Despite their small size, fleas are incredibly dangerous pests. The biggest danger these small insects pose is the diseases they carry and spread. Some of the most common diseases fleas carry and transmit include the bubonic plague, murine typhus, tularemia, and tungiasis.
In the United States, some fleas carry pathogens that can cause human disease, including: Plague — most commonly transmitted to humans in the United States by infected ground squirrel fleas, Oropsylla montana, and globally by infected Oriental rat fleas, Xenopsylla cheopis.
Hair loss, dry skin, and lesions in the areas where your pet is scratching could lead to infection and more severe diseases if fleas are left untreated.
But are they really a problem? Most of the time, fleas are merely an irritant – their bites cause itching, but no more. However, the immune systems of many dogs and cats (as many as 40% according to some studies) see flea saliva as a dangerous foreign invader, and mount some degree of response to it.
More severe symptoms can include: An allergic reaction (hives, rash, shortness of breath and swelling). Infection of a disease carried by a flea (fever, headache, body aches, rashes, nausea, abdominal pain, weight loss, dizziness and weakness can accompany various diseases).
Getting rid of fleas is a difficult process due to the long lifecycle of a flea. Moderate to severe infestations will take months to control and require a four-step process for complete elimination: Sanitation. Thoroughly clean areas where fleas frequently breed.
Fleas are known to transmit parasites, such as tapeworm, which primarily affect pets. Adult fleas infected with tapeworm may be accidentally ingested by cats or dogs during grooming. Your local veterinarian will be able to treat your animal for tapeworms and fleas.
Symptoms of flea-borne typhus begin within 2 weeks after contact with infected fleas or flea dirt. However, people may not know they have been bitten by a flea or exposed to flea dirt so tell your healthcare provider about time spent outdoors or contact with animals. Signs and symptoms may include: Fever and chills.
As few as 20 fleas might mean your pet is infested, while the most could be between 200 to 300. Ignoring a few fleas can quickly lead to an infestation on your dog and in your home,2 because two adult fleas could lead to hundreds of eggs and pupae. Fleas start feeding on blood within minutes of landing on your pet.
In terms of being difficult to eliminate and making you uncomfortable in your home, fleas and bed bugs are equally bad. However, the potential to carry serious diseases makes fleas somewhat worse. The fact that they live on various mammals and then travel to human hosts makes them more dangerous than bed bugs.
Fleas are an absolute blight on any pet owner's life. They bite you, bite your family, make your pet's life a misery, and can lead to adverse health effects. However, conventional flea treatments can have all sorts of scary ingredients in them and can cause severe allergic reactions in both animals and humans.
Remember: Adult fleas can live up to two weeks without attaching themselves to a host. So, although females can't reproduce during that time, they still have up to two weeks to find a host and reproduce.
In just 30 days, 10 female fleas can multiply to over a quarter million new fleas in different life stages. Female fleas start producing eggs within 24 to 48 hours after taking their first blood meal and can lay up to 50 eggs per day. Optimum conditions for flea larvae are 65-80 ºF with shaded areas and high humidity.
On occasion you may actually see tiny brown fleas moving quickly through your dog's haircoat. Your dog's constant scratching may lead to visible patches of hair loss and reddened, irritated skin. Fleas may also cause skin allergies and can transmit other parasites, such as tapeworms, to your dog.
Steam cleaning your carpets, furniture and pet beds is a brilliant idea if you have a flea infestation. Thanks to the combination of high heat and soap, the fleas will be gone in no time.
Covering skin with long-sleeve clothing and pants will minimize exposure to bites. Flea bites often occur on the lower legs and feet, protect these areas with long socks and pants. Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin.
Dee added: “People might feel a little embarrassed to find out they have a flea infestation as fleas are often associated with dirty environments – but this is a common misconception. “Fleas will move into any environment and even homes without pets can get flea infestations.
You might be asking yourself will fleas eventually go away? While some could last 2 – 3 weeks, they could also live for up to 12 months on the host it finds, so it is unlikely they will go away on their own. Fleas can also reproduce very quickly by laying eggs in carpet, bedding, or garden prolonging the infestation.
Can humans bring fleas into house? Fleas typically don't use humans in particular as hosts, but they may travel through us. But fleas don't necesarrily need hosts to enter our homes. They are so microscopic thagt they can enter a home through cracks in the floor and window screens.
In most cases, it takes three to four months to completely get rid of a flea infestation since it takes fleas this long to go through their life stages, according to the American Kennel Club.
Summer is one of the most active times for fleas and ticks, with some of the worst season being fall, in September, October, and November. Research has shown that the number of fleas on cats and dogs is 70% in the fall when compared to the spring season.
According to extensive studies conducted at Ohio State University, vacuuming is indeed an effective way of getting rid of fleas! Through these studies, scientists discovered that vacuuming killed 96% of adult fleas from carpets and 100% of the flea pupae and larvae.
Not treating often enough
Fleas go through a life cycle of egg, larvae, pupae and adult. Most flea treatments just kill adult fleas, but fleas can continue to emerge for months after you think an infestation has ended. When a newly emerged female flea finds a host, she can lay eggs within one day.