28/08/2024
We are seeing many dogs with fleas at the moment.
There is a lack of awareness and information around to properly advise pet owners on how to eradicate this nuisance so I contacted the manufacturers of Advocate, which is one of the spot on treatments available from vets.
They were so helpful and have given me a lot of information which I have posted below.
One of the measures we will be implementing is that we won’t be bathing dogs within 48 hours of them having a spot on treatment.
The information below was sent to me in a personal email so sharing this post is not permitted.
I hope you find this useful………
“ To help explain why you are seeing some fleas despite owners using Advocate we must consider some aspects of the flea lifecycle. Because the fleas seen on the pet only represent a very small proportion of the whole flea problem (5%) and several of the flea's lifecycle stages take place in the environment (e.g. carpets, furnishings, floors) it means that for a period of time after a flea infestation is detected, you are likely to still see some fleas. This is due to the fact that the flea pupae that will have already established in the environment will still be present in the carpets etc. and will be hatching out over a period of time (a minimum of 3 months but possibly many months more in certain conditions). When these pupae hatch and become adult fleas they will hop onto the pet and, although the flea product used will kill the fleas after they have landed on the pet, it may mean you catch sight of them in the meantime. We do also know that the environmental life stages of fleas (eggs, larvae and pupae which are not visible) can remain dormant in the environment for several months, and in some cases over a year, therefore it is possible to start seeing adult fleas emerge from the environment from a gap in flea prevention many months earlier i.e. prior to Advocate being used.
In any case of a known flea burden, treating the home with a veterinary-grade household flea spray is strongly recommended to help reduce this re-infestation. This needs to be a thorough treatment and an average size house will in many cases require more than one can of spray to cover all the areas. An average 3 bed house will need a whole can of treatment, it is important to treat all rooms of the house even if the pets do not go in them, as it is possible for us to transfer fleas on our clothing. Further to this do not forget to treat the car if the pets travel in it, as this can be an ongoing source of fleas entering the home. A single treatment with a good household spray will be effective against flea eggs and larvae for up to 12 months, but in heavy infestations it can be beneficial to repeat treatment after 8 weeks to top up the adulticidal aspect of the treatment.
Although spraying the home is an important step in tackling a flea outbreak, household flea sprays are unfortunately recognised as not being effective against the flea pupae because, during this stage of the lifecycle, the flea exists in a protective "cocoon" and is resistant to the effects of any chemicals. This means that any pupae which are present in the environment at the time of starting treatment will still need to hatch out into adults before they can be affected by any of the treatments. As soon as adult fleas hatch they will jump onto a passing host (i.e. a dog). Whilst these fleas will be killed by the flea product, provided it is kept up to date and applied as per the instructions, you may catch sight of them in the period of time between them jumping on and being killed until all the pupae in the environment have cleared. In addition, regular hoovering is helpful as it sends out vibrations and warmth, which helps to encourage the pupae to hatch out from the environment. This is a good thing so the environmental burden can be cleared more quickly. It is also important to make sure that all pets in the household are up to date with flea control. It can take several weeks or months for a flea infestation to resolve and with central heating in our homes, the fleas do well in the autumn/winter too, so there is no "safe" time, hence the need for year-round treatment for all pets in the household.
A substantial number of fleas in the environment will lead to a seemingly persistent flea problem on the animal, even though it has been treated with a good flea product. This is because the fleas that are killed are rapidly replaced by newly emerged, adult fleas from the environment. Dying fleas cannot move down between the hairs and so are much more visible than healthy fleas; this may give the appearance of more fleas being present than before treatment, but fleas which can be picked off the pet is a good example that the product is doing its job (healthy fleas are so agile they are extremely difficult to get hold of!). Also remember that testing for fleas by looking for 'flea dirt' (flea faeces), while a useful technique, will also reveal old flea dirt that can remain in the fur for weeks after an infestation is coming under control and although imidacloprid can affect fleas via contact and they do not have to feed on blood, some fleas can take a meal within minutes so occasional flea dirt could still be found.
We would recommend leaving it 48 hours after application before you bath any dogs.
As you are aware the Dipylidium caninum tapeworm parasite is contracted through fleas, which act as an intermediate host, when flea larvae ingest tapeworm eggs. When a dog eats an infected flea, such as during grooming, the parasite settles in the dog’s small intestine. Here, the tapeworm is able to continue the next stage of its lifecycle, eventually maturing into a fully grown adult tapeworm. The lifecycle is approximately 30 days for Dipylidium caninum so owners may want to worm their dogs every month until the flea infestation has gone.
Although it’s rare, humans can also be infected by tapeworm. Humans pick up the tapeworm parasite by ingesting tapeworm eggs passed in dog’s faeces or less commonly by accidentally ingesting an infected flea. However, children are most likely to be affected, but we would still recommend practicing good hygiene and encourage hand washing. “
I hope this helps with the eradication of these horrible parasites .
Thank you for reading, Eve 😊
