No owner wants to think about their pet suffering with fleas – the itchy, intrusive parasites cause dogs a lot of discomfort, and need to be dealt with as quickly as possible. Did you know that if your dog has recently had fleas, the problem might have spread into your home?
The most common fleas found on dogs are cat fleas – these are not fussy who or what they feed from, so they will bite the people of the household as well as the dog. The dog flea and other fleas from wildlife or birds are more host specific and much less likely to bite people. If there are cat fleas in the house, then people usually get bitten on the lower legs, ankles or feet if the fleas are in the carpet, or across the back if the fleas are down the back or sides of the seat cushions.
The bites are small, red bumps and tend to be in groups of around three or four in a straight line. Although they are often harmless to us, be sure to treat your home and pet for fleas as soon as possible. Check out our monthly flea, tick and worm plans here for preventative treatment. Clean your bites and try to resist the urge to scratch them. Should you experience any more serious signs that could indicate an allergic reaction, contact your GP.
Despite the fact they can feed on humans, fleas cannot live or reproduce on humans. If you have a flea infestation in your home or hold a pet with fleas close to your head, they could jump in your hair, but it is rare, and the flea would not stay very long. As people wash and dry their hair regularly, the human scalp is a very unsuitable habitat for fleas, as fleas are killed by heat, water turbulence or the chemicals in shampoo.
If your dog has fleas, there’s a chance the fleas are also in your soft furnishings. You’ll need to remove the pupae, larvae and eggs as well as the live fleas. Flea pupae can survive over a year in the environment, so eradicating an infestation can take several treatments.
Treat your pet first with an appropriate flea preventative medication – then follow these steps to get rid of any fleas in your house.
1. Vacuum well
Vacuum your carpets and floorboards vigorously to remove fleas, flea eggs, and larvae. Remember to move furniture to vacuum underneath as this is a favourite flea hiding place. Also vacuum the sofas etc, especially down the sides and backs of the seat cushions. The warmth and vibration will encourage pupae to hatch and bring eggs to the surface of the fibres – repeat this step regularly to ensure a flea-free home.
2. Wash your dog’s bedding
To stop a new infestation from hatching, it’s best to replace the bedding or to wash it on a hot wash.
3. Wash soft furnishings
Hot wash any soft furnishings, like cushion covers, blankets, and bedding that your pet may have been in contact with if it is safe to do so.
4. Use a household flea spray
To help treat the infestation, a household flea spray can be used. Every room in the house should be treated following manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Prevent further fleas
Fleas are easy to prevent with regular treatments, so don’t wait until your dog has fleas to treat them for the problem. With our health plan subscription you get all-round parasite protection personalised to your pet, delivered free straight through your letterbox, so you never miss a dose. Check out our health plans here.
The flea life cycle starts off with the eggs, that hatch 2 days to 2 weeks after being laid. The larvae then develop over the next 5-20 days before spinning cocoons and becoming pupae. These pupae can survive for extended periods of time, over a year is possible, only emerging when the conditions are right.
The adult flea can live up to 100 days with a host available for feeding and the female can start laying eggs soon after emerging from the pupa, each female capable of laying up to 40 eggs daily.
It is important to treat the house if fleas are seen, as it can take an extended period of repeat treatments to eradicate a flea population that has become established. Remember that the live adult flea is only a very small fraction of the flea population – most of which is too small to be seen and is hidden in your soft furnishings.
Fleas are killed in the washing machine. Washing at 40°C is a high enough temperature to kill the fleas and the turbulent water means that the fleas are dislodged, cannot remain on the water surface and gets fully immersed. Washing detergents also ensure that even the flea eggs are killed. Should any fleas, pupae, larvae or eggs remain after a wash, the high heat and dryness of tumble drying, if the fabric can be tumble dried, will ensure that no live fleas remain, regardless of the life cycle stage.