My Dog Has Fleas: What Should I Do to Get Rid of Them?

One of the parasites owners fear most is fleas — tiny bugs that feed on the blood they suck through their bites. Fleas are very common in dogs; it's rare to find a dog that's never had them, or doesn't have them right now.

They're dangerous both for the dog and for people, since they're a nuisance and can also transmit many diseases. If you notice your dog scratching often and intensely, or occasionally nipping at their back or tail, they may have fleas causing the itching.

Don't worry, fleas are easy to get rid of if you follow the right steps, both in adult dogs and puppies. Here's how to eliminate them effectively.

A bit of practical info: what is a flea?

A flea is a parasitic insect that's one to four millimeters long. They have a life cycle of about four weeks, and during that time they lay around 40 eggs a day, which means they multiply at an astonishing rate. In just a few days a huge colony can form, according to Wikipedia.

Fleas don't just lay eggs on the host (in this case, the dog) — they can also lay them on the bed, on the sofa, in floorboard cracks... anywhere the temperature is mild.

Although there are more than two thousand different flea species, "Ctenocephalides felis felis" is the most common and dangerous one affecting both dogs and cats. They feed on our pets' blood, sucking it and causing skin irritation and itching, dermatological problems, and discomfort.

Some dogs even develop flea allergy dermatitis (FAD), since flea bites are really irritating. Although it's not typical for them to transmit diseases, fleas can indeed spread some dangerous diseases like plague or typhus, though these cases are extremely rare.

In addition to the dermatitis linked to flea bites, the Ctenocephalides felis species specifically carries an intestinal parasite that can wreak havoc on your pet's health.

• • • Diseases fleas can give dogs

Generally, a flea won't settle on a human if there's a dog nearby, since the thick fur dogs offer is the perfect shelter for them to live and reproduce in.

Why does my dog have fleas?

Dogs with weakened immunity, or that are a bit sick, or recovering from an illness, are more prone to getting fleas than healthy dogs — hence the saying "fleas flock to a scrawny dog." Healthy dogs get fleas too, often from playing with other dogs that have fleas, catching them right away. A flea can jump up to thirty centimeters, so hopping from one dog to another is very easy for them.

Dogs with poor hygiene are more prone to fleas, since the mix of skin fatty acids, dust, and other cellular debris creates an ideal breeding ground for fleas. Don't worry if your dog has caught fleas — it's not their fault, and it's fixable.

The first thing to do is check whether they have fleas — gently part a small section of their fur with your hands, and if you see tiny black or brown bugs, about the size of a pinhead, moving through their coat, they've caught fleas.

You can also comb your pet against the direction of their fur, using a fine-tooth comb over a damp piece of white paper, which can help you check for flea dirt. This is a telltale sign of flea presence.

The best places to check for fleas are easy to reach — for example, our dog's back, belly, neck, or head. If we find even a single flea, we should apply the right treatment to eliminate it right away, since a single flea can lay up to forty eggs a day, which within fifteen days will be forty new adult fleas.

How to get rid of fleas on a dog?

Treatments for getting rid of fleas on our dog and in our home are very effective — today we have a whole range of products that make disinfecting our dog against fleas much easier, and we recommend also keeping in mind these home remedies for getting rid of fleas.

Remember to also follow this advice, and you'll be able to enjoy a flea-free dog.

• The first thing to do is keep up strict hygiene both at home and with your pet — pay special attention to cushions, sofas, and blankets your dog has access to.
• You should wash your dog with a flea-killing shampoo sold at pet stores, repeating the wash after fifteen days and then once a month from then on (to fully break the flea's life cycle).
• After bathing our dog, we'll wait 48 hours and then apply a flea spot-on treatment. These treatments last a month, so we'll apply a new one every month, always waiting two days after a bath.
• There are also flea collars we can use — they repel fleas and ticks, helping keep our dog from getting reinfested. These collars usually last between one and eight months, depending on the brand and formulation.
• You should wash bedding and fabric toys in the washing machine at the highest temperature, which will kill any existing fleas (if possible, add a bit of bleach to the wash). Apply organic or natural insecticides to the green areas around your house, since they can be a reservoir for eggs, larvae, or adult fleas.

Remember that eliminating fleas from your dog is pointless if there are still eggs and larvae in the house that could reinfect them at any moment. You can find full, detailed information on how to keep your home free of these parasites in: How to get rid of fleas at home.

For more difficult cases, where a dog may be infested with hundreds and hundreds of fleas, there are also special flea pills. These are sold at vet clinics, given to our dogs with their food, and within a short time all the fleas will be gone.

That said, we only recommend these pills for very extreme cases. Their effect is far from permanent — you'll need to reinforce it with flea spot-on treatments and collars.

How to get rid of fleas on a puppy?

Puppies are much more sensitive than adult dogs, so often (in most cases), we won't be able to use the effective spot-on treatments or flea collars. But don't worry, it's still very easy to get rid of fleas on our beloved little puppies.

Vet clinics sell a special flea spray for puppies — a very low-concentration poison that kills fleas without poisoning the puppy.

Afterward, we'll ruffle their fur by hand so the product reaches down to the hair roots, killing off all the fleas they have. Avoid getting this product in your puppy's eyes or mouth, and prevent them from licking it.

We shouldn't let our puppy have fleas, since being more sensitive, with an immune system that isn't fully developed, fleas can cause serious skin problems and also give them intestinal parasites with serious health consequences.

Can dog fleas affect humans?

Flea bite allergy dermatitis is the condition best known to affect humans so far. It's a hypersensitivity reaction to allergens found in flea saliva. This results in clinical signs such as redness, swelling, and skin rashes.

Generally, we'll notice irritation at each bite site. If there are several fleas, we may notice dozens of new bites appearing overnight — they're very easy to spot by their bites.

To get rid of them, you should do a thorough wash with an anti-flea gel, sold at pharmacies. If you have noticeable skin inflammation and itching, your doctor will likely prescribe antihistamines and ointments to moisturize and soothe the inflammation. Don't forget that disinfecting the house, and of course washing sheets and the sofa, is essential.

Tips for getting rid of fleas for good

• • Forget about natural remedies like eucalyptus or lavender oil — they only work as preventives. Once fleas have already taken hold, we need to use specific "chemical" products, since these give the best results.
  • Better safe than sorry — the best way to keep our dog flea-free is to prevent them in the first place. A monthly wash with anti-parasite shampoo, a monthly spot-on treatment, and a good flea collar will be more than enough to keep our dog from catching any fleas.
  • If your dog lives in your yard, there are powders and other products you can use to spray their kennel and the surrounding area. This eliminates any fleas or other insects that could be dangerous for your dog. Combine this with the preventive measures mentioned above to stay fully protected.
  • Avoid walking your dog through dumps, dirty areas, or places where livestock roam (sheep, cows, horses...). Avoiding possible sources of infestation gets you halfway there.
  • Fleas are insects, just like lice in kids. Never get angry at your dog for catching fleas — if anything, the responsibility is ours for not following a proper flea-prevention routine.
  • Don't spray insecticides all over the house to kill bugs... especially if your pet is a puppy, since many insecticides are quickly absorbed through your pet's skin and can cause severe poisoning.