Warning: Some non-veterinary brands of flea treatments for dogs are potentially lethal when applied to cats. Always seek veterinary advice about the best flea treatments for your pet.

Fleas can quickly become a significant problem for dogs and cats and the rest of the family. Dogs and cats can pick up fleas anywhere - a park, your own backyard, even your own house if a flea‑infested animal was there before. That’s because the adult fleas on untreated animals lay eggs that fall into the environment. Each female flea can produce 40 to 50 eggs a day – that’s up to 2,000 in her lifetime. These eggs develop into larvae and pupae in the environment. Inside these pupae are ready-to-hatch fleas which can remain dormant for weeks to months in their cocoons.  When conditions are right— enough heat, carbon dioxide and animal activity — the fleas hatch as young, hungry adult fleas, ready to infest your pet.

Since only adult fleas are visible on the pet, by the time they are noticed there may already be a large infestation in the home environment. This is why regular monthly flea control is so important.

Fleas can also lead to health problems for your pets. Some pets develop severe allergies to flea bites (called flea allergy dermatitis) and may continue scratching their skin long after the fleas have gone. Fleas are also responsible for transmitting the dog tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum) to dogs, cats and even humans. Fleas can spread bacterial diseases, too.

Choosing a flea control treatment that not only kills adult fleas but also breaks the flea cycle is important to get an existing flea infestation under control and to prevent a new one establishing.  

Signs of fleas

Some signs that your pet may have fleas include:

• Scratching, biting and hair loss, especially at the base of the tail and rump

• You may see fleas (especially over the rump and in the groin region)

• It can be difficult to find the fleas, but is relatively easy to check for flea dirt.  Simply moisten a cotton ball, part your pet’s fur and place the cotton ball on the skin over the rump. If the cotton ball takes on black specs surrounded by a reddish area, this may be flea dirt and can indicate that your pet has fleas.

• Because cats groom themselves regularly removing the adult fleas it may be harder to notice when they are infested.

Flea Control Products