Have Fleas Become a Problem on Your Pet and in Your House?
According to the 2005/2006 National Pet Owners Survey done by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), there are about 90.5 million owned cats and 73.9 million owned dogs in the U.S. today, and the figure is still growing. Moreover, billions of dollars are spent on pets every year. One of the bigger percentages of this amount goes the treatment of pets’ diseases. This includes infestation with fleas.
Fleas are minute (about 1/8 inch-long), copper-colored wingless pests which use specialized mouths to pierce their host’s skin and suck their blood – in the process releasing a tiny amount of saliva. This saliva prevents the blood from coagulating and also causes severe discomfort to animals who are allergic to the substance.
A very common disease among dogs is known as flea allergy dermatitis. It is characterized by severe itching which may lead to wounds and scratches. Thus, for you pets’ well-being, it is critical that fleas are eliminated as early as possible.
In order to effectively control the spread of fleas, its life cycle must be fully understood. One should also note that not just the indoor and outdoor environment but also the host animal should be treated to stop the vicious cycle.
The various stages in a flea’s life cycle are: egg, caterpillar of larva, cocoon or pupa, and adult. An adult flea can live for up to several weeks on its host. During this period, it will bite and suck about twice to thrice a day and will lay about 20 to 30 eggs in a 24-hour period. After the larva’s molting, it forms a pupa or cocoon, which can survive for a long time. When the timing is right, they then emerge from their cocoons as soon as they detect exhaled CO2, vibrations, and direct heat – sure signs that they are near a host. Almost immediately, the newly emerged adult flea can jump onto that nearby host.
Contrary to popular belief, fleas don’t have wings; rather, they seem to “jump” great distances using their powerful hind legs. This enables them to transfer from one host to another or from a host to its environment.
In optimal conditions, a flea could complete its life cycle in just 2 weeks. Just imagine how many of those bloodsuckers can make life miserable for your pet, not to mention the hazards they pose to everyone living in your home!
Thus, in order to get a hold of the situation, both the environment and the host should be treated – at the soonest possible time. Merely attaching a flea collar won’t work; merely vacuuming the house won’t do the job, either. However, there are now several flea medications out in the market that may finally rid your dog and your home of the infestation.
These revolutionary flea products may either be oral or topical treatments. They may be used for the prevention, as well as the treatment of existing flea incursions. Drugs known as Insect Growth Regulators, or IGRs, control the spread of fleas by arresting the development of flea eggs and larvae.
An example of this is lufenuron which is orally administered once a month for dogs and cats, or injected every half-year for cats. The substance does not harm the adult flea, but the laid eggs are sterile – thus breaking the flea’s life cycle. The flea population will then be eventually eliminated for as long as the host is not further exposed to other adult fleas or their carriers.
The more popular products, however, are called “adulticides,” or chemicals that kill adult fleas. These are applied externally and work quickly. An example of a broad-spectrum adulticide is fipronil, which works by chemically binding to your pet’s hair and enters the system via the follicle and the sebaceous glands. The spray type eliminates about 95% of your pet’s fleas over a period of 80 days.
At the same time that you’re working on your pet, make sure that you’re also treating the environment in which he lives. Steam cleaning, washing, vacuuming, fogging, and spraying are just some of the methods you can use to hasten flea eradication in your home. Just keep in mind that you are dealing with substances that may be harmful when used in large doses, so take extra precaution at all times.
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