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My Pet Has Fleas! What Can I Do?

My pet has Fleas!  What can I do?

Fleas are small brown or black insects without wings.  They infest the haircoat of many animals and cause intense itching. They feed on blood and cause considerable irritation to most skin.  Infestations can lead to anemia from blood loss.   Fleas also may cause skin infections, rashes, and allergies.

If you see your pet scratching there are a few places you can look to easier spot fleas.  Look around the pet’s tailhead and hindquarters, on the stomach, and also on the groin areas.  You may not always see fleas but you may see black granules resembling pepper which is the flea feces.  The fleas take a meal from your pet and then deposit their eggs on your pet’s skin.  As your pet moves around his environment scratching, the flea eggs are scattered around.  These eggs will hatch in 2-12 days. Some flea eggs can even hatch one year after being deposited in the environment.   Removing these flea eggs from your environment is critical in removing the flea problem from your pet.  Private exterminators can treat your home and yard.  You can also do thorough vacuuming daily for 21 days to aid in the removal from your environment while your pet is being treated. 

We have various combinations of flea control that include: collars, topicals, and oral medications for your cat or dog.  One of our veterinarians would be happy to speak with you about the perfect product to fit your pet’s needs. 

 There are a few diseases and parasites to be concerned about if your pet has fleas.

  • Tapeworms:  These intestinal parasites are often seen in the stool of infected pets.  The tapeworm is made up of short, flat segments.  These segments are passed in the stool and often appear as small grains of rice.  Tapeworms may cause no symptoms in your pet or they may produce GI upset, poor haircoat, weight loss, and poor appetite.  Fleas are the intermediate host for tapeworms, meaning when your dog bites and ingests a flea they will get tapeworms.  Your pet will need to be dewormed as well as treated for the fleas to stop the life cycle.
  • Flea Allergy:  Fleas make most animals itch but a certain number of pets can have what is commonly referred to as a Flea Allergy.  This is a hypersensitivity reaction where your pet is allergic to the saliva of even just one flea.  Pets who have this allergy commonly will have hairloss and sores on their skin from intense scratching, biting, and chewing.  Secondary skin infections are commonly seen with this disorder. 
  • Flea Anemia:  Fleas feed on blood from your pet.  Even small numbers of fleas in a small dog, kitten, or puppy can lead to a life-threatening anemia.  We can evaluate the red blood cell count of your pet from a quick blood test.


If your pet is having any trouble with fleas, we have multiple products to help you out, both canine and feline. Please feel free to give us a call and ask about the best product for your pet. 

#405-340-1020