If you are a pet owner you definitely know the suffering your pet goes through when it gets fleas, right? If you wonder why I said that your pet is suffering, then you should know that fleas are indiscriminate parasites and they feed off of animals and humans alike. 

These bloodsucking insects also feed on birds and they need high humidity to grow. Unfortunately for you and your pet, they are able to feed several times during the day and night. Moreover, these parasites can survive for several months without food. According to the World Health Organization, “fleas can be detected in the hair around the neck or on the belly of cats and dogs. Treatment involves applying insecticidal dusts, sprays, dips or shampoos to the fur. Flea collars are effective for 3-5 months, whereas other treatments give only short-term control. Re-treatment may be necessary if reinfestation occurs.”

Apart from the fact that we know that fleas attack animals (and humans) and feed on their blood while also creating infections or skin problems, people know very little about fleas. 

Nevertheless, these little parasites are actually interesting creatures that deserve our attention. However, if you want to eliminate fleas from your pet’s fur or your house, you should take into consideration a few things about them, such as their life cycle, characteristics and lifestyle. So, read on for more info about fleas and how they attack your pet! 

Fleas have an interesting life cycle

Well, fleas have a really interesting life cycle which can be divided into four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. It all starts when an adult female lays eggs when the bloodsucking process occurs – they need blood to reproduce. A female flea can lay between thirty and forty eggs a day.

These eggs will fall off of your pets when they move and are subsequently spread around your house (or where your pet lives). These eggs will develop under the right conditions and this is the process in which they become larvae. 

Larvae eat pre-digested blood from the adult flea and other organic dirt from the environment. If conditions are favorable, they will transform in pupae. In this stage of life, their cocoon protects and helps them to become adults. 

“The more warm and the more moist it is, the faster the life cycle will go,” says Dr. Ann Hohenhaus, a staff doctor at NYC’s Animal Medical Center, who specializes in small animal internal medicine and oncology. “If it’s cooler and dryer, the process slows down until the temperature goes up.”

You can eliminate the adults, but it is really difficult to get rid of eggs or pupae

Unfortunately for you and your pet, you should be aware that some flea medications, such as pills, collars, shampoo or powders can only kill the adult fleas, but it is quite difficult to get rid of eggs or pupae. So, even if you kill the adults, you can’t get rid of the next generation that is on its way and ready to attack your house. 

According to Dr. Daniel Morris, a professor of dermatology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Philadelphia, “some products have a compound that keeps eggs from hatching, but don’t kill the pupae.”

Don’t forget to clean your house as well

We know that you use some effective flea medications to get rid of these little parasites that make your beloved furry friend suffer, and of course, your veterinarian recommends that you use the right ones, but you should not forget to clean your house as well. 

Yet, in this way, you can eliminate the eggs and pupae too. Moreover, as I said before, eggs and pupae are hiding in your house and they develop in favorable conditions, so clean it properly. For instance, if you vacuum, then clean the vacuum bag as soon as possible. 

“I always tell my clients that killing the fleas on their pets isn’t enough. There are eggs and pupae in the carpet, in between the floor boards, and even in your car, if you have a habit of taking your dog on rides. You also want to wash everything—bedding, clothes, etc.—in hot water,” Morris says.

Fleas can survive for a few weeks without food

There are many studies that have shown that pupae can actually live for a few months or even a year without food. When they become adults, they try to find a host to help them feed, but under special conditions, they can survive for several months without eating. 

“If you go away for a weekend and don’t realize there are fleas in your house, the moment you walk on the carpet in your living room, you’ve got flea bites up to your knees,” Hohenhaus says. “This is because the fleas are starving and they’re looking for a blood meal.”

A female flea can lay more than 40 eggs per day

Can you believe that just a single female flea can cause a severe infestation in only two months? Actually, research shows that a female flea can lay more than forty eggs a day and they all can become adults if they develop in favorable conditions. 

“If you start with one female flea at maximum egg production, and assuming that half of the eggs are breeding females, in just 60 days you could have more than 20,000 fleas on your hands,” Morris explains. “This is how a serious infestation can happen before you even realize there is an issue.”

These little parasites have impressive jumping skills

I think we all know that fleas have impressive jumping skills, especially when you try to kill them. So, whether it sounds sad or not, you should take into consideration their condition, namely that they are just little parasites that can make your pet suffer and also cause skin irritation or other complications and this can happen to humans as well. 

Nevertheless, fleas can jump more than 150 times their body length. “If fleas are unable to jump onto an animal, they’re not going to be able to feed and then they can’t reproduce,” Hohenhaus says.

Your pet’s health can be adversely affected because of flea bites

There are two types of itching caused by flea bites, such as a mild itching that makes you aware that something is biting you, and the second one which is more severe and happens when your pet is allergic to the proteins in a flea’s saliva. According to Morris, “once an animal is allergic, the itch becomes impossible to ignore. It’s itchy times 100.”

If your pet is allergic to fleas and you do not treat its problems accordingly, the bites can become infected and your beloved furry pet may need serious veterinary care.

Fleas can transmit parasites

As I said before, fleas can carry parasites and transmit them to your pets and this process can adversely affect the health of your animals. “When dogs and cats groom fleas off their bodies, they often swallow them,” Morris says. “If the flea is carrying tapeworms, they’ll then be released into the dog or cat’s intestinal tract.”

Moreover, these insects can consume a lot of blood from their hosts and this can lead to severe illness, such as anemia and in some cases, they could even require blood transfusions. “This mostly occurs in young puppies and kittens,” Hohenhaus says. “Fleas are very efficient and effective parasites.”