Does your dog or cat appear to be in discomfort? Are they
biting at their fur and scratching? It might well be a skin infection; it
might, however, be fleas feeding on your pet. Read through the following
information before making arrangements to take your pet to the vet
Fleas that feed on humans are now no longer common in the
UK. The popular use of vacuum cleaners and insecticides has resulted largely in
their down fall.
If you suspect a case of fleas in your pet, you might look
for certain signs. Look out for fleas crawling on your pet’s coat. Fleas are
usually red-brown in colour and are around 2 mm in length. Inspect the
hind-quarters of your dog, or the head and neck of your pet cat. These are the
areas of the pets which respectively are targeted by fleas and where you are
likely to observe their concentrated activity.
Check your pet’s skin for fine black droppings, similar in
appearance to ground black pepper. This is adult flea faeces. An effective
method for identifying this dirt is to draw a flea comb across the hair over a
white sheet of paper. The pepper-like specks will then be visible.
Another sign of a case of fleas is the discovery of flea
faeces on your pet’s bedding, on rugs and on carpets.
Certain measures can be taken to rid your domestic premises
of a flea problem if it is identified sufficiently early.
What to do
Key West Pest Control advises that you regularly groom pets
with a flea comb and wash pet beds and bedding weekly at 50 degrees Celsius or
above. We recommend, however, that before taking any other measure to make sure
that you have vacuumed carpets, furnishings, upholstered furniture and cracks
in floorboards. This will rid your commercial or domestic premises of adult
fleas, eggs and larvae. These larvae feed on adult flea faeces and other
organic matter. They collect in the carpet and rugs. The removal of this food
source is vital to the process of ridding you of your flea problem. Vacuum
cleaners should be emptied with care and away from the house – the fleas will
still be alive. If you find your pet scratching and biting at its fur consult
your vet. The vet will recommend which flea sprays and powders to use for your
pet
Flea Eggs
We might sometimes believe that we have rid our domestic or
commercial premises of fleas when we haven’t in fact done so. This can happen
because flea eggs are very difficult to spot.
Fleas lay eggs on your pet’s body, but they don’t stay there
for the duration. They fall off into carpets, rugs, bedding, gaps and cracks in
floorboards where they are hidden from view. The eggs themselves are miniscule
being only 0.5mm long, white and oval in shape – hard to spot.
Key West Pest Control Can Help
It is an unpleasant thought that we might have fleas in our
homes. The very idea of it makes us itch. It is really very possible that you
pets have picked up the fleas from other animals or from other infested places
– it is highly probable that it is not your fault. If you have got them in your
home, you will be wanting to get rid of them. That’s where Key West Pest
Control steps in. We have the most up-to-date methods for ridding you of a flea
problem and our operatives are all sufficiently certified beyond statutory
requirements
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