How to Prevent and Treat a Flea Infestation

Fleas. YUCK. One of my least favorite things. Definitely in the same category as ticks. Has anyone out there dealt with a flea infestation on their pets and in their homes? Definitely not for the faint at heart. These creepy critters are easy to contract, very difficult to get rid of, and carry a host of diseases that can be spread to your pets and your family. So, today let’s talk about what they are, where they live, the stress they can cause in your life, and how to prevent ever having to go through any of this.

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Fleas are parasites that feed off of animals. They are tiny, they are fast, they jump VERY high, and they live EVERYWHERE. Most pet infestations come from wild animals.

The number one sources are bunny rabbits and squirrels or chipmunks outside. Clients who tell me that they don’t use a preventative for their dog or cat that go outside, and have never had a flea problem are incredibly lucky. Fleas are typically a problem in the summer months, but they really are out in the environment any time the temperature is above freezing. Really, honestly, they never go away. Those rabbits or squirrels that run across your yard or deck are living in nests or “homes” that are above freezing even when it’s cold outside. What dog or cat doesn’t love the thrill of the chase after a rabbit or squirrel in the yard? Often, they do not catch them, but the fleas jump off of the rabbit and onto the dog or cat in the process.

Fleas need a host to survive. They bite the animal and live off of the blood meal that they take in. Animals are their preferred host, but they will bite a human occasionally as well.

That’s why in a house infested with fleas, humans may find bumps on their ankles or elsewhere. Did you know that fleas can jump around 2 feet or more in the air, and a distance of almost 13 inches? That is impressive when you know that their size is only ⅛ of an inch long. They are tiny, thin, and reddish-brown in color. When looking for them on an animal, I typically look at the animal’s back, right near the tail. Fleas love to congregate here. The other places they love to run around are the head and in the groin area. Again, they are FAST. If you part the hair on your pet and see something scurry away, it is most likely a flea.  Often during an exam, I am looking for "flea dirt." These little black specs on your pet's fur are flea poop, and are a telltale sign of a flea infestation.

Symptoms of a flea infestation on your pet are many. The first thing owners usually report to me is chewing and scratching. These pets will suddenly turn around and start aggressively chewing on themselves.

This is the response to the flea biting your pet. Next, owners report hair loss. This is often secondary to the incessant chewing and scratching your pet will be doing when they have fleas. Finally, pets will often get a skin infection from the fleas. Some pets will get a “flea allergy dermatitis.” This is a skin irritation/infection from the fleas, as it is a big allergen for pets. One last fun fact is that fleas carry tapeworm eggs. When your pet is chewing on him or herself and swallowing the fleas, they get a secondary parasitic infection from the tapeworm. Tapeworms look like little white grains of rice sitting on the fur around your pet’s rectum. Don’t forget, tapeworms are zoonotic……you could also get a tapeworm if your pets have fleas! While I have heard this was at one time the new and expensive weight loss program some women were trying, I do not recommend it!  On a very serious note, fleas also carry the bacteria that causes bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic plague.  While not all fleas carry this bacteria, fleas are the known carrier.  If a flea carrying this bacteria bites a human, it can lead to great sickness or even death.

So, what other headaches can fleas cause in your home? Well, if one of your pets has fleas, all of your pets have fleas. Fleas lay hundreds of eggs every single day in your carpet, on your bed, in the dog’s bed, etc. Once these eggs hatch, those new fleas will lay hundreds of eggs every day in your home. Soon you have thousands and thousands and thousands of fleas in your home! I tell clients with flea infestations that “this will take time, and this will be frustrating.”

To get rid of the flea problem on your pets and in your homes, the first thing you need to do is TREAT EVERY PET IN THE HOME. Remember what I said about “if one pet has fleas, all of your pets have fleas?” It’s very true. Even if you don’t see the fleas on your other pets, you MUST treat all of them with a topical medication.

Please please please, see your Veterinarian and get a brand name medication like Frontline, etc. Do not buy these from the grocery or pet store. Who knows if these are knock off products or the real thing. We Veterinarians get them right from the distributor, so we know they are quality products. You need to use this topical medication on your pets for a MINIMUM of three months. Second, getting a spray product like Mycodex or similar will help rid the environment of the fleas faster. It smells terrible and you need to use it all over the house, so my recommendation is always to have windows open for many hours after spraying. Finally, you may need to call a professional pest control service to come and spray your home. Yes, it can be this difficult to get rid of them.

Flea infestations take a MINIMUM of three months to get rid of. Many frustrated clients would call me after a month wondering why they still had a problem in their home.

Many times it is worse after the first month because of all the new hatching of flea eggs in the carpet. Typically, the situation starts to improve during the second month, with even greater improvement in the third month. If you buy your Frontline from your Veterinarian, and use it for 3 months on ALL pets in your home, and still have a flea problem after three months, Boehringer Ingelheim (the company that makes Frontline) will pay to have a profession pest control company treat your home. That is ONLY if you purchase it from a Veterinarian.

How do we prevent this gigantic issue? I am one of the many Veterinarians who recommends flea and tick prevention ALL YEAR ROUND.

Yep. Not for just a couple months, all 12. I used to live in the upper midwest where it was 20 below zero for a month at a time and I would still see pets with fleas in the middle of winter. There are lots of great and very SAFE products on the market right now. Frontline, Advantage, Revolution, Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, and the list goes on. However, there are also a number of products that are not safe. There are too many cats that die every year from some of the over the counter brands that you can find at the store. Pay a little extra and get a safe product from your Veterinarian!