Canine Fleas Symptoms and Treatments

It is really important to eliminate fleas as much as possible from your dog's coat. Not only do they act as an irritation when they bite and cause your dog to scratch, they also harbor diseases and parasites and which can seriously affect your dog's health.

It is easy to find out if your dog has fleas. Either they will be seen crawling about in his coat, or when you comb or brush him on a white sheet of paper you will see small dark dry bits of dirt which are the flea's waste products. If you drop some water on them you will see them turn a deep red - these dark specks are the remainder of the blood they have been taking from your pet.

These days it is possible to get long-term injections against fleas so that they do not bite and do not lay eggs on your dog. This in turn will ensure that fleas do not set up home in the house as they will not use your dog as the carrier. Remember though that flea sprays to treat the house may not work on the fleas that are still in their cocoons - you will need to fumigate the area two or three times a year to completely clear up the infestation.

You can always buy proprietary drop-on phials containing flea treatments that you can simply drop on the skin on your dog's neck when you part the fur, and this can give almost instant relief from the scratching as they start to work in about fifteen minutes.

Fleas lay eggs which are almost too tiny to see. They can lay these in soft furnishings, bedding, your dog's basket, and anywhere outside too that provides a warm and comfortable environment such as in the bank of dead leaves or in another dog nearby.

Once the eggs hatch they form larvae and from there they emerge as the adult flea. The female flea can lay up to 200 eggs in one hour; as you can see effective control and good hygiene is essential if you are to keep an eye on your dog's health and welfare.

If a puppy or a miniature breed dog has fleas it's important to treat this as soon as possible. They do not have the immunity or the ability to withstand such a loss of blood in a short sense of time and can quickly become anaemic because of the greater blood loss in terms of skin surface area and tenacity of the flea.

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