Fleas on dogs and cats - how to remove them yourself?

Published by: Emilia Krymskaya in Healthcare of Crimea 12:05 09/15/2021

Fleas on dogs and cats . These small insects cause significant discomfort, causing itching, eczema, and carrying various infectious diseases in their carrier. The parasite multiplies at an incredible speed, but prefers to do this not on the animal’s body, but in secluded places in the external environment. On carpets, in cracks behind baseboards or in fallen leaves. Once every few days, the female lays a large number of eggs, from which larvae hatch, outwardly resembling small caterpillars covered with a dense protective shell. They feed on organic waste and, after several molting cycles, transform into a sexually mature individual awaiting a new victim.

• Common fleas How do fleas appear on a domestic dog?

Common fleas

To most people, they are tiny amber-colored creatures capable of setting world records for high jumps and driving pets and their owners crazy. In fact, these are real bloodsuckers and carriers of serious infections.

Scientists believe that fleas originated from flying insects about ten million years ago. Those individuals that, while living on the body of their “master”, lost their wings turned out to be more tenacious. Therefore, the winglessness of fleas today is explained by their parasitic lifestyle. The body structure of fleas is adapted to movement in the fur of the “host” animal - it is strongly compressed from the sides and is so strong that it can withstand the claws of animals. You need to have great skill to crack its “shell.” The transition from one host to another is easily accomplished by active crawling when meeting host animals or by jumping in their permanent habitat, since the hind legs of fleas are jumping. In order to jump on a passing dog or cat, a flea must move with an acceleration 140 times greater than the acceleration of Earth's gravity (9.8 m/s). (For reference: a person’s bones begin to break even at twenty times acceleration.) Such jumping ability is ensured by the content of resilin in their body, a special protein substance.

Fleas on dogs. A specialist can determine at first glance who the potential victim of a particular individual is. Fleas can exist and reproduce normally on animals suitable for them.

Fleas pose a great danger as carriers of human and animal diseases, such as plague, which affects rodents, camels and other animal species, as well as typhus, tularemia, and rickettsiosis; fleas are intermediate hosts of the causative agent of dipylidia in dogs, cats and humans.

Humans are parasitized by the human flea (Pulex irritans), which can also live on dogs, cats and even horses, that is, animals that have constant contact with humans. Nowadays, if a person complains of flea bites, then most likely the troublemaker is a cat flea (Ctenocephalus telis), which, in addition to cats, can live on dogs and hedgehogs. The cat flea is quite happy with modern conditions, and even in our relatively hygienic homes it feels just fine.

Fleas on dogs. Dogs are parasitized by the dog flea (Ctenocephalus canis). Parasites are transmitted to puppies from their mothers. Fleas on dogs are more common under unsatisfactory conditions and poor nutrition. Fleas, being hematophagous, pierce the skin when sucking blood and inject saliva, which has toxic properties. Flea bites cause itching. Scratching leads to the development of dermatitis. Young dogs are affected more intensely and have a harder time enduring the infection. Fleas are easy to detect when examining the outer coverings of dogs.

Until now, entomological scientists are racking their brains over the question of how to get rid of fleas that plague domestic animals and humans. Any apartment in which an animal is born is a haven for fleas. In order to get rid of them, you need to understand their life cycle.

How do fleas appear on a domestic dog?

Fleas can even live on a clean, well-groomed pet dog. Insects jump beautifully. From the starting point to the destination can be more than 30 cm in length and height. For this reason, a pet can become infected in a variety of situations. Most often, the appearance of parasites is observed after:

• forest walks. Many fleas live in rodent burrows;
• visits to places of mass walking. Infected pets often shake off their eggs into the grass, foliage, or asphalt, from where the larvae easily stick to their fur;
• contact with other animals. The main carriers are dogs, cats, rats. Even with simple sniffing and close proximity, relocation of pests can occur. In the case of joint games, the risk is several times higher;
• contact with a person. Fleas love to move on people's clothes. In addition, eggs often stick to pants and shoes;
• visit to an infected house. If a flea gets into the house on an animal or person, it will successfully reproduce in furniture and fleecy carpets. From there, the bloodsuckers will certainly jump on all the guests in search of food.

The life cycle of a flea is divided into four stages

The life cycle of a flea is divided into four stages:

1. To mate and lay eggs, an adult female flea needs blood, and she attacks the most suitable host - your animal. After a 23-day feeding period, the adult female flea begins to lay eggs. Fleas are extremely prolific, with an adult female laying up to 50 eggs a day! To the naked eye, flea eggs look like grains of salt. A fertilized female throws out eggs with force, usually in portions of several pieces so that they do not remain on the animal’s fur, but fall to the ground or a place that it constantly visits.

2. The eggs hatch into legless larvae. Using a special “egg tooth”, they seem to cut the shell of the egg in order to get out. The larvae feed on waste products (semi-digested blood) of adult fleas and various decaying organic debris for 4-8 days.

3. The larva spins a thick cocoon, which provides ideal protection from environmental factors and insecticides.

4. The pupa, while in the cocoon, will develop into an adult insect, which will not come out until it senses the proximity of the “master”. Thus, the duration of the pupal stage is several days or months, depending on environmental conditions. The adult is born in response to carbon dioxide, heat and vibrations created by animals and people. Having emerged from the cocoon, she is ready to begin the life cycle again and go through it in three weeks.

Instructions for use

Treatment with vinegar for pediculosis is carried out twice. The first treatment kills the lice, but may leave nits in the hair. The second application, which is carried out a few days later, helps to remove the young larvae that have just emerged from the remaining nits. After each treatment, prolonged combing with a fine-toothed comb is required. For more intensive combing, you can stretch the thread between the teeth. In fact, the procedure is simple, it effectively gets rid of many adult parasites.

The processing procedure should begin with preparing the solution. As mentioned earlier, the use of vinegar essence is contraindicated or it must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:16, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous. You can use table vinegar, which should be diluted 1:2, or apple cider vinegar in its pure form.

Cat flea and dog fleas

Fleas are external parasites that live on the skin of their prey. Flea bites from cats and dogs are a widespread problem. But did you know that cats and dogs are most often affected by cat fleas? Fleas create problems for both animals and their owners. Cat and dog fleas affect not only cats, dogs and people, but also many other animals. Humans are predominantly affected by cat fleas.

Cat and dog fleas are similar in appearance and body structure. Cat and dog fleas can live on both cats and dogs equally. The cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) and the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) are the most common types of fleas found in and around homes. Summer is the favorite time of fleas.

The difference between a cat flea and a dog flea is minimal. The female of both species is about 2.5 mm long. The male is slightly smaller than the female. The head of a female cat flea is almost twice as long as its height, and the head of a female dog flea is half as long as its height.

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Cat and dog flea larvae are almost twice as long as adults. Particles of dried blood, excrement and various organic particles that accumulate on the affected areas provide enough nutrition for the rapidly growing larvae. With a very severe infestation, a large number of gray larvae and white eggs become so noticeable that there is no doubt about the infestation.

You can remove adult fleas from cats and dogs, but the eggs will remain. The larvae emerge from the eggs in about 14 days, depending on humidity. A flea lives for less than two months, but a female flea usually lays more than 2,000 eggs.

Fleas on dogs. There is another interesting fact. Fleas can jump up to 100 times their body height. They can jump up to 15 cm in height and attach to skin or clothing.

Flea infestation often causes secondary infections. If a dog or cat is infected with fleas, the help of a veterinarian is required, who will suggest effective control measures.

Animals are predisposed to allergies to flea saliva, which often results in flea allergy dermatitis. Symptoms of dermatitis: swelling, unbearable itching, red, tiny bumps on the skin, thickening of the skin, redness of the skin, hair loss, bald patches. Cat and dog fleas can bite people too.

Are there black nits?

Since an adult insect differs from larvae and eggs in having the ability to move quickly, it is difficult to visually detect the appearance of parasites. A characteristic external sign of lice infection is the appearance of black dots and nits on the hair, while the former are waste products of insects.

There are no black nits, since the color of parasite eggs can vary from white to gray, dark shades are excluded.

How to remove fleas from a dog

Fleas on dogs are incredibly inventive insects. They flourished on our planet long before humans appeared on it, and it is very difficult to defeat them.

To kill fleas on dogs, today a large number of insecticides are produced in the form of dusts, solutions, emulsions, and aerosols. Collars and flea tablets are also available for sale. A veterinarian can help the owner of an animal understand such a wide range of drugs. When choosing a drug, it is necessary to take into account the duration of its action, activity against mature and immature fleas, toxicity to the animal’s body, and cost. The effect of an insecticide depends not only on its form and quality, but also on application to the skin of the animal.

For the purpose of prevention, healthy dogs are not allowed to come into contact with infected ones, the rules for caring for and maintaining animals are followed, and the dogs’ skin is examined monthly. When fleas are detected, not only the dogs themselves are treated with insecticides, but also the premises and objects that the infested animals came into contact with.

First aid for over-dried skin

Naturally, if the skin is burned or dry, in order to restore it faster and more effectively, you need to consult a doctor. First of all, unless, of course, serious consequences are observed, it is necessary to begin moisturizing measures. One simple one is to drink plenty of fluids. An increased drinking regimen will not only help avoid dehydration that develops after poisoning parasites, the symptom of which is itching and burning, but also remove toxins from the body. Usually, drinking clean water allows you to feel a significant improvement in your well-being.

Do not neglect traditional medicine, which helps if your head itches. A decoction of herbs will help relieve itching and burning; it moisturizes the skin well and strengthens the bulbs. For these purposes, a decoction of onion peels is often used. A decoction of chamomile, nettle, and calendula gives an excellent calming effect. You can use them to pour over your hair after washing, or you can prepare a compress. To do this, pour 2 bags of herbs into 1 glass of cold water and bring to a boil over low heat. After cooling, apply to the scalp using gauze and place evenly on the head. Leave for at least 1 hour, after which you can rinse with warm water if desired.

Cat lice: dangerous for the animal, but not contagious for humans

Lice are small, wingless insects with a flattened body. They are host specific. Unlike other external parasites, cat lice cannot live or move around in the environment. They spend their entire life cycle on a host animal. There are several types of lice. The most common parasite in cats is Felicola subrostratus.

The presence of lice is dangerous for your pet. When severely infected they cause:

• Itching

The itching is irrepressible, incessant, preventing your cat from living peacefully. By parasitizing the pet's fur, lice thin it, make it disheveled, sloppy, and cause the cat a lot of anxiety.

• Feline eczema

A severe infestation of lice can lead to miliary dermatitis, or feline eczema. It causes numerous blisters and bumps to form on the cat’s skin, with inflamed skin underneath. The affected areas of the skin are very itchy, the cat scratches them, and the wounds become infected. This only worsens the course of the disease.

Lice are also carriers of helminth eggs. As a result of this, helminthiasis and general exhaustion are added to the skin lesions of the infected animal. Lice spend most of their time attached with their paws to the base of an infested cat's hair. They feed on the epidermis, secretions of the sebaceous glands and blood.

Female lice lay eggs called nits. During her life, the female parasite lays 20-60 eggs and fixes them to the root part of the hair. After 7-12 days, the eggs hatch into larvae that look similar to adults, which after three molts turn into mature insects.

In large quantities, cat lice accumulate on the head, neck and at the base of the tail. These parasites infect pets of all breeds, except hairless cats. They are most often found in animals with long and thick hair.

Other factors

Itching and the desire to scratch the head often arise for other reasons that have nothing to do with lice. Such temporary or permanent manifestation of skin irritation causes serious inconvenience and requires differential diagnosis:

1. 1. Seborrhea. Most often, symptoms of itching occur with oily, dry or mixed seborrhea. The release of excess sebum and a decrease in its antibacterial effect occurs as a result of an increase in androgens. The cause is a fungal infection. Dry seborrhea is accompanied by blockage of the glands and the formation of a large amount of dandruff. Most often, a mixed type of disease occurs, when the skin in the frontal and parietal zones is dry, and in other areas it is greasy.
2. 2. Allergy to care products. Often itching occurs due to a change in the usual shampoo, conditioner, or gel. Sometimes women report irritation when choosing a new type of paint. All symptoms go away if you stop using the allergen and return to the previous types of balm or shampoo or choose the least aggressive product.
3. 3. Stress. Psycho-emotional stress is accompanied by the release of large amounts of adrenaline. During physical activity, it is consumed without a trace, and during low activity it accumulates, causing irritation.
4. 4. Psoriasis. A common skin disease in which itching occurs as a result of inflammation in the affected area. Outwardly, its manifestations on the scalp resemble seborrhea, but the exfoliated elements have the form of scales and are formed in huge quantities.

Could your cat have lice, where do they come from? Symptoms of infection

The problem of lice infestation is especially acute for cats that occasionally go outside for a walk. By communicating with its relatives, a pet can easily “catch” an unpleasant disease.

The following symptoms indicate whether your cat has lice:

• Dry, loose fur;
• Baldness of some areas of the skin;
• Itching;
• Anemia.

You can find out if a cat is infested with lice by carefully examining your pet's skin and fur. Nits and adults of these parasites are visible to the naked eye.

• Shampoos for external parasites. Special pet shampoos against ectoparasites have a detrimental effect on lice. After soaping the animal, the shampoo should be left on the pet for at least 10 minutes and only then rinsed thoroughly. Then it is recommended to comb the cat and dry it. If your pet tolerates the bathing procedure calmly, then washing with zoo shampoo will not give him any unpleasant sensations.
• Collars against fleas, lice, ticks. Collars destroy lice on the animal and protect the pet from re-infestation. However, often with constant wearing of such a collar, animals experience an allergic reaction.

What kind of vinegar can I use?

Despite the abundance of varieties of vinegar:

1. Apple
2. Wine
3. Dining room
4. Alcoholic

They have the same effect in the fight against head lice, the only limitation is that the concentration of vinegar essence should not be more than 9 % . Otherwise, there is a high risk of burning the scalp, which can lead to dermatitis and other skin diseases, in addition to burning and pain. Acetic acid should be used especially carefully to combat lice in children. In addition, different types of vinegar are diluted in different proportions, taking into account their initially different properties. Later in the article we will provide recipes with current proportions.

How to remove lice from a cat. Treatment methods

To solve the problem of lice infestation in cats, special insectoacaricidal preparations are used. When using them, it is important to strictly follow the instructions for use. Be sure to read all contraindications to avoid side effects.

To treat lice in cats use:

• Drops on the withers. Drops are applied at the base of the skull or along the spine. The procedure takes only a few minutes. The drug usually not only helps get rid of existing lice in a cat, but also helps protect the pet from new attacks by parasites.
• Sprays. The spray moisturizes the animal's fur. During such processing, maximum care must be taken to avoid harm to the animal. After applying the product, wait until it dries and make sure that the animal does not lick it off. For this purpose, it is recommended to wear a protective collar. Sprays are also used to kill parasites indoors and in animal resting places (houses, sofas, armchairs).

Side effects

Compliance with all safety measures does not protect 100% from side effects. When using a vinegar solution, many people complain about:

• change in hair structure;
• change in hair color;
• scalp burn;
• itching of the scalp;
• dizziness from a strong smell;

In case of minor adverse reactions, it is enough to wash off the solution and go out into fresh air. But for burns of varying intensity, medical attention is required.