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 (Need picture of carpet with larvae, picture of dog with FAD)
Adult fleas are dark brown, wingless creatures. Their bodies are hard making them very difficult to crush with your fingers! As they cant fly, they are excellent jumpers and can jump about 18cm vertically and 33cm horizontally.
The adult female needs a blood meal before she can produce and lay eggs. She gets this blood meal from dogs and cats. When the flea population is large, they will feed on humans too!
Eggs are laid on the dog/cat but are not sticky and therefore fall off the animal into the environment as the animal moves around. They often fall into the animals bedding, the carpet, between the cracks in the floor, into your bedding, in a favourite muddy ditch outside...etc... Eggs then hatch into larvae. Larvae are about 1/2 cm long and look like small worms/maggots. They are light phobic and therefore move deeper into the carpet pile, deeper into cracks.... Larvae feed on organic matter such as flea dirt (faeces) and skin cells from animals and humans. The larvae then spin cocoons and form pupae. The pupae are relatively dormant. Adult fleas grow and mature inside this cocoon.
Once mature, the adult flea emerges from the cocoon. This emergence is often stimulated by vibration (movement), pressure (animal lying on the area), heat (warm temperatures, humidity, ducted heating), noise and carbon dioxide. Fleas emerge and hop onto a dog or cat as soon as possible. There they hope to find a mate and start the cycle all over again!
On average the whole life cycle takes 28 days. However, this is dependent on temperature, humidity and availability of hosts in which to feed on. Larvae and pupae can remain dormant in carpet for up to 2 years! Imagine what happens when you go to your holiday house each year or when you move into a new house that has been uninhabited for a while- you walk into the house (vibration and pressure), you talk and breathe (noise and carbone dioxide), you open the windows or turn on the heating (warmth) and sure enough, you awaken thousands and thousands of fleas!!!!!
Fleas can cause severe itching and dermatitis in dogs. In severe infestations they can also cause anaemia. Some dogs are allergic to flea saliva and these dogs suffer from 'flea allergic dermatitis' (FAD). This is an extremely irritating and often debilitating disease.
It is important to note that you will never find a flea on a flea allergic dog! Flea allergic dogs tend to get rid of fleas as soon as they get bitten. The trick is to look for flea dirt (flea faeces). Flea dirt looks like little brown/black granules.
 At the Rowville Veterinary Clinic, we recommend strict flea control to protect your pet from bites and to protect the family from bites and from tapeworm (see zoonosis section). There are many products available. We only recommend the newer generation products that are safe for all members of the family. We stock a wide range of these safe and effective products at the clinic.
If you are interested in starting a flea control program for your pet, or have any queries about fleas, please contact the clinic.
You may be interested in Bayers website for Advantage and Advocate. www.bayeranimal.com.au
Frontline Plus have a web site you may like join they provide product information and some fun stuff and give aways too. www.frontlineplus.com.au
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