Fleas in a dog

Causes of fleas in dogs

Do you have a small sofa dog who rarely goes outside? Or are you a happy owner of a huge and shaggy Newfoundland? Or maybe your outbred friend guards the house, living in his own booth? Believe me, there are chances of getting fleas in any case, no matter what lifestyle the dog leads. To do this, it is enough for her to go outside once, and sometimes only to the entrance. What’s in the entrance, you can bring fleas home on your clothes! After all, they are so tiny and fast that a person simply does not notice them, and these parasites do not linger on you and me (even though they can bite), but once on a four-legged friend, they will settle in his coat for a long time.

Fleas, like ticks, can go without food for a long time, lying in wait for the victim somewhere on the ground or in the grass, and instantly jump on everything that moves. They are also able to jump from one animal to another, and they are excellent horses: if a person had the ability of a flea, he could easily jump over nine-story buildings.

Parasites are most active in the warm season, but this does not mean that a dog cannot become infected with them in winter – for example, in the stairwell or from another dog. Therefore, prevention should never be neglected.

– Fleas, which are ectoparasites, are seasonal, the likelihood of infection increases significantly with warming, explains veterinarian Natalya Grishaeva. – And it is very important to treat dogs from fleas at this time. If this is not done, there is a chance of endangering the dog, because fleas carry all kinds of parasites. In particular, this is dipylidium, which affects many animals, and these parasites can also be transmitted to humans, they are especially dangerous for young children. Fleas also carry blood parasitic diseases – piroplasmosis and other dangerous infections.

For puppies, fleas are completely dangerous – they can lead to the death of the animal (1).

How to remove fleas from a dog

Modern veterinary medicine offers many ways to deal with these unpleasant parasites. Here and special collars, and sprays, and drops, and even tablets – everyone can choose the most convenient form for their dog. All of them are quite safe for animals, if, of course, you follow the instructions for use, but the effectiveness and duration of action are different for everyone.

• Flea collars. They can be called leaders among such products, because they are easy to use and do not enter the dog’s body. It is enough just to put on it a thin and inconspicuous plastic strap. However, ease of use has a downside – this remedy is rather weak in action and is rather preventive.
• Spray. Perhaps the fastest way to get rid of fleas is to spray your dog with them. It is harmless, so you can not be afraid that the product will get into the dog’s stomach, but still it is worth making sure that your four-legged friend does not lick himself immediately after treatment.
• Drops. But they should be applied with caution and only to those places where the dog definitely cannot reach with his tongue, for example, on the back of the head. On the other hand, this remedy is effective and long enough (2, 3).
• Pills. They are very convenient – 1 pc. enough to forget about the problem of skin parasites for at least 3 months. But this tool, to put it mildly, is not cheap.

“If a dog is very badly affected by fleas, then home treatment can only aggravate its condition, and you need to contact a veterinary clinic, where specialists will select a treatment depending on the health of the pet, because otherwise it can simply be poisoned,” warns veterinarian Natalya Grishaeva. – It is very important to pay attention to the age of the animal. If this is a small puppy that is less than 1 month old, then adult drugs can kill him. Sprays are more suitable for puppies.

It is also important to remember that fleas come to the dog just to eat, but live in floor crevices, under baseboards, etc. Therefore, it is always important to cultivate its habitat.

Home remedies

Unfortunately, today not everyone can afford to buy various flea drugs for their pets. Is it possible to rid a dog of these parasites with home remedies? It turns out that it is possible, because dogs have been living next to humans for 10 thousand years, and, of course, during this time many effective folk recipes have accumulated.

Laundry soap. Yes, yes, the same brown laundry soap that our mothers and grandmothers used to wash clothes. It should always be kept at home by any housewife even today, because nothing else can wash your hands so cleanly, including from pathogens, while it is absolutely harmless and hypoallergenic. In order to rid your dog of fleas, prepare a soap solution (sometimes laundry soap is immediately sold in powder form) by adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil. One or two baths will be enough.

Healing herbs. Fleas cannot stand the smell of wormwood, so if you wash the dog with a decoction of this plant, they will definitely leave. Decoctions of eucalyptus, tansy and hellebore also work well. But be careful with the latter – a high concentration of decoction can cause poisoning in a dog.

Onion and garlic. Both of these products are also effective against parasites, for which a small amount (half of an onion, or 2-3 cloves of garlic) is brewed with 200 ml of boiling water, allowed to brew and mixed with soapy water. However, in no case should the entire dog be treated with the resulting ointment if you do not want to poison it. Lubricate only those places where she cannot lick off the product.

An aqueous solution of apple cider vinegar. In the proportion of 1 share of vinegar to 3 parts of water. It must be rubbed into the skin of the dog, and after an hour to bathe it.

Essential oils with a pungent odor. Suitable eucalyptus, coniferous trees, citrus plants. At the same time, one should remember about the hypersensitive sense of smell of dogs – too strong a smell can injure it.

Catch fleas by hand. Lesson for those who have a lot of time and patience. Of course, this will only work if there are not very many fleas on the dog, and the dog is light in color – you simply won’t see them on a black one. However, in some cases this may be almost the only way out, for example, when it comes to a very small weakened puppy, which can be harmed by any, even the most gentle means. Do not try to destroy fleas with your fingers – their chitinous shell is so strong that it can only be crushed with metal tweezers.

Prevention of fleas in a dog

People say that the best treatment is prevention. And indeed it is. Those who have already encountered the problem of fleas in dogs can say with confidence: these parasites are much more difficult to remove than to protect your pet from them in advance. But how to do that?

Firstly, you should not walk where stray dogs and cats often run – the main carriers of fleas, and also try to avoid contact with them.

Secondly, be sure to take preventive measures without waiting for the invasion: in the summer, put on an anti-flea collar on the dog, treat the animal with sprays or use Bravecto tablets.

Thirdly, remember that it is not enough to rid only the dog of parasites, it is necessary to process its sleeping place and things – often fleas, having left the victim, simply hide in the folds of bedding or clothing, so that later they can pounce on the unfortunate dog with renewed vigor.

Popular questions and answers

We talked with veterinarian Natalya Grishaeva about the problem of fleas in dogs – she answered the most pressing questions of the owners.

Sources of

1. Smyslova P.Yu. Modern assortment and mechanisms of action of insectoacaricides for small domestic animals // Topical issues of veterinary biology, 2013
2. Kruglov D.S., Stolbova O.A. A way to protect dogs from flea infestations // Theory and practice of combating parasitic diseases, 2020, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sposob-zaschity-sobak-ot-bloshinyh-invaziy
3. Glazunova L.A., Tkacheva Yu.A. Comparative efficacy of drugs for flea infestation of dogs and cats // Veterinary doctor, 2017, https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/sravnitelnaya-effektivnost-preparatov-pri-bloshinoy-invazii-sobak-i-koshek