Fleas and Pets

Fleas cause pet misery that ranges from constant scratching to hot spots. The more we know about them, the better our changes of controlling them and helping our pets be flea-free.

Do fleas prefer pets to people?
Lucky for us, yes. Because fleas prefer dark, they gravitate to haired areas on our pet’s skin. Because pets have more hair than people, hence have more dark hiding places, fleas prefer pets to people. Because fleas prefer dark, they scatter from sight if we part the hair to look for them. They can be very difficult to find.

Do fleas like some areas of the pet more than others?
Yes, fleas prefer the rump and the head where your pet cannot reach to remove them. Fleas also find the belly a choice area to invade. On some cats, you’ll find fleas high along the spine between the shoulder blades.

Does everyone have a flea problem?
Unfortunately, flea problems are widespread, and few homes are spared—not even the spotless homes.

Veterinarian’ homes are no different. They have flea problems too.
One veterinarian spent 3 months ridding an apartment in Chicago of fleas. In fact, fleas tormented him so much that he became a veterinary dermatologists and devotes himself to making others have an easier time of it with fleas than he had.

In the South, fleas are a year-round problem because they survive during the easy winters. In the North, winter temperatures fall, but fleas survive in heated garages, barns, hay bales, on wildlife, and on pets that stay indoors.

Humidity is probably the single most important factor in flea survival, but in hot, dry areas with low humidity, fleas survive because they can remain cocooned for months. Parts of the world that are exceptionally hot or dry, though, have no resident flea problems at all. Of course, most of us wouldn’t to live there either.

Do fleas transmit diseases?
Yes. The cat flea transmits tapeworms and several infectious diseases, including the plague.

Whenever your pet snaps at a flea and swallows it, it has exposed itself to Dipylidium caninum, a tapeworm that attaches to the small intestine where it sucks up nutrients. In a few weeks, you’ll find dried, tan, rice-like tapeworm segments attached to the pet’s rectum or in the feces. These tapeworm segments carry eggs and can eventually infect humans and other pets. One more reason to prevent fleas.

More information on fleas to come.