On warm days, there is always a risk of a dog catching fleas. If you want to spare yourself and your dog the bloodsuckers, you should take protective measures. Read our best tips against fleas on dogs!
Sooner or later, practically every dog gets fleas. Whether it's through contact with other dogs or through roaming in the garden or park. As a rule, only indoor pets are spared - and those whose owners take preventative measures in good time.
A range of very well tolerated and effective preparations are now available from vets for this purpose. The so-called development inhibitors, for example, prevent flea infestations in dogs if used regularly and in good time. The product is usually mixed into the food once a month from the start of the season. It prevents introduced fleas from multiplying in dogs.
Fleas feed on the blood of our four-legged friend. But how can you tell that your dog might have fleas?
It is also possible that your dog has a flea allergy. Your four-legged friend reacts to the saliva of the parasite.
To determine whether your dog has fleas, you should thoroughly examine its coat and skin surface. In some cases, a clear flea infestation is already present, recognizable by flea droppings in the coat. You can check this yourself: To do this, place your dog on a sheet of white paper or in the bathtub and comb it with a flea comb. Moisten any dark grains that fall to the floor with water. Alternatively, you can also drop the combed flea droppings onto a moistened sheet of kitchen roll to detect fleas on your dog. If red streaks form, this is flea excrement, as it always contains blood.
In such a case, so-called adulticides should be used. These are products that kill fleas quickly and permanently. They must be applied once a month, usually in the form of a solution that is dripped directly onto the dog's skin. If a flea infestation is suspected, you should not put off this treatment.
The longer your dog has been harboring fleas, the greater the likelihood that eggs and larvae have already been laid. In addition, less than 10% of fleas live on the animal, the rest are in the environment, especially in frequently used sleeping and lying areas. You should therefore always treat these areas and vacuum and clean them thoroughly.
To permanently prevent fleas in dogs, a development inhibitor can be used during and after treatment with the adulticide. It is best to discuss which measures make sense in your case with your vet.