have a flea problem or not. Adult fleas can be seen by the human eyes, but they are very small and move around rapidly. In the early stages of infestation, you may not see adult fleas on a dog. However, you could see faeces which are commonly referred to as “flea dirt”. This is an indicator that your dog might be infested. The fleas tend to feed on animal blood which explains why their faeces may contain ingested blood.

Flea dirt can easily be identified on light coloured dogs, for dark dog coloured dogs, it could be more difficult to identify. Using a flea comb on your dog could help to pick out flea dirt particles, including adult fleas on the body of your pet.

Flea dirt looks a lot like ground pepper and sometime could be mistaken for normal dirt. You differentiate flea dirt from real dirt by placing the dirt on a mildly wet white tissue or toilet paper. Flea dirt when in contact with moisture will leave reddish rust like the colour on the tissue or toilet paper which shows the blood of the pet that has been taken in by the flea.

Rule Out Other Types of Bites

Discovering fleas or flea dirt on your pet is a clear indicator that your dog has been infested or has been bitten by a flea. You should also be cautious if you notice that your dog is scratching or biting. There are dogs that suffer from flea allergies and as such get very itching when bitten by a flea or two. In such situation you might not be to see the flea or flea dirt as constant biting, scratching and licking can distort the signs that there are fleas present on your pet.

There is a common notion that dogs scratch as a result of fleas present on their skin, however, this isn’t entirely true. The main cause for allergies from a flea bite is due to the saliva from the flea which is absorbed by the skin of the dog when a flea is taking in the dog’s blood.

Itching could occur anywhere on the dog’s body. However, the most common parts include; the groin, the hind legs, on the skin between the ribcage and the tail. It should also be pointed out that not all dogs have an allergy to fleas, as such lack of itching isn’t an indicator to determine the absence of fleas.

For dogs with thick fur coats, it is quite difficult to notice flea bites. To inspect your dog, make sure to check areas on the skin that aren’t covered with plenty furs like the armpit, and groin for feel bite indicators like raised areas of redness.

Differentiating between a flea bite and mosquito bites or bites from other insects isn’t a walk in the park as most insect bites display the same symptoms. Nevertheless, mosquito bites are singular and can be found at any location on the body, usually take longer to treat and are prevalent in warm climates.

The easiest way to differentiate a flea bite from a tick bite is by discovering a tick on the skin of your dog. Tick bites are a lot similar to flea bites on dogs; they typically have the same appearance and same reaction as flea and mosquito bites. Tick bites tend to develop a raised sore or a scab, whereas scabs develop on flea and mosquito bites as a result of secondary actions like scratching and biting.

What to Do Once You’ve Confirmed Your Dog Has Fleas

Once the presence of a flea infestation has been ascertained, it is essential you take serious steps to address this menace before it escalates. The first step should involve bathing your pet with the aim of removing adult fleas and flea dirt from your dog’ skin. This step does not prevent fleas from re-infesting your dog if they are fleas present in your environment.

If you intend to apply shampoo and other topical flea products, always ensure to take a look at the product instructions as some products should not be applied within two days after bathing your pet.

There are several natural flea remedies for dogs, in addition to home remedies for fleas on dogs that will effectively get rid of fleas on dogs. It is recommended that you consult a qualified veterinary doctor for the best flea treatment for dogs. If you have other pets like cats it also advisable you make use of treatments ideal for cats. Some flea treatment applied for dogs could be harmful to cats. To completely get rid of fleas on dogs you need to effectively treat any pet that is infested.

Asides treating your pet from flea infestation, home remedies to get rid of fleas on your dog should not be left out. One such home remedy involves vacuuming your home and surrounding environment regularly, either weekly or every other day. In addition to vacuuming, you should also endeavour to wash your beddings if your dog usually sleeps on your bed regularly. Engaging the service of an exterminator is also another to go if you require further help. It is important you provide the exterminator with information about all the kinds of pets in your house including birds, fish and reptiles.

Treating your pets carefully in the first instance is the first step to flea control, this approach goes a long way to ensure major flea infestation issues are prevented from occurring in the first place. If for any reason your flea control measures are not effective or adequate to prevent flea infestation, it becomes imperative that you seek ways of adequately dealing with the problem. Consulting your veterinary doctor for advice and guidance on the right products to use should be the next step to take. Making use of sub-standard products could be harmful and a time-wasting venture, making use of the right product and treatment would go a long way to enhancing your chances of getting rid of fleas on your dog.