Fleas Are Back: Are You Ready?

 Do you have pets that are infested with Fleas? Please read this article to learn all about fleas and how to get rid of them for good! Then, call your local MDK Pest Control to help prevent them! 

 

Fleas are significant pests. They can thrive on pets, like cats and dogs, and can be very irritating to humans. Some flea infestations are severe, to the point that they can cause anemia, especially for kittens and puppies.

 

The most prevalent veterinary problem that they cause for some pets is "flea allergy dermatitis" or FAD. FAD is caused when the flea punctures the skin for a blood meal and injects saliva. The flea saliva sets up a severe allergic reaction in the pet. As a result, the pet is severely irritated and causes self-inflicted trauma. Bacteria invade the wounds, causing blemishes. The fur falls out, the damaged scab over, and the pet looks terrible. This sequence of events can be caused by a single flea bite on severely allergic animals.

 

The cat flea is the essential flea in Texas. It attacks both cats and dogs, as well as many other animals. The cat flea life cycle is different from rodent fleas, and control is based on the biology and life cycle. Adult fleas live on the host all the time and take up to 20 blood meals a day.

 

Larvae hatch from eggs and infest premises both indoors and outdoors. All of these areas will need treatment. The flea larva has long hairs that protect it from predation, and the larva can coil around carpet fibres, so they are difficult to remove with a vacuum cleaner. Larvae are going to be found in the highest numbers where pets spend the most time. A cat usually sleeps about 80 percent of the time, so most flea breeding occurs close to where the cat sleeps. Of course, pet bedding and resting areas should be checked for flea feces and larvae. These places also are essential locations for treatment.

 

Adult fleas are well adapted for jumping onto a pet and moving through the fur. They can jump up to 50 times their height to get onto a host. They have claws on their tarsal for holding onto the hair of fur. The diameter of the hair is essential for fleas. They cannot reproduce on humans because they use all their energy jumping and moving rather than producing eggs.

 

Flea control needs to be an integrated program that includes customer cooperation, veterinary treatment of pets, and treatment of infested premises by pest management professionals. Customer cooperation includes combing pets with flea combs, washing and shampooing the animal every two weeks, and vacuuming flea larval breeding areas indoors to remove flea feces, eggs, and adults. Customers also can have the carpets steam cleaned, pet bedding can be washed, pet bedding and floors can be washed, and wild animals can be excluded from the premises.

 

Natural topical treatment of animals is starting to fail, probably due to resistance in flea populations. Many products are registered for direct treatment and include oral medication for animals and spot-on flea products. Many of the spot-on products are not in favor of customers cause that treatment.