They are tiny animals that can hurt your pet. Even though flea bites have minor effects on your dog, if you let them breed, their continuous infestation can be life-threatening. While these insects are hard to detect, every dog owner should know how to identify flea eggs on dogs. If you catch their eggs, you can disrupt the cycle and cure your dog faster. In order to do that, it is important for you to learn what do dog flea eggs look like.
How can your dog catch flea eggs?
Dogs can pick up fleas very easily from their surroundings or from other pets. Once a dog has been infected with fleas, wherever he walks he will leave a trail of fleas and flea eggs. Even if your dog has an indoor routine, he is still at risk of an outdoor infestation! That is why you need to be careful. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to recognise dog flea eggs.
Learn to identify flea eggs on dogs
Fleas like to live in warm places. That is why summer is considered the prime flea season. During these months, you need to be very careful and stay vigilant with fleas. If you live in a warmer climate, then you have to stay vigilant all year long.
Generally, a female flea can lay between four to eight flea eggs on dogs after each meal. Fleas can increase egg production right before they die. When looking for flea eggs on dogs, you need to look for tiny things that resemble dandruff or salt. “Looking for fleas on the pet’s stomach and around their tail are two good and easy places to check your pet for live fleas”, says Dr Kristen Vance. If you believe that your dog has fleas but you don’t see any flea eggs, check their sleeping areas. If your dog’s bed is dark, this will make it much easier to spot tiny white flea eggs.
However, if your dog has adult fleas, look for signs of constant scratching. Scratching is very hazardous because it can increase the distribution of flea eggs. Another important information that you should know is that flea eggs on dogs can hatch within 12 days. So, if you have started treatment, make sure that you treat your dog and your house.
Other indicators of flea eggs on dogs
There are two other indicators that can help you identify the presence of fleas on dogs. On one side you have flea dirt. It is the faeces left behind by fleas. You can identify it on your dog’s body by looking for spots that look like dark dirt. “If you see this dirt and hit it with a drop of water, you will see a blood colour”, says Dr Vance. On the other side, you can also look for flea larvae and pupae. After fleas are born, they are larvae for 4 to 18 days. Flea larvae look like very small maggots. Once larvae grow enough, they form a cocoon and become pupae. They can live in this cocoon for one week up to one year.
Preventing flea eggs on dogs
By eliminating the flea eggs on dogs, you are putting an end to the cycle. This is perhaps the most effective step that you can take to prevent a flea infestation. If you are targeting the flea eggs, make sure that you get to them before it’s too late. In warmer climates, fleas can hatch far more rapidly than in cold climate.
Also, if you keep a clean home, you can reduce the risk of infestation. Flea eggs can be anywhere, so you have to look all over the place. It is advisable to use a pet vacuum to suck up every tiny flea egg that you can find.
How to kill flea eggs on dogs?
There are a number of things that you can do to get rid of this pest:
- Chemical flea removal substances: fleas are very persistent so there is no instantaneous way to remove them from your dog. However, pills and other chemical treatments are known to be very fast in getting rid of this issue. These spot-on treatments take a few days to work. Make sure you have different types so you can kill eggs, larvae, pupae and adult fleas.
- Non-chemical flea removal substances: if you prefer a more natural approach, there are many flea removal shampoos that are very effective. The good thing about flea shampoo is that once you bathe your dog with it, you just have to use a flea comb to remove all dead fleas.
It is vital to understand the flea cycle and everything you must do to disrupt it. Remember what flea eggs on dogs look like! If your dog starts showing signs of a flea infestation, you need to start taking measures to stop it!
