Fleas In Pets

With Summer comes fleas! Fleas in pets is especially very common in warmer weather. So far we have had numerous dogs into the clinic that have never had fleas until this year, where all of a sudden they have become riddled with them. The main culprit appears to be cats jumping into back yards at night bringing the pesky parasites with them, although some dogs appear to have brought them home from the sidewalk or park.

What to look for when identifying if there are fleas

Fleas can be really hard to spot especially because they are very small and can move extremely quickly, therefore making it really hard to be spotted. Sometimes you can manage to see them, sometimes you can find evidence of them which is usually referred to as “flea dirt” which is flea faeces. If you can’t see them or “flea dirt” but your dog is excessively scratching or biting this is a sign that they may still be present.

What to do when you see a flea

If you see a flea act promptly! You can use Advocate or Revolution if you need a combination Flea/Heartworm preventative. If you are using the annual heartworm injection, then all you need to treat and prevent fleas is Frontline Plus.

It is worth noting that “Sentinel Chews” do not kill fleas. The product in Sentinel for flea control just prevents flea eggs hatching so is not particularly useful in the presence of a flea infestation.

If your pet has not had the annual heartworm injection we reccomend booking this in with us going forward. Give our team a call on 03 9707 3855 to make a booking.

We hope this has helped give you some more information on fleas in dogs. If you have any concerns or questions, always feel free to call our team.

Looking for more resources? We recommend reading our article on heartworms.