Nov 26, 2020, 3:55 PM
Your pet dogs or cats may be an outdoor lover and love strolling in the gardens and yards. Flea infestation is a significant concern associated with outdoor exposure of pets. Fleas are small wingless voracious blood-feeders that may hide in your furry pets’ hair. They instantly suck the pets’ blood and breed in there to spread rapidly, with an adult female laying up to 50 eggs a day.
Fleas survive in warmer climates and are not found in the colder atmosphere as they cannot survive in freezing temperatures. Although flea infestation may begin with initial irritation to the pets, it may escalate to cause anemia or transmit other severe illnesses. Let us now understand all that you need to know about flea infestation in pets.
Fleas – a Tapeworm Host
Fleas at the larval stage may feed on tapeworm worms’ eggs. After maturation, the fleas can act as a host for those tapeworms that may, in turn, end up in the pet’s body if it swallows the fleas.
Signs of Flea Infestation
Flea infestation needs to be detected early to prevent them from causing escalated impacts to the pets and spreading across your home. There are few ways to check if flea infestation is bothering your furry companions.
Spot Flea Dirt
As fleas are small and speedy creatures, it’s usually difficult to spot them, especially on pets with dark-colored hair. So, you can look for flea dirt that is even fine and dark. But if the flea dirt is put on light-colored wet towels, it will turn red and can be easily identified.
Scratching and Irritated Skin
Flea bites are painful, and their saliva tends to cause irritation forcing the pets to scratch, bite, and lick their bodies. Prolonged scratching may damage their skin and further cause dryness and other secondary infections. Skin moisturizing products such as Bio PetActive’s Bio-Nature Magela can help normalize the dried skin and keep fleas at bay with its natural repellant and antifeedant neem oil.
Hair Loss
The furry animals may experience Alopecia either due to the flea bites or prolonged scratching and licking. The hair loss may majorly occur on the back and base of the pet’s tail.
Pale Gums
This may be a severe sign of anemia, indicating a lack of sufficient blood cells in the pet’s body to meet the increasing demand due to the blood-sucking parasites.
Quick Remedies
Certified Products
There are various home treatment products available in the market through trusted veterinary suppliers such as Eurovets in Dubai. These products can effectively kill and prevent the reproduction of fleas and ticks. On-animal treatment solution such as Fido’s Free Itch Concentrate is a safe and effective way to kill fleas and prevent future attachment for a few days. There is also special shampoo for dogs in Dubai that helps in eliminating fleas and ticks.
Wash, Vacuum, and Clean
Fleas infestation may also leave flea eggs, larvae, and pupae on the pet’s beddings, carpets, and other surfaces. Its highly recommended to vacuum and wash their bedding, carpet, and all corners of the house immediately after cleansing and treating the pets.