Fleas are parasites that live in all countries and regions. Their food is the blood of mammals, including humans. There are mainly two species parasitizing cats and dogs: the dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) and the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). Moreover, they do not need to stay on one host; fleas move from one host to another. Both species live on both cats and dogs and often attack humans.
Rat and human fleas are common in cities, but there are hundreds of other species in nature. Let's take a closer look at the dog flea. Can dog fleas bite humans, in what situations are they transmitted to humans, and what are the differences between dog and cat fleas.
What do fleas look like on dogs and how do they reproduce?
Dog fleas are small - their body length is about 2-4 mm. The chitinous cover, consisting of many bristles, allows the parasite to firmly adhere to the fur and move quickly. Fleas jump well - 3 times further than they can see.
This canine parasite is hardy, so it tolerates sudden temperature changes, high humidity, and even develops resistance to chemicals.
The flea's mouthparts are adapted to the dog's skin, but if there is a lack of food, the parasite can bite a person or other animal. If there is not enough food, the insect hibernates.
The flea has a complex reproductive system. Mating can last up to 10 hours. Almost all parasites begin copulation after drinking blood. After fertilization, the female immediately lays eggs. A flea can lay up to 10 eggs at a time.
Reproduction occurs in favorable conditions: in rags, dust, woolen products, a booth, on the floor, in clothes. The eggs are oblong in shape and resemble grains of rice.
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, cat fleas account 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.
Otherwise, these two species are similar to each other. The life cycle, the timing of development of eggs and larvae, the structure of the exoskeleton covered with spines and bristles - these and other features unite dog and cat fleas. Both are dangerous because they carry infectious diseases: plague, typhus, ctenocephalosis, as well as flatworms and other endoparasites.
Reasons for appearance
The flea invasion occurs in the warm season and begins in spring and ends in October. Parasites choose their refuge in private houses or on the first floor of apartment buildings.
Fleas can be caused by contact with other dogs.
The main sources are:
- dirty entrances;
- neighboring apartments;
- infected pets;
- flea colonies in the basement or attic;
- presence of rats and mice;
- garbage dumps.
Fleas lay eggs in an animal's fur, so the owner can transmit parasites to his pet if he first pets an infected dog and then a healthy one.
Why are they dangerous for humans?
To avoid becoming infected with parasites, you should refrain from regular contact with stray dogs. A flea bite causes redness and itching, but serious complications are also possible. Blood-sucking insects carry diseases such as:
- brucellosis, which causes damage to internal organs;
- encephalitis;
- ulcer;
- plague;
- typhus
Infection with these diseases is rare. Most often, flea bites lead to allergic reactions and infection with parasites such as helminths and tapeworms.
Remedies for flea bites: Chlorhexidine is suitable as an antiseptic, Fenistil will relieve itching, and Vinilin, Rescuer, Solcoseryl and Bepanten will eliminate the main symptoms.
Can they transfer to people?
Fleas cannot live on humans, so they are not transmitted to people from sick animals. However, if your pet brings this insect back from a walk, immediate action should be taken. If there are too many fleas, they may bite people in search of food.
Fleas live on bedding or carpets, in garbage. If, for example, an animal left the house for some time, and parasites remained on its blanket, then they will begin to attack people in order to satisfy their hunger.
How they bite
The oral apparatus is designed in such a way that it is convenient to suck blood . Fleas' sense of smell allows them to identify humans by the smell of carbon dioxide. Once on the body, the insect bites through the skin and begins to suck blood. The parasite's proboscis is short, so it inserts both its head and part of its body into the wound, assuming a vertical position.
The flea does not mask the bite with an anesthetic, so it causes pain to the victim. During the puncture process, the insect injects saliva, which impairs blood clotting, and along with it harmful bacteria.
Having received a portion of blood from one wound, the parasite crawls a few centimeters and makes a new one. During one feeding, the insect makes 3-5 bites.
Flea bites.
Consequences of bites
The consequences of a bite can be:
- various skin lesions, ranging from severe itching to abscesses and dermatitis;
- high fever;
- development of brucellosis;
- transfer of worms, tapeworms from the previous “owner”;
- sleep disturbance.
When scratching the bite area, boils, abscesses and growths can form.
An allergic reaction is a common consequence.
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.
Animal handling
Veterinary companies have developed various means of protecting animals from fleas. These include dog shampoo, flea drops, sprays, and flea collars. Folk remedies are also used, for example, vinegar baths and essential oils.
How to fight
If parasites are found, disinsection must be carried out. To treat the room you will need a soda or saline solution (you can also add insecticidal shampoo).
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- Thoroughly vacuum the entire apartment, including upholstered furniture.
- Send for cleaning things that could harbor pests.
- Throw out the animal's bedding (it is recommended to change it more often), and treat all items belonging to the dog.
- Carry out wet cleaning with a solution.
- Close doors and windows hermetically.
- Move furniture away from the wall, treat all cracks, corners, carpets and other surfaces with insecticide.
- Leave the apartment for a few hours.
- Upon return, ventilate well.
- Do the cleaning again.
An option for flea control is a collar.
This treatment must be repeated after a week to ensure that both larvae and eggs are destroyed.
In a private house, it is necessary to treat not only the interior, but also the basement, cellar, attic and all outbuildings and the surrounding area.
Dog house treatment
The booth is disinfected after it is cleaned. To avoid “flooding”, you first need to dig drainage ditches at an angle. The entire house needs to be treated, both inside and outside.
The procedure can be carried out using an aqueous solution of formalin, creolin or Lysol. Creolin is used more often because it is easier to buy and easier to dilute with water.
Regular scheduled treatments are carried out in winter, spring and autumn. In summer, disinfection is carried out every month. The kennel is washed out unscheduled with a solution if a flea infestation has been detected, or before moving a new pet into it.
Whatever solution is used for treatment, the animal should not be allowed near the booth until it is completely dry. Otherwise, there is a risk of harming your pet's health.
Animal handling
It is possible to remove these parasites yourself at home if a severe infection has not yet occurred.
The fastest way to get rid of parasites is to use a spray. After treatment, the drug begins to act instantly, the protective effect lasts about a month. Before spraying, you need to straighten the animal's fur so that the liquid gets on the skin. Everything is treated except the head. The pet needs to be occupied with playing for a while so that the drug has time to dry.
Drops are considered a more effective remedy, but they begin to act only on the 2nd day. During this period, the animal should not be bathed so as not to wash off the medicine. The drug is applied directly to the skin from the back of the head to the withers.
A special flea collar is the safest remedy. A plastic headband with insect repellent is more suitable for prevention. You need to wear it constantly, it begins to act gradually. The duration of the collar is indicated on the packaging.
How to detect the presence of fleas in the house?
If you begin to notice itching on your legs, especially at night, then there is a high probability of fleas in your apartment. Detecting them is quite difficult, but there is a special detection method:
- determine which room the fleas have settled in;
- lay several sheets of white paper or a white sheet on the floor;
- leave the room for a few minutes, then check the white canvas - if black dots appear on it, which disappear when approached, these are fleas.
Preventive measures to prevent fleas
It is much easier for a person to prevent the appearance of blood-sucking insects in the house than to get rid of them. Considering how fleas are transmitted, you can avoid their appearance. The most likely reason for the appearance of parasites in the house is unprotected animals that transport dangerous insects on themselves. A dog can pick up bloodsuckers while walking, playing with other infected animals, or at the entrance.
After every walk, you need to check your pet's fur. If a jumping insect is detected, the dog should be immediately bathed using appropriate shampoo. You should periodically check dog accessories: bedding, rugs, toys. Parasites do not use the body of their host for permanent residence. Once fed, they mate and lay eggs close to their prey. As a safe preventative measure, you can fill animal bedding with pine sawdust.
Preventive measures
The most optimal preventive measure is to purchase a special collar that will protect the dog not only from fleas, but also from many other insects. The Celandine collar has proven its effectiveness. Drops that are applied to the dog’s withers have proven themselves to be effective. They contain insecticidal agents, thanks to which not a single parasite will come close to your four-legged friend. There is a large selection of such products on sale. The best drops are:
- Frontline;
- Bars Forte;
- Barrier;
- Blokhnet;
- Advocate;
- Celandine;
- Advantix;
- Practitioner.
If you pet your dog on the street and suspect that it is infected with blood-sucking harmful insects, immediately take a shower and wash your hair when you arrive home.
In cases where a pet is infected with fleas, it is necessary to carry out a set of measures, which includes removing dangerous insects from the pet and treating the entire room or apartment in which the dog lives.
Is it easy for a person to get fleas?
There is no need to think that fleas appear in people only where there is dirt, garbage and chaos. Of course, without proper sanitation, the risk of flea infestation increases significantly. But fleas can also appear even where hygiene is taken care of. Fleas live wherever there are animals. You can pick them up at the zoo, on a farm, hunting, or while walking in the forest or park. You can bring them from any public place, transport, or work. Even on the playground there can be fleas, because not only children can walk there, but also cats or dogs on their own.
In older homes, fleas can live for decades in basements and attics. There they feed not on the blood of domestic animals, but on rats or mice, which is even more dangerous, since rodents are carriers of the most dangerous diseases, and fleas, by biting them, spread these diseases further. In such houses, residents constantly suffer from infestations of fleas that come from common areas, utility rooms into apartments.
Dangerous diseases transmitted by ectoparasites
Theoretically, fleas carry infections and many diseases that are deadly to humans:
- bubonic plague;
- brucellosis;
- typhus;
- tick-borne encephalitis;
- tularemia;
- sarcopsillosis;
- helminthiases;
- piroplasmosis
- mycoses.
In practice, you still need to be able to find a flea carrying the disease on a dog. And rural residents are most at risk. They can be bitten by insects that have just drunk the blood of a sick animal. City dwellers are much more likely to become infected with brucellosis by buying untested meat from their hands or drinking “healthy” fresh milk straight from a cow/goat. The same applies to most types of helminths.
Important!
Fleas are intermediate hosts of cucumber tapeworm.
This is the only helminth that is widespread in cities. Thanks to him, fleas on dogs and cats can pose some danger to humans. But to become infected with cucumber tapeworm, the flea must be swallowed, which happens quite rarely.
The parasite can also carry fungal spores that cause diseases of the skin surfaces: ringworm, microsporia. But the likelihood of contracting a fungus directly from an animal is much higher.
Piroplasmosis is most often transmitted by a tick bite. For a person to become infected with it from a flea, the blood-sucking insect must first drink blood from a sick dog and finish the meal on a person. The probability of such an event is close to zero.
Prevention
As a preventive measure, it is recommended to use drops on the withers (Frontline, Advantix or Charter) or an anti-flea collar (Foresto, Kiltix). These products last up to 8 months and effectively protect dogs from fleas and ticks. You can also use specialized shampoos.
These simple precautions will keep the animal healthy and save owners from having to remove fleas from the apartment. If infection occurs, treatment begins immediately. This will help prevent complications.
