Dog fleas are one of the most common type of flea infestations that affect the homes of dog owners, the fleas are often picked up in the fur coats of dogs as they walk in tall grass or they are transferred from one dog to another when they play together in the park.
The dogs pick up the fleas and then they return home and the fleas come into the house with the dog and infect your carpets and furniture, the flea infestation is both annoying and can be a risk to your health, there is also an amount of embarrassment connected with having fleas in your home, people worry that their friends and neighbors will think that they have a problem with fleas because their house is dirty.
The fleas that are most likely to come into your home on the dog are called cat fleas, I know it seems strange if not ironic that dog fleas are in fact called cat fleas, but there we go. The cat flea is not worried about the animal it is on as it will feed on the blood of most mammals, including cats, dogs and even you and I – cat fleas will even infect birds if they get the chance. It is this ability to feed on a wide range of hosts combined with the mobility of those hosts that make the cat flea such a common pest.
Dog fleas are well renowned for their ability to jump, if you have seen one up close and have touched the hard outer shell of the flea with something you may well have seen it jump several feet. The ability to jump like this helps to ensure the fleas can transfer from one dog to another, they even jump from dogs to people, if they do and you are bitten this can be one of the first signs that you have problems with fleas in your home.
Signs that you may have an infestation of fleas in your home may include, your dog scratching and nibbling at its coat a lot, small black jumping fleas being spotted, often on light surfaces such as upholstery and bites that you may suffer, if you do get bitten it will become itchy even if you do not suffer from flea bite allergy’s, if you do suffer from flea bite allergy’s then you should consult a doctor if you are bitten as it may result in more complications than a non suffer may get from the bite.
If or should I say when you find you have dog fleas in your home, because as a pet owner it is almost guaranteed to happen at some point, then you will need to treat your dog with anti-flea medications such as Front Line or Advantage. When used properly these medications can be extremely effective in killing off the fleas on your dog and also in your home.
It is important that you plan in advance how you are going to deal with dog fleas before you are affected by them, having a quality anti-flea medications such as Front Line or Advantage in your home ready for use will help you get a quick resolution when the fleas do enter your home.