Why I should know about Killing Fleas on your Pet

My name is Arielle Griffiths. I am a small animal vet with 13 years of small animal experience in the UK. I spend many, many hours of my month telling clients one by one all about fleas on their pets, so I thought I would produce this site so that I can reach a wider audience.

There are products that will work to kill fleas and there are products that do not work and you will waste money and time. I have written some articles on the dangers of fleas and I rate most of the products available to kill fleas. I hope that my honest advice on the best way to kill fleas on your pets helps you.

Arielle Griffiths BVSc MRCVS

Does your pet have fleas?

Many clients are unaware of what fleas actually look like. Fleas can be detected on your pet by:

wParting your pet's coat to examine the skin where the small live flea can be seen running through the coat. They are dark brown and are about the size of a flat pinhead and scurry very fast through the coat.

wYou can brush the coat with a fine metal comb (almost like a human nit comb) to see evidence of live fleas or tiny specks of black. Comb especially over your pet’s back towards the tail to see this.

wThe black specks are the flea droppings which are basically dried blood that the flea produces as it feeds off your pet. You may notice these black specks left behind on a surface where your pet has been sleeping.

wMany owner's end up being bitten by fleas as if you see fleas on your pet, remember that 95% of the flea population will live in your home and in the environment.

wIf you see Tapeworm segments (they look like rice grains) around your pet's bottom; your pet will almost certainly have fleas. The adult flea carries the Tapeworm egg which hatches in your pet once your pet swallows a live flea!