Know all about Flea bites on dogs
Overview
Flea bites are a real pain for your dog. If you have been noticing your dogs scratching and itching more than usual then you need to care about them. You can check them and ensure that what is the reason of itching. If the reason of itching is- flea bites on dogs then you should take your dog to vet. If you don’t know about fleabites then read this article till the end. In this article, you will know about the flea bite, symptoms of bite flea, treatment, and many more. So read this article further.
What are fleas?
Fleas are small, very small and no doubt, they hard to find and see in your home. If you see them closely then you will see they are reddish brown in color. However they full of blood then they look reddish black otherwise it looks like in brownish black color. The fleas don’t have wing means they can’t fly. But on the other hand, they have the ability to jump and they can easily jump 8 inches above to the ground. The favorite foods of fleas are dogs’ blood and warm blood. However, the female flea consumes 15 times more blood every day of their body weight. The fleas become the cause of irritation of dogs because of their irritating bite. Additionally, fleas transmit any kind of disease in the dog’s body.
Flea life cycle
The four stages have in the flea’s life cycle such as egg, larva, pupa, and then adult. The life cycles will complete in a couple of weeks to months and it according to humidity level and temperature. The optimal condition like 70 to 85 degrees f temperature and 70% humidity is required for flea’s reproduction. So let’s start with their life cycle.
Egg- this is the first step of their life cycle. This happens when a female flea lays an egg. The adult fleas lay eggs when they consume blood. Blood is very important for the female fleas to reproduce. This egg’s color is white and it is too small like smaller than the grain of sand. One female adult flea lay 40 eggs per day. The development of eggs depends on the environmental conditions of a particular place. If the place is cool then the eggs will take too much time. But when the atmosphere is warm then the eggs will hatch fast and convert in larvae.
Larvae- this is the second stage of the life cycle and the larvae is blind. They can develop in many weeks by eating flea dirt like pre digested blood of flea. The color of larvae is also white and they are legless. If the condition and environments are favorable then the larvae will convert in a cocoon in 5 to 20 days. And the new lifecycle is started called pupae.
Flea pupae-this is the last step of the life cycle before the flea rise. The cocoon protects the pupae for many days until the adult flea rise. Cocoon has a hard outer coat that helps to avoid light, dust, etc. If the atmosphere condition is not right then the cocoon helps to protect pupae for many months and years.
Adult flea- this is the last stage of the cycle when the cocoon hatch and the flea emerge to the cocoon then they start feeding within an hour. In a few hours, they will able to feed and lay eggs. But the female flea needs blood for laying eggs.
Symptoms of flea bites on dogs
When flea bites your dogs then you can see many symptoms. Here you will read some common symptoms that you will see when flea bites on your dogs. So let’s began.
When the flea bites then the area where they bite become red and also itching started in dog’s body here. Their bite is irritating and painful so your dog is in pain. Your dog seems scratching their body all the time and lying on the floor because of the itching. Your dogs get infected and you will see the white topped rash or blisters.
Other signs of fleas on dogs
There are other signs as well when the flea bites on your dogs. When flea bite they suck dog’s blood and your dog becomes week. When the flea continues biting dogs then their hair started falling and on their skins you will see red patches. Flea sucks too much blood of dogs so their bones become too weak and they become unable to go to the walk and play with you.
Flea bite complications
The flea bites have various complications like the dogs change their behavior when the flea bite dogs continuously then your dogs bite themselves because of the itching. As a result they damage their skins. When they bite their skins, it becomes the cause of tissue damages. And their skins get infected which is dangerous for you as well.
Treating flea bites on dogs
When you have noticed that your dogs are itching and biting them then you need to care about them you can use anti itch cream and apply on that area. You can also take your dogs to the doctor for getting the right flea treatment.
Preventing flea bites on dogs
There are several creams and medications available that help to prevent your dogs from a flea bite. You can use shampoo for your dog and the apple cider vinegar also. You can mix the vinegar in your dog’s drinking water. You can use neem oil too because it has many medicinal properties. Additionally, the neem oil helps to prevent your dogs from the flea. The most and important thing that you should do is to clean your home.
Recommended flea treatment
For treatment from flea, you can find many medicines, creams, and shampoo but one of the best treatments is comfortis. Additionally, this treatment has many benefits like it kills flea before they lay eggs. And also prevent your dogs from infections and the fleas will never attack on your dogs for many more months.
Reference
https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/fleas/dog-flea/
https://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/evr_multi_understanding_the_flea_life_cycle
https://www.healthline.com/health/flea-bites
https://www.healthline.com/health/flea-bites#fleabite-treatment
https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/possible-complications-of-flea-bites-in-dogs
https://dogtime.com/dog-health/flea-tick/59695-10-ways-prevent-flea-bites-dogs