Busting the Flea Bite Problem in dogs and cats.

While multiple different diseases and parasites can cause itching, fleas are implicated more often than any other cause. In the spring and summertime in Sydney, Fleas become the most active. Fleas are known to be very active insects, easily feeding on the blood of animals and people. They’re known to “burrow” deep down into the fur of pets, so they can feed off their blood, making them difficult to see from the naked eye.

Some dogs do have a reaction to the saliva of fleas and one bite is enough to set of a cascade of inflammatory events leading to devastating itching.

To understand how to treat fleas, you need to understand the flea life cycle and appreciate that the adult fleas you may see on your pet are only the ‘tip of the iceberg’ – more than 90% of the problem of fleas comes from larval and egg stages of the parasites. This means controlling the environment of fleas and their immature stages is very important.

There are a plethora of medications out there ranging from tablets to topical products. In my opinion, Activyl(TM) is the most effective and safe medicine against fleas, and I don’t hesitate to recommend it to my clients.