The thoughts of fleas are never pleasant to anyone. They itch, they bite, and they overall create a miserable experience for anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with them. Worst of all is they won’t only cause you misery, they could cause misery for your furry friends as well! We will take a look at some flea warning signs so you know when you may have unwanted company!
Flea Infestations
One good thing about flea infestations, if at all there is, is the warning signs they present to make known their presence. These signs serve as clues to homeowners, to alert them about a possible infestation of their home by fleas. So, if you’re careful enough, you can observe these signs and avert a full-blown infestation that will be difficult to eradicate. The following may serve as flea warning signs
Sightings on your pets: You may find these fleas crawling on your cats or dogs. They feed on the blood of your pets. Fleas are small, wingless insects. Their lateral, compressed body gives them the ability to move swiftly through your pets. Constantly look through your pet’s fur. If there are fleas, you will be able to identify them. Using a flea comb could help in this regard.
Itching sensation: Flea bites will trigger an itching sensation that will cause an uneasy behavior from your pet. Your pet may start jumping around nervously, biting, and licking at themselves, all in a bid to get rid of the fleas on their body and also calm down on the itchiness they are having.
More Warning Signs
Flea dirt: These are dark particulates that are from the fleas. They are the feces of the fleas mixed with blood. They can appear on the skin of your pets, forming red patches, or they can be found on your pet’s bed or bedding. Be careful to differentiate between the flea dirt from the normal dust particles. When sprinkled with water, the flea dirt turns reddish-brown. That’s one way to identify them.
Hair Loss: Once the infestation on your pets starts growing, hair loss may ensure. This hair loss may be part of an allergic reaction to the flea saliva or just loss occasioned by the constant licking and biting of themselves by your pets.
Pale Gums: This is usually a sign of anemia, and can be one of the most serious flea warning signs. Immediately this is observed on your pets; your Vet should be contacted immediately.
Flea Eggs: This can sometimes be confused with flea drippings. Most times, they’re a bit harder to spot than the flea faeces. Flea eggs are transparent in appearance and have an off-white colour. FleasFleas have the ability to lay up to 50 eggs per day. That means if you look around carefully, you may see these eggs due to the large numbers deposited in your home over time.
Tape Worms
One thing to check for that again is unpleasant to think about, but an indicator you may have a flea issue is tapeworms. Tapeworms may be evident in your pet’s droppings: Fleas are known to carry tapeworms. In the process of licking and biting at themselves to get rid of fleas, your pets may inadvertently ingest these worms. That’s a bit of further trouble for these pets. Tapeworms are one endoparasite that feeds on the nutrients of its host, depriving them of these much-needed food nutrients, thereby causing serious health damage to your pets. Have you recently observed tapeworms in your pet’s droppings? Fleas may be the likely culprits.
What Next
Once these signs are observed, the necessary measures should be taken to eradicate all fleas from your home. Seek out the best treatment approach to take and get to work immediately.
Flea warning signs are signs that we should use to our advantage. They should never be neglected. Not paying close enough attention could be detrimental to the health of your pets.