Flea Bites on Dogs Explained: How to Identify and Handle Them?
Fleas, the tiny creatures, cause a lot of trouble to your beloved canine companion. Flea infestations, though common in dogs, are not less worrisome at all. Prolonged presence of fleas can jeopardize your furry friend’s health. Therefore, it is essential to determine if these menacing creatures have infested your pet and remove them as soon as you notice them. But, how do you know if your pooch has a flea infestation? Your dog would have flea bites when these nasty parasites infest them. And how do you recognize flea bites on dogs? Let us help you.
Read on to learn everything about flea bites and flea infestations in dogs, and the ways to prevent them to keep your dog healthy.
Identifying Fleas and Flea Bites in Dogs
Fleas are blood-sucking parasites that feed on the blood of their host and cause them a lot of trouble. Dogs are one of the primary hosts of these ferocious creatures. Of the more than 2200 species of fleas present in the world, the ones that infest dogs the most are cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis). These fleas are small in size, flat-bodied and have a dark brown color. They can be around 3 mm long when fully grown. When your dog gets flea infestations, you may observe flea bites on their body, which look like red and bumpy rashes.
Understanding a Flea Life Cycle
A typical flea life cycle has four stages: eggs, larva, pupa, and adult.
- Adult fleas hop on a host (e.g., dogs) when the animal visits a contaminated area where these parasites are hiding. Once on a host, adult fleas take a blood meal, mate and lay eggs in the fur of the host. An adult flea can lay an average of 27 eggs per day for up to 100 days.
- The eggs hatch within one to ten days based on the environmental conditions and enter the larval stage. These larvae feed on blood and flea feces for development.
- The larvae spin a cocoon within five to twenty days of feeding on flea dirt and enter the pupa stage. This cocoon protects the pupa from adverse environmental conditions till the adult fleas are ready to come out.
- Once a host is available for a blood meal, adult fleas emerge from the cocoon. They attach to the host and start feeding within a few hours of coming out of the cocoon. Soon, these adult fleas mate and lay eggs.
Symptoms of Flea Bites
Your usually cheerful dog seems irritated and disturbed when they suffer from flea bites. Here are some common symptoms of flea bites in dogs:
- Severe itching
- Incessant scratching
- Biting, chewing, and licking of skin
- Restlessness
- Skin redness and inflammation
- Scabs
- Hair loss
Common Areas of Flea Bites on Dogs
Fleas choose warm areas of the body to hide, survive, and thrive. They target places that are hard to reach for dogs while self-grooming so that they can continue growing. Some of the common body parts to check for flea bites on dogs include:
- Behind the ears
- Under the collar
- Around the eyes
- Near the hind legs
- In the armpits/groin
- Near the stomach
- At the base of the tail
Adverse Effects of Flea Bites
The impact of flea bites is not just limited to itching and irritation in dogs. These nasty parasites can cause the following health problems:
1. Anemia:
Fleas can consume up to 15 times blood than their body weight. That is why heavy flea infestations can cause blood loss and thus anemia in dogs, especially puppies.
2. Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD):
It is an allergic reaction to flea saliva. FAD can cause skin irritation and itchiness, hair loss, and scaly skin. It can also lead to secondary skin infections.
3. Bartonella:
Also known as cat-scratch disease, it is a bacterial infection dogs can get after flea bites. It can cause fever, digestive upsets, swollen or painful lymph nodes and general discomfort.
4. Murine Typhus:
It is a flea-borne illness where bacteria enter the bloodstream through a cut or abrasion and can lead to vomiting or diarrhea, lethargy, and bad breath in dogs.
5. Tapeworms:
While self-grooming, dogs can ingest fleas that carry tapeworms. These pests reach the intestine and flourish, causing vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and weight loss in dogs.
Treatment & Prevention of Flea Infestations in Dogs
It is best to treat flea infestations right away and prevent them to the extent possible to save your dog from the health repercussions. Here are some of the measures to prevent and treat flea infestations in dogs:
- Check your dog thoroughly after every outside exposure to find out if any fleas have hopped onto them.
- In case of flea infestation, wash your fur friend with flea shampoo and use a flea comb to remove fleas, flea eggs, and flea dirt from their coat.
- Use an oral chew, topical solution, spray, powder or a flea collar to treat flea infestations.
- Consult your veterinarian and prepare a flea prevention program for your pet. Administer the preventives all year round to ensure your dog’s uninterrupted protection.
- Treat all the pets in the house to restrict the transmission of infestation.
- Clean your dog’s bedding and toys and fumigate your house after the treatment to remove the hiding flea eggs and larvae and reduce the chances of re-infestation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Here are answers to some of the most common questions you still might have regarding flea infestations:
Q. Why Is It Difficult to Get Rid of Fleas from Dogs?
A. Flea eggs can stay hidden in the carpets, bedding, and other warm areas of the house when the temperature is not favorable to them. When the weather gets warmer, fleas find a host in pets and start growing. They mate, reproduce and lay eggs on the host. An adult flea can lay an average of 27 eggs per day for up to 100 days, making it difficult to completely eliminate fleas from dogs.
Q. Can I Get Fleas from My Dog?
A. Yes. However, humans are not a natural host of fleas, and so they cannot grow on humans. Temporary signs, like skin redness, irritation and itching subside eventually.
Q. What Will Give My Dog Instant Relief from Flea Infestation?
A. Bathing your dog with a flea shampoo helps give instant relief. Also, there are fast-acting oral and topical flea treatments available that help provide quick relief to dogs from flea infestations.
To Conclude
Flea bites and flea infestations can compromise dogs’ health in many ways. Identifying flea bites and providing timely treatment helps in keeping your dog healthy. It is also advisable to prevent flea infestations as far as possible to protect your furry family member from parasite attacks.