Pampered Dog Blog

Fleas are a major matter that all pet owners ultimately have to cope with. Anybody who has a dog has almost certainly have faced the unnerving battle of getting rid of fleas on dogs naturally, a battle that has time and again been shown to be more trying than it looks.

Fleas are not just an issue because they harass and instigate hours of aggravating scratching for your dog, but they may also cause other significant complications including flea bite allergy, tapeworm infestations and in extreme cases, anemia.

Owing to their surprising resistance, fleas are incredibly difficult to keep under control. The female flea can lay over 2,000 eggs in her existence, which suggests that an infection may come briskly and the eggs she laid may exist for quite a while in her habitat while simply awaiting a suitable target. So it’s critical to get rid of both the fleas on the animal as well as the fleas inhabiting the pet’s living space. The perfect locations to find fleas include sand, carpeting, rugs and bed linens.

How to Eradicate Fleas

In order to totally terminate fleas on your dog and in his habitats, it is important to comprehend the flea’s lifespan. There are four phases which constitute the lifespan of the flea. Akin to the majority of insects, the fleas starts out in the egg phase, turns into larva, then advances to the pupa phase before eventually getting to the adult phase.

The Flea’s Egg Phase

The eggs of the flea are whitish in color and are so small that they are hard to locate without the help of a magnifying glass. Despite the fact that the eggs are first laid on the canine’s skin, a lot will in time drop onto the ground to resume their expedition to an adult. Around half of the total flea count is made up of eggs. Depending upon the surrounding conditions, the eggs hatch in anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. The higher the heat and humidity in the living area, the more rapidly the eggs will hatch.

The Flea’s Larvae Phase

After the flea egg hatches, it passes into the larva phase where it expands to almost 1/4 inch in length. The flea larvae survive on natural waste matter and on the feces of the adult flea. They don’t care for vivid light and are inclined to go into hiding deep within their existing surroundings, preferably in a hot and muggy place. Climate controlled homes are the idyllic setting for the lifecycle of the flea to flourish. Outdoors, larvae maturity will only occur in wet, shady regions.

The Flea’s Pupae Phase

When crossing into the pupae phase, the flea pupae develop a velvety and sticky shielding shell. The shell immediately configures a helpful hiding place as it gets sheltered by debris and dirt. If encouraged by warmth, carbon dioxide or by manual influence, like that in a warm and sultry location, an adult flea might surface from the cocoon in as little as 5 to 10 days. When the adult flea emerges from the cocoon, it will live for only a few days unless it is able to find a host. Pre-emerged adult fleas are able to continue to exist inside the cocoon for up to nine months. This is important because adult fleas that still live inside the cocoon are resilient to insecticides applied to the environment and can emerge a significant time after you use insecticides in your residence.

The Flea’s Adulthood Phase

When the adult flea comes out from the chrysalis, it must rapidly get a host because it needs blood if it is to exist. A few days after discovering an appropriate host, the female flea will start to lay in the vicinity of forty eggs per day. Adult fleas can survive as long as 3 weeks. The complete life cycle of a flea may possibly be ended in as short as two to four weeks, or as long as 10 months contingent to the surrounding conditions.

How to Treat Your Dog For Fleas

There are a lot of powders, sprays, shampoos and spot on measures out there to liberate your pet of fleas. Be certain to confer with a vet to choose the truly effective and trustworthy flea insecticides for your home and dog.

Methods For Ridding the Indoor Area of Fleas

Most insecticides are simply effective against the adult flea, but environmental pesticides are becoming more sophisticated. Your vet can offer you with flea pesticides having insect growth regulators which will help destroy the larvae and flea eggs. Prior to using any indoor pesticide, you ought to vacuum the rugs and carpets to persuade the pre-adult fleas to emerge from their protective cocoon. Be certain to throw away the vacuum bag after using it. You ought to also launder the bedding the pet has slept on.

Methods For Ridding the Outdoor Area of Fleas

Pay particular attention to dark, shady spots. Apply a pesticide made of an insect growth regulator and repeat every two to three weeks for 3 to 5 applications.

The newer oral and topical flea preventatives ought to really benefit you in taking care of your flea problems. With determination and fortitude, you and your dog will be free of fleas in a flash!