The
first signs of fleas on your dog is constant scratching behind the ears, biting the base of
the spine and furiously playing the banjo under the armpits. Other signs are
little bits of black grit on the body which feel like coal dust. In extreme
cases, red patches and coat loss. Flea bites are painless and by themselves
aren’t always itchy but these days cats and dogs are sometimes allergic to flea
saliva. One bite can trigger a scratching frenzy that makes their skin raw and
infectious. Fleas live in nice, warm places, especially carpeted centrally-heated
homes. When a dog walks by their vibrations activate the fleas who probably yell “Dinner” in flea-speak as they hitch a ride.
Everyone says the same thing "But I put Program and Advantage on them regularly so how can he get fleas?" During warm sunny days, the fleas lurk in grass or carpets and the moment they sense a warm body going past, upsa-a-daisy and on they jump. They then lurk along the skirting boards and corners of every room that the dog visits.
*Tip
Vacuum
the house from top to bottom; wash the pet’s bedding and run oil of lavender or
anything with citronella along the skirting boards and in the pet bed. I find that putting anti flea powder dribbled along the skirting boards and gently brushing it in helps to keep the eggs from hatching. Oil of Olbas also works brilliantly as
it is eucalyptus based and quite strong smelling. It’s always good to run some
oil of lavender along the dog’s back. It’s quite soothing and the smell calms
the dog down enough to stop the scratching.
Then buy
a special flea repellent shampoo from the pet shop and give your dog a thorough
dousing. That usually kills off the flea eggs and flushes them down the plug
hole but you haven’t won the battle yet. This can go on for 3 weeks or more.
Drive
off the fleas by feeding your pet garlic tablets and Brewer’s yeast in their
food. This makes their skin repellent to a high flying flea.
Spotting a flea?
Fleas
are parasitic insects. They are very small but can be observed with the naked
eye; once they reach adulthood they are usually 1.5 to 3.3mm (1/16 – 1/8”)
long. They are brownish black color, with no wings. They serve no
purpose in the food chain except to cause their hosts — your cat or dog — as
much discomfort, illness, and worms as possible.
Fleas
cannot fly, but they can leap incredible distances for such a small insect. In
fact they are the world’s best leapers according to their size. They can make
vertical leaps of seven inches (18 cm) and thirteen inches (33 cm)
horizontally. A flea can sense a warm body as soon as it comes into jumping
distance and if there isn’t a dog around, a juicy human ankle will do just as
well.
Part the fur with your fingers and you may spot a little black
creature scurrying fast through the fur, that's the enemy. And if your fingers feel a sand -like texture on the dog's skin, that's the eggs resembling black grit. Stand the dog on a white cloth or piece of paper and then run the comb through the fur. The cloth or paper will have bits of black grit on it. (See pic above). These are flea eggs. Crush one and it goes red. That's blood! Put them into a bowl of clean water and they turn red. That's blood! These are signals for the speedy eviction of fleas and its unborn offspring. (Bet you're feeling quite squeamish and itchy now about the whole idea of fleas on your dog!)
Shampooing the dog is a must, followed by washing all the dog’s blankets,
cloths, bean bags and dusting out the basket outside the house. Then give the
home a thorough vacuuming. I’m afraid getting rid of fleas takes a few days and needs a strict and disciplined hygiene regime of Hoovering the rooms every single day for at least 10 days.
I keep up a maintenance programme in my house by running flea powder along the skirting boards, edges of carpeted steps and along furniture legs. So far, touch wood,I have been a no-flea zone. Fingers crossed!
Nothing to do with fleas ........but here is the saddest video ever. Get a box of tissues ready because you wont be able to stop the tears at the end. It's heart warming when strangers take the time to show kindness to an animal.
"Friendship isn't about who you have known the longest.
It's about those who came and never left your side ........."
Ta ta until the next blog!
Dawn (")
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