With the strange “winter” we have had, I’ve decided to write this week’s blog post about Public Enemy #1: The Flea. We are already seeing large amounts of flea infestations on pets that come in that are not on any type of flea prevention, and all of the problems that come along with these exasperating creatures (think skin infections, anemia).
Did you know that a pet that has 25 fleas can be bitten 600 times per day? OUCH!
Lots of people think that fleas are just annoying and irritating. But did you know that fleas can actually kill pets? If you think about it, we all know that fleas are bloodsucking creatures- now think of a pet that has a very heavy infestation- tons of fleas are all drinking that animal’s blood. Enough fleas drinking blood, and they can cause a slow and life-threatening amount of blood loss. Especially to very small or young animals. We have seen multiple puppies and kittens come in to the clinic with white gums, near death because they have so many fleas that the fleas are literally sucking them dry. It’s incredibly sad to see a young animal struggling to live because of something that can be prevented. (Just a note here- more often than not, we are able to help to save these puppies and kittens, but sometimes they are already too far gone).
The first defense against fleas is to understand your enemy. Did anyone see the movie “Starship Troopers”? Remember the line “to defeat the bug, we must know the bug!” No? Well it was one of those 90s movies that is easily forgotten until you need a line about combating bugs. Anyways, let’s explore the life cycle of our enemy, shall we? This information is taken from VeterinaryPartner.com:
Stage 1: Egg
At any given time about one third of the flea population in someone’s home is in the egg stage. The adult female flea lays up to 40 eggs daily. The eggs are laid on the host and fall off to hatch in the environment. Eggs incubate best in high humidity and temperatures of 65-80 degrees. (How many of us have our home between these temperatures? I know I do)
Stage 2: Larvae
The larvae are like little caterpillars crawling around the home feeding on flea dirt (which is actually flea poop) that fall off the host. The length of time spent in the larval stage is dependant on environmental conditions. It can be as short as 9 days. Larvae are killed at 95 degrees. This means that they must live in some area where they are protected from the summer heat. (Since we all know in summer it is even 95 degrees in the shade in our wonderful part of Texas, this means that most larval stage fleas are living in our homes- yikes!)
Stage 3: Pupae
This is the stage where the to-be flea makes a cocoon and are turning into the flea that we are all familiar with. This stage is especially common to find in carpet, where they are protected- but don’t think that since you have hardwood floors that you are safe- they also like to live inside the cracks between the wood or tile! After the pupae develops, it does not have to hatch right away- it waits for the perfect time. The mature pupae is able to detect vibrations and waits to emerge until it detects a nearby host.
I remember one time when I was a kid and we had been on vacation for a few weeks in the summer. We had taken our dog with us and boarded our cats. When we returned home and walked in the door, fleas attacked. It was insane, startling and kind of scary. They were jumping everywhere and going crazy looking for a host! My Dad (who surprisingly always just put up with me bringing random animals home) was very upset and put us in a hotel for the night and they called an exterminator out. Our pets were always kept on flea prevention after that incident.
Stage 4: The Fed Flea
After the adult flea finds your pet and has its first blood meal, and it goes through some metabolic changes. If the fed flea is separated from its host, it will die in a few weeks without a blood meal. WEEKS! The female flea begins to produce eggs within 24 to 48 hours of her first blood meal. They get going quick on making more fleas!
The average lifespan of an adult flea is 4-6 weeks. But don’t worry, there are so many more to take the place of those that die.
Basically what we’re getting at here is this: Flea prevention is very important. Aside from the health issues fleas can cause your pet, who wants their home to be full of fleas? And don’t we all want to cuddle with our pets? I bet you wouldn’t if you actually knew how many fleas were on them. Just remember that just because you can’t see the fleas, does not mean that your pet doesn’t have them or that they aren’t in your house. Flea prevention is applied once every 30 days, and we have many options to choose from ranging from topicals, pills, or chewy treats. And while you’re at it, get a combination prevention that can protect your pet against heartworms as well. Your pet will thank you for it.
-Your Veterinary Technician
Independence Equine & Small Animal Clinic 