Fleas
Fleas are common blood-feeding external parasites which are highly active and can easily transfer from host to host. They are extraordinarily resilient - an adult flea can live as long as a year without feeding. Their life cycle consists of several stages - egg, larva, pupa and adult flea. Some of these stages take place on the host dog or cat, others away from the animal. Understanding the life cycle of the flea gives a clearer understanding of how to effectively solve the flea problem.
The Life Cycle of the Flea
Eggs
The female flea lays up to 20 eggs at a time either on the animal or in it's bedding or around the home. The eggs themselves are not sticky and any eggs laid on the animal will soon fall off into the environment.
The white flea eggs are just visible with the naked eye, being about ½mm in diameter. The eggs take between 2 and 10 days to hatch, depending upon temperature and humidity, but the process is likely to be rapid in houses that are clean, dry and well-heated. After this period of time, small larvae appear.
The Larvae
The larvae are small, cream-coloured and caterpillar like and hide away from light in crevices, for example under carpets or between floorboards, and feed on the dry blood in adult flea faeces. After growing for about 7 to 10 days, the larvae spin a cocoon.
The Pupae
The pupae are in small cocoons where the flea develops, remaining in this state for approximately 10-21 days under favourable conditions. If it is cold, they may remain at this stage for several months before the young flea emerges.
The Flea
The young flea must look for a host, as a blood meal is needed to help further development to sexual maturity. Fleas feed frequently from their hosts by piercing the skin with the mouth parts, injecting saliva and sucking up blood and tissue fluid.
Fleas are becoming increasingly common as wall-to-wall carpeting and central heating contribute to a warm all-year-round climate for flea eggs to develop. They are not, as is often suggested, just synonymous with unhygienic living conditions.
Most dogs and cats acquire fleas at some time, although they can be difficult to spot and sometimes go unnoticed.
What Fleas Do?
Fleas are unpleasant for both animal and owner. The affected dog or cat may suffer from skin irritation, particularly if infestation is heavy. Some individuals become allergic to flea saliva and in these cases flea bites result in severe inflammation. Typically the affected area in dogs is along the back and hair loss, skin thickening and secondary infection may occur.
Although dog and cat fleas do not infest man, they may cause bites resulting in irritating skin reactions. In cats, allergic reactions may take the form of small scabs at the site of flea bites. These in turn result in areas of hair loss and dermatitis caused by licking, and a vicious circle of infection may set in.
Dog and cat fleas also act as an intermediate host for a species of tapeworm, so that a dog or cat which swallows a flea may also be swallowing an embryo tapeworm which will develop into a fully grown tapeworm in the gut.
How Can I Tell if my Pet has Fleas?
Fleas can be hard to find in the pet's coat and as explained, spend long periods away from the host animal. It is often easier to see flea faeces that spot the parasites themselves. The droppings are seen as brownish/black specks in the coat and often fall off when the animal is groomed. They can be identified when placed on moist paper or tissue by the reddish-brown "halo" that forms around them made up of the digested blood content.
How to Solve the Flea Problem
The range of Johnson's flea products now provides a total solution to the problem - both on the host animal and around the home.
Johnson's Household Flea Spray and Johnson's Carpet Flea Guard can be used to treat the animal's environment, killing adult fleas and their larvae, thus breaking the flea life cycle at 2 stages. Simply regularly spray areas around the home, such as the animal's bedding, around the edges of carpets and soft furnishings to kill fleas and larvae, thereby helping to avoid reinfestation of the pet.
For an instantaneous flea kill, Johnson's Insecticidal Shampoo can be used to bath dogs and puppies over three months of age and can also be used to wash blankets and rugs. Alternatively, Johnson's Flea Powder can be used in the same way if preferred.
Johnson's Dog Flea Spray (Aerosol and Pump Spray) and Johnson's Cat Flea Spray (Aerosol and Pump Spray) contain Pyrethrins for killing fleas on dogs and cats and the Pump Spray uses a unique quiet spraying system that makes it easier to use. This Spray is not a conventional aerosol and does not contain gas, making the spray very quiet and non-chilling so it does not frighten the dog or cat and is more economic as it dispenses almost all of the insecticide from the container.
For longer-term prevention of fleas and ticks, use Johnson's Waterproof Flea & Tick Dog Collars (Small and Large sizes) and Johnson's Cat Flea Collars which contain an effective insecticide and offer up to 4 months' protection. The collars work by slow, controlled release of insecticide which spreads over the animal's coat so that a low level of insecticide is maintained on the skin surface. It is, however, important to realise that the kill is not instantaneous and ticks in particular may take a few days to absorb a lethal quantity of insecticide.
Important: It is advisable not to use other insecticidal products on the animal while wearing an insecticidal collar.
TICKS
Like the flea, the tick is a blood feeding parasite. Its habits, however, are totally different and strictly speaking, it belongs to a totally different class of animal life, being an arachnid (related to the spider), rather than an insect.
Ticks are slow moving and if they attach to an animal, they usually remain in the same spot for a period of days or weeks, with their mouthparts firmly embedded in the skin of their host. During this time, the body of the tick slowly enlarges as the parasite sucks in blood and tissue fluid. A fully engorged tick resembles a greyish blob, justifying the name of one of the most common species, the "castor bean" tick.
Depending on the species of tick, each individual may go through 3 feeding stages as it develops from egg to mature adult. Between feeds the immature tick hides below stones or in similar sheltered sites. When ready to feed again, it climbs a stalk of grass or some other plant and attaches to any suitable host which brushes past.
Ticks are an outdoor problem and their attachment to dogs and cats is almost accidental. Farm livestock and wild animals are the usual hosts and maintain the tick population in an area. All pets with access to fields and woodland are therefore at risk of acquiring an infection.
How to Solve the Tick Problem
Ticks on an animal may cause irritation and look unsightly. If physically pulled off, however, they are likely to leave their mouthparts embedded and these may result in an infected sore. The best methods of removal include washing with an insecticidal shampoo, such as Johnson's Insecticidal Shampoo.
Reinfestation may be prevented with Johnson's Flea & Tick Dog Collar which kills ticks as well as fleas. Ticks may take several days to absorb a lethal quantity of insecticide, however, and occasionally remain attached even when dead. If this occurs, they should be left to fall off naturally unless you have been shown by a Veterinary Surgeon how to remove them without breaking off the embedded mouthparts.
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