Fleas are small parasites that like to feed on the blood of dogs or other animals, including human blood! This bite usually causes pets to catch and can cause irritation and allergies. If fleas form on your dog, it can cause more serious health problems and eventually you may get infected in your house.

Fleas are small, wingless insects that, although they can't fly, can travel a long distance by jumping. To survive, fleas must be full of warm blood, and they are not picky – most family pets are bitten by fleas, and sadly, humans are also at risk.

There are two common types of fleas, cat fleas and dog fleas. Surprisingly, despite these names, both species can bite your pet and live with them, so in reality, the type of flea in your home is not important.

How do I know if my dog has a flea?

Your shit or bite their skin. If you have more than one dog in your home, or any other plush pet, you may see that they are also itchy. You may even irritate yourself and see a red bump on the skin that the flea has bitten.

Flea dirt Flea eggs are white and difficult to spot, but flea dirt (a mixture of flea feces and dried blood) often appears on the skin of pets with fleas. This looks like a little reddish-brown spots that may be mistaken for particles of the soil. A good test to see if the spots on your dog coat are real dirt or flea dirt is a wet paper test. Take some wet tissue or lint and gently wipe off some spots. If the area around the spot turns reddish brown, it is flea.

If you separate the fur or move backwards, you may see a live flea in your dog's coat. Fleas are fast and hard to find! It is a good place to see around the bottom of the tail and around the abdomen.

Hair loss and pain. If your dog is itchy, they may damage their skin, leading to pain development and hair loss.

Anemia. In puppies, flea infection can cause a lot of blood loss, leading to anemia in puppies. It looks like it is weak and the gums are pale.

Tapeworm. If your dog has a mites, it may come from fleas. Aphids can survive in fleas, and if they accidentally eat fleas while rubbing their coats, they will infect your dog.

The best way to keep fleas away is to treat your dog regularly with quality flea therapy. There are many different options, but not all of them may be suitable for your dog, so you should check with a veterinarian's vet because we can give your pet the most appropriate advice.

Although summer is the most common time for fleas, veterinarians can also see the peak of the flea population in the winter, when central heating will warm the house. This means that flea protection should be done year-round, not just seasonal.