Fleas are the biggest Pests seen on our Pets

As a pet owner and animal lover, I wonder whether you really knew all these fascinating flea facts.

wFleas are so well adapted that flea fossils found dating back 135 million years ago are exactly the same as the modern day flea.

wWhen flea larvae change into pupae, they are very resistant to insecticides and can survive in this form for years. Hatching into adult fleas is triggered by the presence of a breathing animal or human as they are attracted to the Carbon Dioxide that we exhale as well as light, shadows and vibrations. It is for this reason that people can be so badly bitten by fleas if they enter a property that has not been inhabited for years and used to house many pets. In my opinion, women and children seem to be affected more and flea bites seem to be around your ankles in humans.

wHatching of the pupae is also triggered by the warmth of your central heating, so expect fleas in the Autumn as soon as all your central heating goes on. They hatch into new adult fleas, hungry for a meal of blood in as little as a week after formation. On the other hand, some pupae may lie dormant in your house for up to a year before they hatch.

wPfizer the large veterinary drug company did a study that showed that 49% of pets presented at vets for any reason had 1 live flea on them or more. Fleas are found on 34% of pets all year round. So your pet is not alone if it is troubled by fleas as you read this!

wOne single female flea can result in 75000 flea eggs and 8000 adult fleas in just eight weeks.

wFlea eggs are found close to flea dirt so that the emerging larvae has something to feed on straight away. The larvae develop from the eggs in anything up to several weeks and are blind and worm-like. They feed on organic matter such as human skin scales and flea faeces. They prefer dark surroundings and so burrow into carpets, upholstery and between the cracks of wooden floors until they pupate.

w Flea dirt is made up of dried blood and the tiny black specks you may notice on your pet or where your pet has been sitting will turn red if you place a drop of water on them.

wBartonella or 'cat scratch fever' as we were taught at University is a bacteria that can be transmitted either by being carried under a cats' claws or it can be transmitted by fleas to humans. Be very careful if you squash fleas between your fingers as if that flea is a carrier, the bacteria Bartonella can be transmitted to you if there are any cuts on your fingers. Better to just roll the flea between your fingers to break its powerful backlegs and then drop it down a plughole.

wFleas have such enormously powerful backlegs for jumping that if we had legs in the same proportion as a fleas' legs, we would be able to jump over a house!

wIf puppies or kittens are exposed to fleas very early on in life, they are more likely to become sufferers of flea allergic dermatitis later on in their lives. For this reason, it is vital to treat kittens, puppies and their mothers as early on as possible. Individual flea allergic pets have different thresholds above which they show clinical signs. The threshold could be hundreds of biting fleas causing intense biting and scratching in your pet or just one flea which you may never see. Pets are allergic to the saliva of the flea.

wA flea allergy could kill your pet. It could lead to so much biting and scratching if they are badly allergic which causes a secondary skin infection with what we call a deep pyoderma where the normal skin bacteria multiplies and causes a deep infection. This can lead to the bacteria entering the bloodstream and poisoning it. I have never seen such a case thank goodness but I have seen some terrible flea allergic cases that verge on extreme cruelty and neglect.

wFleas are carriers of tapeworm eggs, so as cats in particular groom themselves so fastidiously, they swallow the flea and will need worming. Dogs will also bite and lick the area that is itchy and swallow the flea, which results in tapeworms hatching in their intestines.