If you have a dog, then you need to check it for fleas on a regular basis. Fleas can be found in almost every area of the country, especially during the spring and summer months. Just because you keep your home clean and tidy does not meant your dog won’t get fleas. Fleas are tiny parasites that can jump huge distances, which means that they can attach themselves to your dog by jumping on it from another animal with fleas. Because fleas are parasites, they can cause severe discomfort to your dog. Fleas will spread quickly throughout your home if you do not find a way to eliminate them immediately; otherwise, they will cause severe discomfort to you and your family. The following are five ways to check your dog for fleas:
Check to see if your dog is behaving oddly – If your dog is behaving oddly; for example, its more restless than normal and is chewing, licking or scratching itself more than it usually does, then there’s a good chance it has fleas. Other behavioral signs of fleas include scratching at its ears or shaking its head on a regular basis.
Check your dog’s fur coat – If you dog has become infested with fleas, then you should be able to spot fleas jumping around in your dog’s fur coat. However, if your dog only has a few fleas, they may be hard to spot by just checking the fur.
Check the groin and armpits – These two areas are two of the warmer areas as well as most protected areas on a dog, which makes them some of the favorite locations for fleas to feed off of. Look carefully in these spots for fleas or for signs of fleas, such as hair loss or red and irritated skin, which may have been caused by excessive scratching.
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Run a flea comb through the fur – Flea combs have very fine teeth, making it easier to pull out fleas. Run a flea comb through your dog’s fur. If there are any fleas in the area that you are combing, they should be caught within the teeth. When using the comb, make sure that you get close to your dog’s skin. Be sure to have a bowl of water with soap in it nearby so you can dip the comb in it if you have caught any live fleas.
Check your dog’s bed – The fleas won’t just stay on your dog – they will often move to the environment that your dog lives in. If they haven’t spread to your furniture yet (at which point you’ll probably realize that you have fleas), then check your dog’s bedding for fleas or for signs of flea dirt, which are black specks.
These are five ways that you can check to see if your dog has fleas. If your dog does indeed have fleas, then you need to get rid of them as soon as possible before they begin spreading throughout your home and you have an infestation on your hands.