How to remove fleas from a dog at home using various means. Fleas in a dog - what to do Do dogs have fleas

Part 1

Pay attention to the fact that the dog has begun to itch or gnaw heavily. Flea bites cause intense itching, so the first sign of a flea infestation is that the dog begins to itch more and chew on itself.

Examine the dog's skin for tiny, red, swollen bumps. Flea bites are usually much smaller than bites from other insects. Since they are harder to spot, examine your pet more closely.

Check the dog's coat for adult fleas. Use your fingers to part the dog's fur to see its skin and look for signs of adult fleas. Fleas tend to prefer to be at the base of the tail, on the belly and behind the ears, but they are found everywhere.

• An adult flea is about the size of pencil graphite. They are tiny, flat-bodied insects that range in color from reddish-brown to black.
• Keep in mind that fleas will start to run away from your fingers when you inspect the dog's coat.
• Most fleas live in areas where the dog spends most of its time, so if the infestation is minor, it will be extremely difficult for you to find them in the animal's fur.

1. Place the dog on a white towel and comb his coat. The process of combing wool can stir up fleas. If they jump out of the wool, you can easily spot them on the white towel.

   Check your dog's coat for flea droppings with a flea comb (wide-toothed) and soapy water. Place the comb on the dog's coat, then apply light pressure until the comb is against the dog's skin. Start brushing your dog gently. When doing this, make sure that the comb is constantly touching the skin of the dog.

   • After each pass, inspect the comb for fleas or their droppings, then dip the comb in a bowl of soapy water to rinse it out.
   • Flea droppings look like tiny black particles, but they actually contain dried blood. When you dip your comb into a bowl of soapy water, the droppings will change color from black to red.
   • If after contact with water the particles remain black, then this is most likely ordinary dirt.
   • The particles can also be placed on a damp cotton pad and checked to see if they change color. If a tan-red border appears around the particles, this is a sign that the particles are actually flea droppings.

2. Look into your dog's mouth to see if his gums are pale. Pale gums may indicate anemia caused by blood loss due to fleas.

   Part 2

   Check out the places where the pet spends most of its time

   Part 3

   How to eliminate fleas

   1. Contact your veterinarian if your dog has fleas. Your veterinarian will recommend a specific treatment plan. You will have to process all the animals in the house, including indoor and outdoor cats.

      • As a rule, the elimination of fleas includes the application of a special product to the withers of the animal for a month, as well as the use of shampoos, sprays and powders.
      • Choose a course of treatment that suits your dog and where he spends most of his time, as using some products in combination with each other can harm the animal.

   2. Do a thorough cleaning of your home. Vacuum and wash all carpets, rugs, couches, and upholstery to get rid of fleas and their eggs.

   3. Spray your home with flea spray to get rid of a tough infestation. These chemicals are very dangerous, so they should only be used if you have not been able to get rid of fleas by other means.

      • Some flea treatments are sold as aerosols, while sprays or insect repellents release the active ingredients after use. In the latter case, you will have enough time to leave the room and not get hit by the chemical.
      • Wear a respirator or medical mask to protect yourself when working with these chemicals, or call a professional exterminator to your home.
      • You will have to leave the house for a while, so figure out what you will do with your dog and other animals. It will be impossible to return to the house for 3-6 hours, but just in case, carefully read the label on the package.

   4. Mow your garden grass once a week to keep it from growing too high. Cutting the grass will prevent fleas from jumping on the dog when he is walking outside.

      • Fleas love dark places. The sun's rays falling on the cut grass will make the fleas leave your yard.

When pet owners are asked what they fear most during the summer months, the answer is pretty much the same: fleas.
Being on the body, fleas in a dog feel comfortable, however, females often lay their larvae in places where the animal sleeps or feeds. Therefore, dog booths and bedding, with the careless attitude of the owners to hygiene and prevention, are teeming with these bloodsuckers.

As a rule, fleas are not considered dangerous insects, since with timely action, flea bites do not lead to serious consequences.
Since most pets are vaccinated, flea infestation does not occur, even if they are pathogens. After vaccination, dogs develop immunity, and infections do not pose a danger.
However, when biting fleas, a dog can swallow several individuals. Which, in turn, can be carriers of helminth eggs. Therefore, getting rid of fleas is a mandatory procedure.

How to remove fleas from a dog

When choosing a remedy, you should pay attention to one particular one, and not use several drugs at the same time. Not one tool gives guarantees that fleas in dogs will no longer start. Therefore, be prepared for preventive measures.

Consider the main groups of funds:

• Flea drops. They are applied to the withers of the dog to avoid swallowing.

• Special anti-flea collars. Very easy to use, lasts the entire time of wearing. They have a pronounced smell, the reaction to which can be poisoning. Collars have a deterrent effect.
• Special flea shampoos. The action of the shampoo is enough for a week. Before use, it is necessary to check the reaction of the dog to this remedy. If the dog is often licked, this way of fighting is dangerous for the animal itself.

• Flea sprays. They work on the principle of repulsion. Read the instructions for use carefully and follow the safety precautions. Do not allow your dog to lick the product off his coat!

• Tablets. They are not so popular because of the danger of allergies in dogs.

• Severe itching at the site of the bite, redness of the skin;
• The appearance of scratches at the sites of bites with the further development of skin diseases;
• Increased hair loss;
• Viral diseases;
• Infection with worms;
• Getting into the wounds of bacteria, pathogens of allergic reactions;
• The development of anemia, causing death.

Where Do Dogs Get Fleas From?

Symptoms that indicate a dog infection

In addition to a visual examination of the pet, the following symptoms indicate the presence of “bloodsuckers”:

• The dog itches, and does it continuously.
• The animal suddenly jumps up and tries to bite itself.
• Red spots of unknown etiology appear on the skin of the dog.
• Bald patches, sores and scratches form on the dog's body.
• The animal whines plaintively for no apparent reason.
• The dog begins to shed prematurely.
• The pet becomes restless and irritable, loses appetite, suffers from insomnia.
• A sharp decrease in the weight of the animal with proper feeding.

As soon as the animal shows the above signs, it must be take it to the vet immediately for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Delay in this matter is unacceptable.

How do they reproduce?

Often, after complete treatment with anti-flea drugs (drops, shampoos, collars), a relapse of the appearance of these insects can be detected - this is exactly the case when the chrysalis spent several weeks or months in a protective shell, and then turned into a flea. Being on the body of an animal, a flea can eat every day, while when there is no suitable victim, a bloodsucker can go without food for up to two weeks.

What threatens the dog with such a neighborhood

Flea bites are not only a temporary inconvenience of skin irritation and constant itching.

An attack of fleas can provoke a number of serious complications:

Having fleas in your pet is a serious problem. It should be dealt with as soon as it appears.

Conditions for the complete removal of fleas

It should be remembered that there is no method that could get rid of this disease once and for all. Therefore, it is important to observe not only the correctness of treatment, but also preventive measures.

Folk ways to eliminate fleas

Today there are more than two thousand. It is almost impossible to distinguish between them without special equipment and without sufficient knowledge. However, without going into scientific terminology, they can be classified as follows:

• canine;
• rat;

What do fleas look like on dogs? (a photo)

The body of the flea is laterally compressed and covered with scales, bristles and spines. In length, it reaches from one to five millimeters, although there are especially twice as many. The oral apparatus is of a piercing-sucking type. Fleas do not have wings, which gives them additional maneuverability in the thick fur of animals. Long strong limbs on the abdomen allow you to move quickly. The photo shows what fleas look like in a dog under a microscope and in real size.

Features of reproduction of dog fleas

Where Do Dogs Get Fleas From?

Signs of fleas in a dog

The main signs of a dog infestation with fleas are:

• restless behavior and aggressiveness;
• constant scratching;
• increased molting and the appearance of bald spots;
• wounds, sores and redness on the skin.

If symptoms are found, the dog's coat should be examined. Pay special attention to places at the withers, stomach and behind the ears. Small brown insects, white eggs or tiny dark balls of excrement are easy to spot.

Why are dog fleas dangerous?

Why are fleas dangerous for dogs? They cause discomfort to the pet, while they can serve as carriers of dangerous infections and diseases, such as plague, typhoid, encephalitis, as well as worm eggs and salmonella.

Any pet store now has a sufficient range of anti-flea drugs. The most common means are listed below. Their prices fluctuate from 100 to 700 rubles.

Shampoos

Shampoos have rather a preventive effect, their action is short-lived. According to their composition, they are divided into two types: based on natural ingredients and based on insecticides. The use of the second should be approached carefully, as they can cause an allergic reaction.

When applying, it is important that the composition does not get on the mucous membranes and eyes of the animal during bathing. Carefully read the instructions for using the shampoo, it describes whether puppies can be bathed with it. Shampoos are usually harmless unless ingested.

The average cost of flea shampoo: 150 rubles.

Sprays

Anti-flea sprays are quite effective, but problematic in application. When using, protect yourself with a respirator and rubber gloves and do not direct the spray at the muzzle of the animal. In addition, it is important not to allow the hair to be licked for several hours, otherwise a number of side effects may occur, such as vomiting and difficulty breathing. If this happens, you should contact the veterinary clinic, indicating which particular remedy was used.

You should try to spray the spray not on the coat, but on the skin of the dog, while protecting it from licking off the drug with a special neck collar. Two days after the use of the product, the animal should not be in contact with children and other animals, it should not be wetted and subjected to water procedures.

The average cost of a flea spray: 300 rubles.

Flea collars

The average cost of drops from fleas: 350 rubles.

Powders

The cheapest option would be to use powder. It is made to order in a veterinary pharmacy based on Butox. Before using it, you should conduct a series of tests on the dog's skin and monitor its condition. But this method of treatment requires a fairly long course, an average of about two weeks.

The average cost of flea powder: 150 rubles.

All of the above products (except shampoo) are very toxic, so you should carefully read the instructions.

Folk remedies

• A decoction of wormwood and dried twigs located in the dog's habitat will help to effectively repel fleas.
• A gruel of onion and garlic is applied to the withers of the animal.
• The solution can be prepared from lemongrass oil, eucalyptus and tansy.
• A decoction of celandine is suitable for rinsing wool while bathing.
• Essential oils of mint, eucalyptus and lavender are added to shampoos.
• Also, it will be useful to put a few drops on the sleeping place of the animal.
• You can put citrus peels in the dog's kennel.
• A solution of soda and salt in a one-to-one ratio is suitable for disinfecting a room in which an infected pet lives.
• For the treatment of wool, in the absence of specialized shampoos, it is recommended to use tar soap.

Most herbs for making infusions, as well as essential oils, can be found in a pharmacy. And although these funds are not so effective, the natural composition will be as harmless as possible for animals and their owners.

How to get rid of fleas in a puppy?

Fleas can be especially dangerous for puppies, because their immune system is not yet formed and the consequences can be much more serious. In the future, this can have an extremely negative impact on the health and development of the individual.

But treatment should be approached especially carefully, because even many folk methods of struggle are not always suitable for a fragile body. It is highly recommended to consult a veterinarian or a consultant in a pet store in this matter.

The purchased shampoo must be suitable for puppies, which must be indicated on the packaging. The situation is similar when choosing a collar.

Herbal home remedies should be avoided with strong smells, as they can damage a puppy's developing sense of smell.

Preventing fleas in dogs and puppies

Timely prevention can significantly reduce the risk and extent of infection.

It is necessary to prevent contact of the dog with homeless animals, and also try not to be in their habitats. The dwelling, whether it is a booth or a couch, must be cleaned at least once a week.

The most important rule is to be attentive to your pet, it is important to notice any change in its appearance and behavior. Timely adoption of measures will help to avoid serious problems in the future and live a long and healthy life for the dog to the delight of its owners.

Among the variety of different types of fleas, the dog flea is one of the most common. However, fleas in dogs are not only insects belonging to the dog flea species Ctenocephalides canis proper.

Appearance of dog fleas: adult insects, larvae and eggs

Dog fleas look the same as most of their relatives: small insects 2-3 mm long, dark brown in color with a shiny body. An enlarged photo of a dog flea clearly shows the oblong and laterally flattened body of the insect:

It is interesting

The larva of a dog flea looks like a small caterpillar, and looks a bit like a maggot fly. In the photo under a microscope, her digestive tract is clearly visible:

The main food of flea larvae is various organic remains, up to rotting grass, and only in the nests of mammals and birds can they feed on the excrement of adult fleas overflowing with undigested blood.

In general, finding flea larvae anywhere is quite difficult. They certainly won't be on the animal's fur: fleas usually lay their eggs outside the host's body. However, with a strong infection, flea eggs in dogs can also be found in the coat: in this case, the insects simply do not have time to jump off the animal.

The photo below shows flea eggs:

In length, each egg is less than a millimeter, and they are visually detected only with a large number.

The only insects with which fleas share some external features are lice and withers. Nevertheless, no matter how small the lice are, fleas in dogs are well distinguished from them by their dark color (white lice) and by the fact that they are always found on the skin of the animal, but not on the hairs. Lice, on the other hand, spend their entire lives attached to the host's hairs.

Fleas don't actually live long on dogs. Here they only feed, spending most of their lives in dark secluded places, from which it is very easy for them to get close to the source of food.

You can say like an avalanche. One female literally sprays eggs around her every few days, pushing them out of her body under great pressure, thereby increasing the area of ​​distribution of her offspring. Even if she does this directly on the dog, most of the eggs will fall on the floor or ground. Larvae hatch from them, molt three times, pupate and turn into adult insects.

It is interesting

It is interesting

Fleas can recognize different levels of cortisol and corticosteroids in a dog's body. Accordingly, fleas in a pregnant dog “know” when she should whelp, and by this time they are especially actively interested in her, in order to subsequently move to puppies, as a more favorable and safe source of food.

On a note

When they can infect dogs with salmonellosis, brucellosis, plague and other deadly diseases. In comparison, flea allergy in dogs, which affects one in four pets, does not seem so serious. However, fleas can cause dangerous dermatitis and anemia in puppies.

It should be remembered that dog fleas are dangerous to humans, to whom they can easily be transmitted.

The main signs of the presence of fleas on the dog are the following:

• itching in the animal, constant itching and anxiety
• detection of flea excrement in the dog's hair in the form of dark small grains
• dog allergies
• and, of course, the direct detection of insects on the pet's body.

The detection of abundant helminthic invasions in the body of a dog can also, to a certain extent, be a sign of infection of the animal with fleas.

Means for ridding a dog of fleas and their use

Treatment of a dog for fleas consists in processing its coat with special means. It can be:

When choosing how to treat a dog for fleas, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of the animal. Ideally, dogs should be treated for fleas and ticks with products recommended by a veterinarian.

Prevention of dog flea infestation

• Minimize contact with homeless animals.
• Regular treatment of dogs from fleas before the warm season with special drops or the use of a flea collar.
• Cleaning the place where the dog rests - booths, beds, rugs. It must be done at least once a week.
• Regular combing of the dog with a fine comb.

Such measures will reliably protect the dog from fleas, even if she accidentally brings them from the street.