Who are they?

• What is a flea?

The flea is a small insect without wings, known for its exceptional jump capacities: until 1000 times its height. At the adult stage, it lives permanently in the coat of our pets. The flea is a parasite, it feeds on dogs and cats blood.
It stings on average 4 - 10 times a day and can absorb until 15 times its own weight! Every sting irritates the skin and causes strong itches to your animal.
• How does your animal catch fleas? Your dog or your cat catches fleas when it crosses a site of hatching. A site of hatching is the place where young fleas go out of their cocoon. Most of the time, it consists of places where your animal enjoys to lay down: outside (gardens, doghouse) but also in your housing environment (carpet, sofa, basket). 95 % of the flea population can be found there under the shape of eggs, larvas and cocoons. Fleas hatch when good conditions of humidity and heat are gathered and when live beings are present. The maximal risk period begins in spring. However, in a warmed house during winter, conditions of hatching are gathered all year long! Even a dog that does not go out very often can catch fleas, for example if they are brought back by the cat after a walk outside.
• How do sites of hatching appear? Fleas reproduce very quickly: females can lay up to 50 eggs a day. Eggs are laid on your animal and fall in its living areas. Larvas go out of their eggs and fall into carpets, under armchairs or between the blades of parquets… Then they make cocoons in which they are transformed into young fleas. The young fleas are able to detect the presence of a host and go out of their cocoon. Then, they jump on the animal and sting it. Quickly, females begin to lay and the cycle begins again. Well established in your house, fleas can survive several months inside their cocoons. If you see fleas on your animal, it is very likely that your house is already infested!

Risks

In addition to skin irritations due to stings, fleas can transmit diseases and induce allergies, for you, your pet and your housing environment.

o Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)

	It consists in a real allergy due to repeated stings. The dog or cat scratches itself a lot, the skin gets damaged (and can become infected). The animal loses its hair, particularly at the lower back and on the base of the tail.
o Tapeworms transmission (Dipylidium caninum) The dog (or cat) can be infested with tapeworms by swallowing fleas, vectors of larvas of D. caninum. This worm is the most frequent in cats and dogs. It can measure from 30 to 50 cms long. Eggs of tapeworm are eliminated with animal's faeces. Animals infested by tapeworms often have an irritated anus and try to find relief by rubbing their behind on the ground. It is the "sign of the sled".	photo : ENVL
How to get rid of it? It is necessary to treat the animal with an effective medicine against these worms. The deworming will necessarily have to be associated with a treatment against fleas to be effective on the long term!
• Bacterial infections Fleas can transmit bacteria to Fleas can transmit bacteria to animals. animals. Bacterial infections go often unnoticed, as they are rarely accompanied with symptoms (fever, fatigue). Some bacteria can be transmitted to human beings such as bartonellose agent (cat scratch disease).
• Anemia	An animal infested by fleas can suffer from anemia linked to the loss of blood absorbed by fleas. In that case, you will notice a huge fatigue of your animal.
• Infestation in your housing environment Adult fleas live on your animal. They lay eggs which fall everywhere in the house where pet goes. Larvas come out of these eggs, and hide between the slats of parquet, or sofas, mats and carpets… Then they weave a protective cocoon in which they can survive several months in your house or garden... So, the invasions on the return from holidays or the famous phenomenon of the "fleas of parquets" are classic in houses or apartments that remained empty during several months. The return of human beings causes the hatching of numerous fleas at the same time and gives birth to this spectacular demonstration of their presence.

Fleas and housing environment

• How is your house being infested?

The adult fleas live on your animal. They lay eggs which fall everywhere in the house where the animal goes. Larvas come out of these eggs, and hide between the slats of parquet, or in sofas, mats and carpets… They then weave a protective cocoon in which they can survive several months in your house or garden...

Between fleas, your animal and your house, it is a real vicious cycle which settles down.

Only 5 % of the existing fleas are on your animal, while 95 % are situated within your environment under the form of eggs, larvas and cocoons: the housing environment is a real reservoir of fleas!

• How to react in case of infestation of the housing environment?

In case of massive infestation of your house:

- Vacuum everywhere: grounds, mats, carpets, sofas and armchairs...

- Use a specific product directly in the house to eliminate the vast majority of fleas, under the form of spray and fog diffuser.

- In addition, use regularly FRONTLINE^® Combo pipettes on your animal. FRONTLINE^® Combo possesses a double action: it kills adult fleas on the animal and blocks the fleas' reproduction cycle. Applied regularly on the animal, FRONTLINE^® Combo prevents effectively new fleas infestation in your housing environment.

All the animals in your house need to receive an adapted antiparasitic treatment.

How to fight against fleas?

• Animal and housing environment: both aspects of the fight

The adult fleas live on your animal. Animals can be re-infested permanently, particularly from spring to autumn. Young fleas go out of their cocoon only when conditions of humidity and temperature are favorable and when hosts are present.
=> Therefore, animals must be treated regularly by applying adapted parasiticide.

The housing environment is a fleas' reservoir: 95 % of fleas are in the living places of your animal under the form of larvas and cocoons. To fight the fleas' invasion, it is necessary to use a simultaneous treatment: one against the adult form of fleas on the animal, and another one against the immature forms under development in the housing environment.

The parasiticide formula FRONTLINE^® Combo enriched in IGR has a double action: it kills adult fleas on the animal and blocks the fleas' reproduction cycle. Applied regularly, FRONTLINE^® Combo prevents effectively the appearance of new fleas in your housing environment and avoids the permanent re-infestation of your animal.

• From infestation to prevention

Once settled in the house, fleas are difficult to eradicate. Under the form of cocoon, very resistant, they can survive the majority of insecticidal treatments.
The best way to avoid flea infestations is a good prevention!
Advice for a good prevention:

o Treat your animal before seeing parasites on its coat.
o Treat regularly, every month if needed. By treating on a regular basis, the risk of massive infestation or the animal and housing environment is limited.
o Treat all animals of the home at the same time with an adapted parasiticide

• It is possible to see fleas on a treated animal!

o Parasiticide kill fleas when they are on the animal. So it is normal to see them on the coat, between the contact with the product and the parasites’ death.
o Fleas die within 24 hours. During this deadline they can be visible on the animal.
o If numerous hatching sites exist in the environment, your pet can catch new fleas every day. A long time and regular treatments are necessary to get completely rid off them.

Who are they?

• What is a flea?

• How does your animal catch fleas?

• How do sites of hatching appear?

Risks

o Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)

o Tapeworms transmission (Dipylidium caninum)

How to get rid of it?

• Bacterial infections

• Anemia