How To Check If Your Dog Or Cat Has Fleas
With summer arriving, fleas are also on their way to torment your loving pets. Either if you have a dog, a cat, or both, you need to make sure they don’t have fleas. After all, and unlike what you may think, some signs aren’t that obvious, especially if you’re dealing with this problem for the first time.
Here’s how you can check if your dog or cat has fleas:
#1: Abnormal biting, licking, and/or scratching:
When fleas decide it’s time to attack your dog or cat, they will usually hide on their body, in places where it will be difficult for you to see. Some of the most common places they tend to choose to set up their habitat include groin, armpits, tail, neck, and head. When you notice your dog or cat is biting, licking and or scratching more than usual, he probably has fleas.
#2: Hair loss:
When you notice that your dog or cat is suffering from hair loss, this can be caused by multiple things. And one of them may be a reaction to flea bites. Besides, fleas bother your dog or cat a lot. So, it can get to a point where they are trying so hard to get rid of the bitings that they start to pull out their own hair.
#3: Unusual red patches on the skin:
Just like some people are allergic to bees bites, some dogs and cats are allergic to flea bite saliva. So, besides causing them hitching, when your cat or dog is more sensitive to flea bites, they can develop some lesions or rashes anywhere on their bodies.
#4: Pale gums:
Fleas like to attack your dog or cat to extract their blood. So, the amount of red cells that your pet produces may not be enough. This will lead to pale gums which is usually a sign of anemia. But it can also be a sign that your dog or cat has a serious case of flea infestation.
#5: Look for flea “dirt”:
Just take a look at your dog or cat’s body and look for some small reddish-brown or black specks. In case you find them, this may not be regular dirt but the flea feces. In order to make sure it’s actually flea feces, you just need to wet those specks. When you water spray them and if they turn a dark reddish-brown color, you have the confirmation that these are, in fact, flea feces. So, your dog or cat may have a flea infestation.
In case you have any doubts regarding if your dog or cat has fleas, you can always check with your veterinarian. He will be able to do all the necessary tests and recommend you some of the things you can do to make sure your dog or cat is comfortable.
This is the peak season when pets get infected with fleas. Thanks Maureen for sharing valuable steps to figure out the infection. Last time, my dog was severely infected as I was away from home on some business trip. After returning home I was shocked with the hair loss of the pet. I contacted a veterinarian who recommended me to go for medication from Aapex Pet Pharmacy that helped.