Fleas are blood-feeding parasites
that can be found almost anywhere in the world. The most common flea affecting
both dogs and cats in the United States is the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis. Adult fleas cause irritation and itching,
and can cause flea bite anemia, flea allergy dermatitis (F.A.D.), and tapeworms
in dogs and cats. Fleas will bite a human if an animal is not available, but do
not thrive off of human blood. Flea bites can also cause itching and irritation
for people.
Fleas undergo a complete
metamorphosis like a butterfly or moth. Their life cycle contains an egg,
larval, pupal, and adult stage. Warm humid conditions help the life cycle to
proceed quickly. An average life cycle takes 3-4 weeks to complete, but can
become protracted due to the pupal stage. At any given time during an
infestation, the eggs constitute approximately 50% of the population, the
larvae 35%, the pupae (cocoon) 10%, and the adults 5%.
A household flea infestation
usually begins when adult fleas jump onto the pet, usually from an infested
environment. Once on the pet the flea immediately begins feeding, mating, and
laying eggs on the pet. The eggs are dislodged from the pet by shaking,
scratching, and general movement, and fall to the ground. These eggs will hatch
into maggot-like larvae that crawl downward, away from light to pupate (form a
cocoon). Often this is deep in carpeting underlying furniture. An adult flea
will then emerge from the cocoon to perpetuate the life cycle.
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Treat all pets within the household. A
variety of products may be used to treat and/or to prevent fleas on your dog,
cat, puppy, or kitten. Everything from topical liquid spot/stripe applications,
shampoos, sprays, sponge-ons, powders, collars, wipe-ons, tablets, capsules,
and injectables are available to help you achieve this goal. Best results are
achieved with a product, or a combination of products, which contains both an
adult flea killer (an adulticide), as well as an insect growth regulator (IGR),
both with residual action.
Treat your pet’s environment. Treating your pet for fleas may be only part of the solution to your flea problem. Premise treatment products are available in aerosol, powder, spray, and fogger formulations to help you create a flea free environment. Indoors, be sure to treat all upholstered furniture and carpeting, and especially those areas which may serve as hiding places for pre-adult fleas, like under beds and furniture, in closets, and along the periphery of the room (i.e. baseboards). Outdoors, clean up the site, remove organic debris, keep the lawn mowed, and wash, change, or treat pet bedding.
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