Flea dog. Do dog fleas bite people and how do they differ from cat fleas?



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  • Severe itching at the site of the bite, redness of the skin;
  • The appearance of scratching at the sites of bites with further development skin diseases;
  • Increased hair loss;
  • Viral diseases;
  • Infection with worms;
  • Getting bacteria and pathogens into wounds allergic reactions;
  • Development of anemia, causing death.

Where do dogs get fleas?

Symptoms indicating a dog infection

In addition to a visual examination of the pet, the presence of “bloodsuckers” is indicated by the following symptoms:

  • The dog itches and does it continuously.
  • The animal suddenly jumps up and tries to bite itself.
  • Red spots of unknown etiology appear on the dog's skin.
  • Bald patches, sores and scratches form on the dog's body.
  • The animal whines pitifully for some unknown reason.
  • The dog begins to shed prematurely.
  • The pet becomes restless and irritable, loses appetite, and suffers from insomnia.
  • A sharp decrease in the animal’s weight with proper feeding.

As soon as the animal appears the above signs, it's necessary show to the vet immediately for staging accurate diagnosis and treatment prescriptions. Delay in this matter is unacceptable.

How do they reproduce?

Often, after complete treatment with anti-flea drugs (drops, shampoos, collars), a relapse of these insects can be detected - this is exactly the case when the pupa spent several weeks or months in a protective shell, and then transformed into a flea. While on the animal's body, the flea can feed every day, while when there is no suitable victim, the bloodsucker can go without food for up to two weeks.

What danger does such a neighborhood pose to a dog?

Flea bites are not only a temporary inconvenience, consisting of skin irritation and constant itching.

A flea attack can cause a number of serious complications:

Having fleas on a pet is serious problem. You should begin eliminating it immediately after it appears.

Conditions for complete flea removal

It should be remembered that there is no method that could get rid of this disease once and for all. Therefore, it is important to observe not only the correct treatment, but also preventive measures.

Traditional methods of eliminating fleas

To make a diagnosis, it is necessary to analyze all of the above symptoms and collect an anamnesis. A careful examination of the animal's fur will help ensure that the diagnosis is correct. For greater precision, brush your dog with a thick-bristled comb. Then wet a sheet of purple paper and place the combed fragments on it. If after some time red stains appear around the combed grains, then we can say with certainty that these are flea excrement.

After making a diagnosis, the question arises - how to get rid of fleas? Before the beginning therapeutic measures You need to completely replace the bedding and all dog care items. If it is not possible complete replacement, you can boil them. The apartment in which the infected animal lives, doghouse and the enclosure is treated with insecticides.

The modern pet industry offers a wide selection of flea products. They differ in composition, direction of action, release form and cost. You can familiarize yourself with many of them, as well as others, and choose the best in any of the online stores.

According to the form of release, anti-flea drugs are divided into:

  • shampoos (liquid soap);
  • drops;
  • powders;
  • aerosols and sprays;
  • flea collar for dogs;
  • chewable tablets;
  • intramuscular injections.

Flea shampoos

Shampoos are used for the initial one-step removal of fleas in the composition complex therapy. Insecticidal agents or natural herbs. To enhance the cosmetic effect, manufacturers include cleansing and moisturizing components in shampoos.

Shampoos are mainly used to treat small puppies and small toy dogs - it is easier to wash them thoroughly. When swimming, you need to make sure that soapy water and the foam did not get into the dog’s eyes, nose or mucous membranes.

Popular brands of shampoos:

How often you can use shampoo is indicated in the instructions. Do not exceed the recommended frequency.

Our pets, living with us under the same roof, require attention and affection. But at the same time, there is a risk of infection by blood-sucking insects, which are almost always present on the body of animals. When wondering whether fleas are transmitted from cats to humans, one must understand that their main hosts are animals, and people are only victims. Human blood is also suitable for them, but living on our body is not entirely convenient for insects, since they are accustomed to being in thick fur, where it is easy to hide.

Just a person passing by the booth attracts them and becomes another source of food

They mainly bite a person’s legs and are quite painful.

Other places where you may be exposed to insect bites include:

  1. Wild animal burrows
  2. Birds nests
  3. Fur farms and livestock farms
  4. forest thickets
  5. Swampy ravines
  6. Fields and meadows
  7. Heavily polluted premises.

Hunters, lumberjacks, farm workers, and biologists should especially beware of attacks from blood-sucking insects. Residents of old buildings often turn to the disinfection service, in whose apartments preventive measures were not carried out in a timely manner.

There are several ways to detect these insects in your home. To do this, you need to conduct a focused search and be a little observant.

By parting your pet's fur, you can detect pest excrement.

Examine your pets carefully. Look behind the ears, on the front legs and at the base of the skull. Evidence of infection is the presence of bloody spots on the skin. This is also evidenced by constant scratching of the body caused by excessive itching.

The appearance of itchy red bumps on your body are traces of flea bites. Insects can hide in the folds of bed linen, in a mattress, in a pillow, from where they attack a person at night. They can also be found in fleecy clothing or warm socks.

To detect flea droppings on carpet, just walk on it in white socks and check for marks on the soles.

How to protect yourself from flea attacks

GET tool

The effectiveness of this drug is determined by such a component as chlorpyrifos. Microcapsules are enough to treat 100 square meters. The effect of the liquid lasts for 6 months. This time is enough to destroy adults and larvae. The product treats not only floors and walls, but also furniture, carpets, and pet bedding.

While cats are rarely walked, dogs are usually walked daily. Accordingly, their risk of being infected is many times greater.

Are there any differences from cats?

Many people are interested in whether cat fleas and dog fleas are the same or different? Each of these types has its own characteristics both external and behavioral.

The main difference between dog fleas and cat fleas is that for unhindered movement or jumping, dog insects have characteristic 8 bristles (cat fleas have 6) plus spines.

The head, unlike cats, is more rounded, the head plus thoracic regions They are distinguished by the presence of serrated ridges, as well as ctenidia, which help cling to wool or clothing.

The limbs are powerful and well developed, which allows them to move freely on any surface. The color of the shell varies from glossy brown to black. The differences between dog fleas and cat fleas are clearly visible when examined under a microscope.

Reasons for appearance

The global invasion of flea colonies occurs during the warm season, from spring to October. Often the objects are private houses, as well as the lower floors of the multi-apartment sector.

Main sources:

  • dirty entrances;
  • neighboring apartments;
  • pets through contact with a sick animal;
  • mass populations in basements, attics;
  • presence of rodents in basements and garbage dumps;
  • Adults plus eggs can cling to clothing or stick to a person's shoes.

Life cycle

Flea remedies for dogs

For processing pet you will need special means, of which there are many on sale: shampoos, drops, sprays, tablets, powders, collars. Any product is selected individually, taking into account the age, weight, height, condition and even breed of the animal.

There are many effective folk remedies, which are easy to prepare yourself.

They will not physically survive human body, because dark color The shell creates a sharp contrast with the skin, and the lack of hair makes the insects defenseless.

They bite dog fleas people extremely rarely, only in cases of acute hunger. But a dog can carry any type of insect: cat, rat, which are considered the most dangerous, etc.

Bites of bloodsuckers are a guaranteed infection with helminthiasis and the likelihood of infection with a serious disease.

How are they dangerous to humans?

There is an opinion that insects in dogs are very dangerous for people and it is really difficult to argue with this. But it is still worth considering the fact that this danger is relative and conditional.

Modern methods of control and preventive measures provide enough tools to effectively protect yourself and your pet from insect harm.

  • infections with helminths;
  • various skin lesions, ranging from itching plus abscesses to more serious, massive dermatitis and dermatophiliasis;
  • acute diseases and viral infections;
  • the occurrence of fever;
  • when scratching bites, the formation of boils, complex abscesses and neoplasms is possible;
  • sleep disturbance, resulting in nervous disorders.

This is far from full list dangers that may await a person.

The danger for dogs is similar:

  • the likelihood of contracting diseases;
  • infection with tapeworms;
  • skin irritation;
  • allergic reactions;
  • puppies can acquire dermatitis of various types and anemia, which will lead to cessation of growth and possible death.

Knowing that dog fleas can bite a person is important to know emergency measures what needs to be done in such cases:

  • wash the wounds with laundry soap;
  • handle antiseptic: brilliant green, iodine, etc.;
  • apply ice or a cold compress to the affected areas;
  • buy at your nearest pharmacy antihistamine: fenistil gel, psilo-balm, bepanthen, etc.;
  • drugs are necessary to relieve allergic reactions, burning, itching and inflammation;
  • if nothing is at hand, you can treat the wounds with alcohol or vodka.

Such measures will stop pulicosis, the likelihood of infection, and relieve itching and pain.

You will need:

  • a solution with soda, salt or with the addition of insecticidal shampoo;
  • insecticide to choose from: aerosol, powder, solution (Combat, Executioner, Dichlorvos, Get, Fas, etc.

Algorithm of actions:

In a private house, cleaning the premises is carried out in a similar way. Treat further basement, cellar, attic, outbuildings and adjacent area.

Booth treatment

Constantly carry out preventive maintenance of the premises and your pet.

The most famous brands:

  • Foresto collar: the most popular collar for active dogs, waterproof, protection for 8 months;
  • Kiltix: powerful product, highly effective anti-flea properties, 7 month protection;
  • Skalibor: against any insects, high-quality protection within six months.

When walking your pet, be sure to use a collar or drops - this is the key to your pet’s health.

Many people do not risk petting street animals and prohibit their children from contact with outdoor cats and dogs. You can often hear: “Don’t go near the cat, she has fleas.” Whether fleas are transmitted from dogs to humans is the most frequently discussed question in this topic. Let's figure it out.

It is very difficult to talk in detail about each type of flea - after all, the number of their species is at least 1000, most of which do not have visual organs. To navigate in space, they use strong sensory organs on the back surface of the body, with the help of which air vibrations are analyzed.

Most often in everyday life you can encounter cat and dog fleas. A person’s lifestyle does not allow fleas to comfortably linger on his body, because it is more convenient for them to live in the bedding of woolly animals or easily move between the hairs of cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, etc.

Scientists call the dog flea Ctenocephalides canis, and the cat flea - Ctenocephalides felis. Both types of fleas can exist on any warm-blooded mammal. Externally, they differ only in the shade of adults and eggs and larvae. The different colors are due to their adaptability to being inconspicuous on the donor's fur.

Where do fleas live?

Let's start with the fact that areas with a warm climate are most favorable for fleas. In temperate latitudes, the peak of insect reproduction and activity occurs in spring and summer, while in winter the rate of their reproduction sharply decreases.
In houses, fleas live in hard-to-reach places: cracks, under baseboards, in microcracks, etc.
During her life, a female flea can produce 400 young individuals.
The best temperature for fleas to live is 18-27 degrees. Celsius, with a humidity of 70 percent. An adult develops in 20-50 days. In arid climates, with humidity below 60 percent, fleas and their larvae cannot survive.

Flea development begins with an egg, which is laid by an adult female. The egg metamorphoses into a larva, which in turn develops into a pupa. The pupa is last stage transformation of the egg into an adult - an adult insect that feeds on the warm blood of mammals.

The larvae can develop in accumulations of debris, in the depths of green lawns, in any dark, damp and warm places where the transformation process can successfully complete, within 2 weeks and up to 30 days.

Dog fleas are transmitted to humans

Fleas are not comfortable living on humans long time, but short attacks and related adverse consequences bring people a lot of trouble, and sometimes even dangerous to life and health.

Why are they dangerous:

The fight against fleas is complicated by their mobility, increased sense of danger, and also by the fact that adult fleas are not attached to one owner, settling close to the feeding area - in the litter, booth, in cracks on the floor, etc.

Flea prevention and control

If fleas appear in the house, it is necessary to thoroughly treat the room and pets with special shampoos or aerosols. Most effective active substance such means - pyrethrum, universal application. It can be used to disinfect the animal and to wash all possible places clusters of fleas.

In the future, you should maintain cleanliness and order in the room, avoid the accumulation of garbage or soft rags, bedding, so as not to create conditions for insects to reproduce and develop. Pets' resting areas should be regularly checked for the presence of fleas and promptly treated with insecticides.