Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Fleas, fleas and more fleas!!


The fleas never really die in Texas, because we don't have harsh enough winters.  The fleas just sit safely in their   cocoons and wait for the temperature and humidity to be just perfect for them to hatch. The BEST WAY to control fleas is not to get them in the first place!  Use preventatives on a monthly basis all year long to prevent a costly and time consuming flea killing campaign.

Understanding the flea life cycle is important to controlling the little critters.  So, we'll start with an adult flea that lives on a mammal, usually a dog or cat, and takes blood meals periodically.  The flea does not leave it's host animal, because she's got everything she needs: a home and a food source. That flea can lay 50 to 100 eggs per day.Then, as that dog or cat moves through the environment (your house or yard), the eggs drop off onto the carpet, floor or lawn. When the egg hatches into a larva, the larva can move through the environment to areas where the pet hasn't even been!  Larvae like dark places, so under furniture is a great place for it to go.  The larvae then spins a cocoon, and becomes dormant, until it is stimulated to hatch out into an adult flea. The stimulation for the flea to hatch is vibration/movement, usually from the footsteps of a host cat or dog, or even a human being.  If not stimulated to hatch, a flea can remain in it's cocoon for up to 1 year!!! The entire flea life cycle from adult to new adult can be as short as 3 weeks- so think about the possibility of multiple cocoons hatching all at once! (Scary!)

Even an  indoor dog or cat can pick up flea or two when they go out to the bathroom, and then those fleas start to lay eggs, and before you know it, the house is full of fleas, eggs and larvae.  Fleas can also hitch a ride on our pant legs and then jump over to their preferred host, your pet.

When a dog or cat is bitten by a flea to take a blood meal, some of it's saliva is left behind in the skin.  This saliva is irritating and sets up an allergic response - skin redness, irritation, and itching, itching, itching.  One or two fleas can bite a  very flea allergic dog or cat many times a day and cause lots of reaction and skin inflammation. This is why it is so important to have your pets, ALL your pets, on flea control year round. The fleas will quickly find the one pet that is not protected, and then set up residence there and produce a constant source of new fleas IN YOUR HOME.

So, what to do if the fleas are out of control?  The topical or oral flea products will eventually kill the fleas as they hatch, but it may take 2-3 months or more to get all the immature stages (eggs, larvae and cocoons) that are not on the pet yet.  To bring the flea numbers down much quicker, follow these steps:

1.  Start all pets on a drop-on or pill type flea product from a veterinary source. Over the counter pyrethrin and  pyrethroid products, flea collars and baths will give only limited, short term  control.
2. Have the yard treated for fleas, and repeat in 3 weeks and 6 weeks.
3. Treat or have your house treated with a product that has an IGR (insect growth regulator) to arrest the development of larvae and prevent eggs from hatching, as well as something to kill the adult fleas. If you use foggers-- read instructions carefully and follow all precautions- especially the one about getting all people and pets out of the house while using!!
4. Retreat inside the house in 3 weeks to get the adults that have hatched out of cocoons.  The IGR and the adult treatment will not penetrate the cocoon! 
5. Continue monthly flea preventative on your pets . 

If you have questions, or just can't seem to get things under control, set up a time to come in and we can help you with the flea problems and the resulting itching/allergy problems.


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