Flea Problems

What dog- or cat- owner has not had a visit by a family of fleas?

They are a nightmare for your pet, of course, and to your family, causing you quite a few problems.

The little black/brown creature can cause serious skin problems, and even blood anaemia to your pet.

They thrive in a warm surrounding, so in the winter months they can live indoors, since most homes these days are nice and comfortable.

Fleas are small (1.5 to 3.3 mm long), agile, wingless insects with tube-like mouthparts adapted to feeding on the blood of their hosts.

Their bodies permit easy movement through the hairs (or feathers etc.) on the host's body. Their legs are long, the hind pair well adapted for jumping (vertically up to 18 cm; horizontally 33 cm).

The flea body is hard, polished, and covered with many hairs and short spines directed backwards, allowing the flea a smooth passage through the hairs of its host.

Its tough body is able to withstand great pressure, likely an adaptation to survive scratching etc. Even hard squeezing between the fingers is normally insufficient to kill the flea; it may be necessary to crush them between the fingernails or roll them between the fingers.

One flea lays about 400 to 1000 tiny white oval shaped eggs on the animal, but many fall off in the surrounding area where the pet lives.

After a few days, it comes out of the egg as larva, and after a few weeks the larva changes skin and becomes a cocoon. From this cocoon, after only one week, emerges the flea, which will jump as soon as possible onto your pet to drink his blood.

Just think about it!

Ten fleas in one month can produce 250.000 flea-babies!

No one wants this for their pets, not to mention having all these ugly creatures around the house, balcony or garden.

With a little bit of prevention you can solve the problem, or prevent it from happening.

Since fleas rapidly become immune to certain products, it is important to keep up with current treatments. Another important factor is how often to treat your pet. Your local pet shop or vet can advise you of this.

It is advisable to treat the animal’s surrounding area with a flea-spray . . . and it’s best to find a spray which works against fleas, eggs, and larva.

Don’t forget to take birds, fish and other small animals out of the area that is being sprayed.

New on the local market, however, is a remedy which you use every two months directly on your pet and it handles the surrounding area as well, without the use of sprays. This saves you time, energy, work, money – and relieves you of the awful flea-spray smell!