Pet Care
Your dog and.....Fleas
By Fiona Warstat Dip.CABT(COAPE)NOCN PGDip.Couns.,Dip.Couns. (NEFC) Dogs naturally pick up parasites (such as fleas, ticks and worms) from the environment, either hunting or by having contact with other animals they meet. These parasites can be in the form of a small insect living on the dog’s skin and in their coat, or it can be one that lives in the dog’s stomach. One parasite that lives on the dog’s skin and in the coat is the flea. The Flea – a small jumping insect usually a dark brown colour (though looks black). Fleas have very long back legs that help them to jump from one part of an animal to another and from one animal to another, looking for food. Fleas live on the blood they find when they bite the ‘host’ animal. (A ‘host’ animal is the poor unfortunate animal the fleas have found to pester and to live on). The host, once bitten, may itch a little, or could be allergic to the flea saliva and itch a lot, so much so, that they scratch excessively and lose their coat, have a red, lumpy and sore skin and generally feel under the weather. If fleas are found on your dog, there is a good chance there are far more living in your home! Fleas lay eggs in your dog’s coat, and when the dog scratches, the eggs are dislodged and fall onto the floor of your house, finding their way into carpets, under skirting boards and they love central heating! The heat from the home allows the eggs to hatch into larvae that then develop further into pupae before they hatch as adult fleas. The whole cycle starts again: The fleas find a host – your dog – lay eggs ……………and so on. Dogs can have fleas all year round now, as our homes are so well heated. Before central heating, fleas and other parasites were naturally killed off by frosts and cold weather and they did not survive within our houses as it was too cold! To prevent your dog getting fleas, your vet will advise you on the right kind of flea prevention treatment to use regularly. There are different kinds of treatments, such as sprays, liquid that just drops onto the back of your dog or cat’s neck or powders and what you use will depend on the age and health status of your particular dog. Fleas can also be linked to a certain worm that lives in the dog’s stomach. This worm is called a ‘tapeworm’ and its Latin name is ‘Dipylidium caninum’. When this worm is fully grown, it discards egg-filled segments out of the dog’s bottom and they can be found in its poo also (a nicer name for poo is faeces). The segments look like uncooked grains of rice in the faeces or around the anus of the dog (the hole in the bottom where faeces come out). The tapeworm eggs are eaten by the flea larvae living in carpets, floors and bedding that the dog uses. When the fleas hatch as adults, they already carry the baby stage of the tapeworm, so these can be passed on to the dog by the dog scratching and nibbling an itch and accidentally swallowing a flea that is carrying baby tapeworms. Tapeworms can be treated and got rid of by tablets that your vet will give to you when you need them, or when your dog goes for his or her regular check up. All of this cycle applies to cats too, so if your dog lives with cats, it is important to keep both animals up to date with their flea and worm treatments.