Tell me more about fleas.

Fleas are the most common external parasite which are found on your pets’ skin. Amazingly, they can jump vertically up to 30cm, making it easy for them to leap onto your pet. It’s not just your pets who may suffer from these little nasties either. Fleas are able to jump onto our beds, carpets and furniture, infesting our home, fleas can also jump into our hair.

When a flea lands on your pet (or on you), it will begin to start gorging on blood within a few minutes and can feed, believe it or not, for up to two-and-a-half hours. Fleas can live on your pets for up to two months. Not a happy thought.

Just two fleas can reproduce very quickly and profusely, creating an infestation. You can see why it’s so important to stop fleas in their tracks. The best way to do this is to stop their life cycle.

Why are fleas dangerous to my pets?

As fleas can produce a large number of eggs, infestations can quickly get out of control. Let’s look at some figures: Over 50 days, a female flea can produce 40 to 50 eggs per day. In her lifetime, she can produce over 2,000 eggs. That’s one flea! You can see the extent of the problem.

When your cat or dog develops a severe allergy to flea saliva (flea allergy dermatitis), they will start itching and scratching their skin once the fleas have bitten them. Itching can carry on even when the fleas have departed, when you may not necessarily be able to see any fleas on your pet.

These tiny pests can also transmit bacterial and viral diseases, which may be fatal to your pets. They can also transmit another particularly nasty parasite: the tapeworm (Dipylidium caninum), to your pets and even to you: a scary thought.

I’m convinced! So how do I stop the flea life cycle?

Many flea treatments only last for around 4-5 weeks, which are not particularly effective because the whole flea life cycle can take up to 8 weeks. The solution is therefore to use a long-lasting, effective treatment regularly, year round, to protect your pets and to ensure that none of these parasites can live in your home.

Many professional veterinary organisations are recommending the use of Bravecto^® tick and flea oral or spot-on treatments, which last for 3-6 months. These should be used regularly, all year, in order to break the fleas’ life cycle, to keep your pets and your home free from fleas.

Remember…

The best approach to choosing the ideal preventative treatment your pets is to consult your vet. Prevention of fleas and other parasites is much easier and considerably cheaper than treating any diseases caused by these nasties.

There are several treatments available which are effective for various lengths of time, with different ways of administration and which cover different parasites. Only through having a chat with your vet will you be able to decide on the best option for your pets.

The goal is to kill all fleas throughout their whole life cycle so that your pets and you are safe.

Bravecto^® provides quick, long-lasting protection against fleas and ticks. In dogs Bravecto^® Chew lasts for 12 weeks and Bravecto^® Spot-On for dogs last 4 months for ticks and 6 months for fleas. Whilst for our kitty friends, Bravecto^® Spot-On for Cats and Bravecto^® Plus last 3 months. Now that is peace of mind!

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