Fleas are a common parasite of dogs in Guernsey. Dogs that socialise or who share a house with a cat are more likely to be infected by fleas. Most fleas on dogs in households with both dogs and cats are actually cat fleas.
Every female flea can produce several hundred eggs in 7 days. With a life cycle inside your home of only a few weeks, multiplication to many thousand of fleas can occur rapidly. Only the adult flea is parasitic but the egg, larval and cocoon stages develop in your carpets, skirting boards and in furniture. All your pets will become infested once an initial flea enters your home. We see evidence of up to 50% of untreated cats and 25% of untreated dogs carrying fleas.
Fleas are responsible for 90% of cases of dermatitis, a skin disease in the dog and also can carry the tapeworm, Dipylidium that is passed on to the dog.