Identification of fleas on pets always helps especially when there are pictures of fleas on pets. Fleas are parasitic insects that will live on your pet to survive. Living consists of sucking on the animals’ blood and laying eggs. Although they prefer to feed on Dogs and cats, fleas being non-picky eaters will jump on any mammal present including your family members. Flea infestation is something that is difficult to avoid when you have pets so, research the best ways to control them.
In order to control them, you need to consult professionals who will treat your home and pets without the additional stress. Ehrlich, pest experts, will treat your business, home and pets. They will ensure that every stage is gone from your place and you can rest easy knowing that there’s no threat of a flea attack.
Symptoms of fleas on pets
Cat fleas are the most common species found on pets. The female cat flea will keep feeding until it grows to more than fifteen times of its body weight then it will lay just as many eggs. This means that without access to a good blood meal, it cannot reproduce adequately.
Ever wondered how fleas on pets actually happen? Non-domesticated animals carry the parasites also, this is an important point to remember. Now, if you do not have a pet but infested raccoons, Possums, Skunks and Rodents find their way into your house or surrounding, chances are that your house will be infested soon.
Cat fleas are not only found on carpets or low areas, search in your crawl spaces and that abandoned, dusty attic. The infestation may begin from there. It is vital to keep watch over your pets, to look out for signs that those little buggers are not sucking their lives away. The adult fleas leave excrete and caked blood on your pet which the larvae feed on eventually. Search the pet bedding for spots and fecal matter. It should look like ground black pepper.
Inspect the pet’s skin thoroughly to find adult fleas as well as the scabs left through their bites. If your pet is infested, it will scratch consistently because the bites are usually itchy.
Flea eggs on cats and dogs
When the female flea has fed enough it will lay at least fifty eggs each day. The eggs are not sticky so they should fall off into the carpet, rugs or pet bedding. The eggs are whitish and tiny almost the same size as a grain of sand. Within a few weeks under favorable conditions, the egg develops into larvae, pupae then adult.
Ways to protect your pets from fleas
At this point, you probably feel like it is next to impossible to remove fleas from your pets but you shouldn’t. While the task is not all that easy, it can be done. These are ways you can protect your pets from fleas.
- Groom your pet thoroughly with a flea comb at least once a week. Give it a bath with a dash of Aloe Vera gel.
- Machine-wash your pet bedding with a cup of lemon juice mixed with detergent.
- If the carpet appears to be extremely infested, steam clean until you are sure they are gone.
- Vacuum your house at least four times a week and dispose of the dirt bag properly.
- Prevent wild animals from getting close to the house by storing a large pile of wood above ground; this should cover those areas where rats, skunks and other tiny non-domesticated animals may find shelter.
Treatment
Restrict the number of times your pets go outdoors so they do not get infested by other animals. Treating your pet without eliminating fleas from the house itself is a total waste of time. If you have confirmed that your pet exhibits sign typical to an infested animal, take him or her to the vet and treat.
Then, call a professional to examine your home to determine the appropriate way to handle the infestation before bringing your pet back home.