Dog fleas are dangerous to people. Flea shampoos

Among the diversity various types fleas The dog flea is one of the most common. However, fleas on dogs are not only insects belonging to their own species dog fleas Ctenocephalides canis.

Appearance of dog fleas: adult insects, larvae and eggs

Dog fleas look the same as most of their relatives: small insects 2-3 mm long, dark Brown with a shiny body. An enlarged photo of a dog flea clearly shows the insect’s elongated and laterally flattened body:

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The dog flea larva looks like a small caterpillar, and looks a bit like the maggot of a fly. In the photo under a microscope, her digestive tract is clearly visible:

The main food of flea larvae consists of various organic remains, including rotting grass, and only in the nests of mammals and birds can they feed on the excrement of adult fleas, filled with undigested blood.

In general, it is quite difficult to find flea larvae anywhere. They certainly won't be on the animal's fur: fleas usually lay their eggs outside the host's body. However, if the dog is heavily infested, flea eggs can also be found in the dog’s fur: in this case, the insects simply do not have time to jump off the animal.

The photo below shows flea eggs:

Each egg is less than a millimeter in length, and they are visually detected only when there are large numbers.

The only insects with which fleas have some things in common external features- These are lice and lice-eaters. However, no matter how small the lice are, fleas on dogs are clearly distinguished from them by their dark color (white lice) and the fact that they are always found on the skin of the animal, but not on the hairs. Lice spend their entire lives attached to the hairs of their host.

Fleas don't actually live long on dogs. Here they only feed, spending most of their lives in dark, secluded places, from which it is very easy for them to get close to the food source.

You could say like an avalanche. One female literally splashes eggs around herself every few days, pushing them out of her body under great pressure, thereby increasing the distribution area of ​​her offspring. Even if she does it right on the dog, most of eggs will fall to the floor or ground. The larvae hatch from them, molt three times, pupate and turn into adult insects.

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Fleas can recognize different levels of cortisol and corticosteroids in a dog's body. Accordingly, fleas in a pregnant dog “know” when she should give birth, and by this time they are especially actively interested in her, in order to subsequently move to puppies, as a more favorable and safe source of food.

On a note

When can infect dogs with salmonellosis, brucellosis, plague and other fatal dangerous diseases. In comparison, flea allergies in dogs, which affect one in four pets, don't seem all that serious. However, fleas can cause dangerous dermatitis and anemia in puppies.

It should be remembered that dog fleas are dangerous to humans, to whom they can easily be transmitted.

The main signs of the presence of fleas on a dog are the following:

  • itching of the animal, constant scratching and restlessness
  • detection of flea excrement in the dog’s fur in the form of dark small grains
  • dog allergies
  • and, of course, direct detection of insects on the pet’s body.

Detection of abundant helminthic infestations To a certain extent, this may also be a sign of an animal being infected with fleas.

Means for ridding dogs of fleas and their use

Treating a dog for fleas involves treating its fur. by special means. It can be:


When choosing what to treat your dog for fleas, you need to consider individual characteristics animal. Ideally, dogs should be treated for fleas and ticks with products recommended by a veterinarian.

Preventing your dog from getting fleas

  • Minimize contact with stray animals.
  • Regularly treat dogs for fleas before the warm season with special drops or use an anti-flea collar.
  • Cleaning the place where the dog rests - kennel, bed, rug. It should be done at least once a week.
  • Regular combing of the dog with a fine comb.

Such measures will reliably protect your dog from fleas, even if she accidentally brings them from the street.

In addition, rat and human fleas are found in cities, and in natural foci hundreds of other species. In this article we will dwell in more detail on the dog flea. Let's discuss whether dog fleas can bite humans, in what situations dog fleas are transmitted to humans, and try to find the differences between dog and cat fleas.

What do dog fleas look like?

Like the rest of their order, dog fleas go through four stages life cycle. All stages, except the imago, live outside the host: in carpets, crevices, and animal bedding.

Adult dog fleas are reddish-brown in color and reach 2-4 mm in length. Of the three pairs of legs, the last powerful pair is the jumping pair. The dog flea is wingless, the body is laterally flattened, covered with a hard, shiny exoskeleton, adapted for movement in the animal’s fur. The design of the oral apparatus is adapted for piercing the host's skin and sucking blood. The height of the jumps reaches 25 cm, length - 40 cm.

How do dog fleas reproduce?

Dog fleas lay eggs in the fur of animals, after which they spill out into external environment(about 60% of eggs laid fall out within the first two hours). Flea eggs resemble chicken eggs, only on a micro scale, oval in shape, milky white in color, size 0.2-0.5 mm.

The larval stage of the dog flea resembles an earthworm half a centimeter long, without legs, but with wide mouth. Originally a larva white, but through the translucent walls of the body the intestines are visible, where the eaten feces of adult fleas (digested blood) fall, so the nymph soon turns brown. When moving to the next stage, it weaves a whitish cocoon around itself and turns into a pupa. And an adult flea is already emerging from the cocoon.

Adult fleas are only the visible tip of the iceberg, 5% of the colony, which includes all 4 stages. Therefore, the fight against fleas, in addition to the destruction of biting adults, involves the destruction of larvae and eggs indoors.

How are cat fleas different from dog fleas?

In both cats and dogs, the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is more common than the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis). According to one study per share cat fleas accounts for 95% of flea infestations in these animals. But the naked eye cannot distinguish one from the other.

Upon careful comparison under a microscope, you will notice that dog fleas have a steep forehead, while cat fleas have a flat forehead. The proboscis of the dog flea is longer, the stigmata of the abdominal tergites are larger, and the manubrium of the genital claw is more broadened in the male. Due to these differences, dog fleas look more massive.

Pet owners are concerned about whether dog fleas can spread to humans and how dangerous their bites are.

Do dog fleas live on humans?

Why are dog flea bites dangerous?

Here's why dog ​​fleas are dangerous to people:

  • They cause itching and allergies
  • Carries infectious diseases
  • Can cause anemia in severe infection

Itching occurs for two reasons:

  1. Flea dermatitis is direct irritation from a bite to the skin
  2. Flea allergic dermatitis is an allergy to components of insect saliva

The reaction to a flea bite varies from person to person. Not all people have it severe itching after a bite. However, people with flea allergic dermatitis complain of itching and suffer from the consequences of prolonged scratching of the bite sites. At the site of the bite, a secondary infection penetrates into the wound through damaged skin.

Methods for controlling dog fleas

To remove dog fleas from an apartment, disinsection of the premises is carried out simultaneously with the treatment of pets. Adult fleas live on the body of animals, and immature stages on the floor, so an incomplete set of extermination measures will only give a partial result, which is not enough.

- Man, take the dog away! There are already fleas running all over me!

- Tuzik, move away from your aunt, she has fleas.

How is it really

Owners of not only dogs, but also cats are often concerned about the question of whether fleas are transmitted to humans. Especially if in the family Small child. The answer is negative. These insects arose long before the appearance of humans as a species and simply do not have devices with which they could stay on hairless skin. Moreover, these bloodsuckers also do not live on “woolen” animals. They eat there. And they live on the ground. At home - on the floor and in the folds of upholstered furniture.

But there are very few ways in which fleas are transmitted from an animal to a person:

Since the question of whether fleas are transmitted from dogs to humans has already been clarified and the answer is negative, it remains to consider the issue of protecting housing from the settlement of these bloodsuckers in it.

For dogs use:

  • aerosol;
  • powder;
  • , briquettes.

For cats, the same types are used, but the aerosol depends on the nature of the cat.

On a note!

For the first treatment, the dog is taken outside. You will see how the fleas perk up, running away from the treated animal. After walking for a couple of hours, you can put a flea collar on your dog and calmly go home.

What products can be used to rid a dog of fleas?

Collars:

  • Beaphar Flea&Tick (Holland) mainly contains diazinon, the amount of the substance varies depending on the type of collar;
  • Inspector: 5% fipronil, 2% pyriproxyfen, 1.2% ivermectin;
  • Insectal: 5% fipronil, 1% permethrin, citronella oil as an excipient;
  • Foresto (Bayer, Germany): 4.5% imidacloprid, 2.03% flumethrin;
  • GreenFort Neo BioCollar based on essential oils;
  • Bruno based on permethrin;
  • Rolf Club with ivermectin;
  • AVZ Bars: fipronil;
  • Bolfo: propoxur;
  • Dana Ultra: 4% fipronil, 1% ivermectin, 0.25% pyriproxyfen;
  • Kiltix: flumethrin, proposur;
  • Celandine: 10% diazinon.

The average duration of collars is 3 months against fleas and 1.5 months against ticks. Foresto works for up to 7 months, that is, almost the entire season of insect activity. The price of collars varies from 100 to 2 thousand rubles. Each collar comes with instructions for its use.

In the same line with collars, manufacturers produce powder, drops and aerosols. When removing fleas from animals for the first time, it is advisable to use another product from the same line before using a collar.

I used Bolfo, Kiltix and Bephar when they were not yet counterfeited. I liked it very much. Real time The effect of the collars was 2 times greater than that declared by the manufacturer. But it was necessary to take it in such a way that the expiration date would expire in no less than a year. When there were puppies in the house, I treated the apartment with “herbal” products and tried to put collars on the puppies with essential oils. These products can be used on puppies up to 3 months old. They didn't work at all. I could barely wait for the puppies to grow up. Fleas have already started jumping around the apartment.

Galina, Moscow

To do this, you can use cheaper drugs in ampoules, diluting them with water according to the instructions:

  • Stomazan;
  • Unoiled;
  • Neocidol.

These are “one-time” drugs, although the manufacturer claims the opposite. On an animal, this statement may be true, since when heated by the mammal’s body, the drug evaporates and repels insects. Works well indoors until dry. When dry, they become harmless.

Conclusion: fleas on a dog are not a tragedy. They don't transfer to people. Easily eliminated modern drugs.

The most frequently asked question is: are fleas transmitted from cats to humans? In order to answer it, you need to understand the main types of insects and the conditions under which they are transmitted.

The most numerous species of the Flea order. Adults have a flat body covered with bristles, a small head and a large red or brown abdomen. Oral cavity On closer examination, the insect looks like it leaves no questions about whether cat fleas can bite painfully enough.

While the insects are motionless, they look much like small pieces of dirt stuck to your pet's fur. The flea's hind limbs are well developed, with their help it can jump quite high. The flea reproduces very quickly. The female lays eggs, similar to white grains, in secluded places: genital crevices, upholstery of upholstered furniture, in carpets and rugs.

It is from the activities of representatives of this species that people suffer the most: fleas from cats are transmitted to humans 3 times more actively than from dogs. Main negative quality representatives of the species - fleas in cats are dangerous to humans.

Malicious insect and dogs

Pulex irritans prefer to eat human blood. If they fail to detect people nearby, they can be transmitted to other mammals: cats, dogs or horses.
Anyone can become food for a human flea. Adult representatives of the order are brown-black in color and measure about 4 mm. The main danger posed by pests is their ability to transmit various diseases.

How small pests are transmitted

An insect can also end up on a person through direct contact with an infected animal: insects often jump further than they can see and jump from the owner to a representative of the human race.

Can fleas be transmitted from humans?

Sometimes a person himself transmits the pest to his pets. Hunting, fishing, business trips, travel are the main activities during which fleas can be transmitted to a person. Particular attention should be paid to the places chosen for overnight stays, where nuisance transmission may occur. Sometimes entire flea colonies live in the bed of a cheap hotel room, providing negative impact per person.

Small pest bites cause not only discomfort. Most often, contact with insects causes damage to the skin, accompanied by unbearable itching and redness. skin around the bite site.
In especially severe cases, infection turns into dangerous diseases:

  • allergic reactions: fever, itching, diarrhea, deadly danger- anaphylactic shock;
  • skin inflammation: dermatitis;
  • scarlet fever: defeat internal organs, rash;
  • digestive problems: if the insect entered the body with food;
  • creeping erythema: pale skin color, peeling and ulceration;
  • Brullosis: severe infection of the body that can cause death;
  • endemic typhus: damage to the skin;
  • anthrax: total defeat internal organs, extensive erosions and hematomas.

How else are fleas dangerous?

Each of the listed diseases clearly answers the question: are fleas dangerous, for example, from domestic cat for a person. In addition, we should not forget that especially neglected form any of them can lead to fatal outcome for people, so you need to get rid of cat fleas in a timely manner.

Flea bites: how to get rid of them

If fleas bite a person, it means they have already managed to reproduce sufficiently. In this case, it is necessary to take Urgent measures for their destruction. To always know what to do in a difficult situation, you must remember that the work is carried out in several stages:

  1. the room and all interior items are treated with special means; carpets and upholstered furniture clean thoroughly; clothes and bedding are beaten and hung outside in direct sunlight;
  2. if the house is private, then the surrounding area is processed;
  3. All areas where the pet spends a lot of time are disinfected: beds, carriers. Special attention will require a car if, for example, a dog is often transported there;
  4. the dog or cat is treated with a special a potent drug so that pests cannot be transmitted from them to people;
  5. the apartment undergoes thorough wet cleaning, using disinfectants that prevent the reappearance of fleas in the living area.

If fleas surround a person in a hotel room, then there is only one option for salvation - to immediately change your place of residence.

There are many opinions about whether fleas can be transmitted from dogs to humans. For some people it's actual question, since every second family has a furry pet in their home. Therefore, it is important to know how fleas in dogs can be transmitted to humans, move from one food source to another, and how people cope with this disease.

Fleas can bite a person, but they will not live on his body

These insects do not crawl over a person’s clothing in search of an open area of ​​the body. Fleas have a good sense of smell, so they bite a person after sniffing beforehand. They jump, pierce an area of ​​the body with their proboscis, releasing a special secretion that has pain-relieving properties, and suck out blood.

However, the danger of a flea bite is often underestimated. Most people, having noticed red spots on their arms and legs, do not attach any importance to it.

The greatest danger to humans are those diseases that these insects transmit through a bite.

There are certain places where the source of flea infestation is significantly high.

If you do come into contact with a source of infection, you should pay attention to the symptoms that will definitely indicate that your pet has fleas. The most obvious signs:

  • bites;
  • shedding (premature);
  • the appearance of small pustules, ulcers in places where the dog itches;
  • the presence of white clusters of larvae;
  • the presence of dark balls of feces;
  • the presence of the insects themselves, which, when opened, quickly hide in clumps of fur.

Also, some breeders highlight such unusual symptoms as anxiety, irritability of pets, loss of appetite, bad dream and the occurrence of allergies.


Remember that you should not abuse these funds. Before use, carefully read the ingredients and compare your dog’s sensitivity to certain medications.

Be sure to take into account the personal characteristics of your pet: weight, age, chronic diseases and general condition.

Check the shelf life of the medicine and the integrity of the packaging when purchasing. Observe all precautions specified in the instructions for use. In case of any safety violations that lead to poisoning of your dog, be sure to consult a doctor. Possible symptoms poisoning:

  • weakness, staggering of the animal, unsteady gait;
  • salivation, vomiting, diarrhea;
  • convulsions, trembling, difficulty breathing;
  • tumors, rash, pallor. For more information about treating fleas, watch this video:

Be careful, keep an eye on your pets, walk in trusted areas, keep your home clean, and regularly check for sources of insects both on your pet's body and in various corners of your home.

If you find that your animal is itching or behaving strangely, begin treatment immediately.