Flea eggs can be found in several places on your dog. They often hide in the fur, where they are difficult to see. However, you can also find them on the dog's skin, in the creases of the skin, and around the ears. If you're having trouble getting rid of fleas, make sure to check all of these places for eggs.
Flea eggs are usually found in clusters on the fur of an infested animal or on surfaces where the animal spends most of his time, such as bedding, carpets, and furniture. For most of us, our best chance of spotting flea eggs is with a magnifying glass or using a flea comb.
So, what do flea eggs look like to the human eye? Unfortunately, they're difficult to spot, especially if your dog has light-colored fur. They're only around 0.5 millimeters, about the size of a grain of salt or sand, off-white in color, and translucent.
After feeding, female fleas lay hundreds of pearly white, oval-shaped eggs in their host's fur. As your dog moves around, eggs will drop and land in bedding, carpet, and outdoor environments where they will start to hatch.
Use Adams Plus Flea & Tick Spray or Adams Plus Flea & Tick Collars with an insect growth regulator (IGR) designed to kill flea eggs and their larvae. The spray is effective for up to two months, and the collars are effective for up to seven months.
In addition to killing adult fleas during bathing, the best flea shampoos for dogs also prevent flea eggs and larvae from maturing into adults for a prolonged period of time. Many of these shampoos also include ingredients like oatmeal or aloe to soothe itchy skin.
Spray your home with a flea spray
To help treat the infestation, a household flea spray can be used. Every room in the house should be treated following manufacturer's instructions.
An oral fast-acting tablet that contains Nitenpyram is the safest way to kill fleas on dogs instantly. You can also bathe your dog in hot soapy water with Dawn to kill adult fleas, but this is not a good long-term solution.
The time it takes eggs to fall off your pet depends on how long their fur is and how active they are, but most of the eggs will fall off within a few days.
In order to get rid of fleas in all stages of the life cycle, two or more follow-up treatments within 5-10 days after the first application are needed. Additionally, vacuuming and sanitation practices should be ongoing throughout this period to pick up all remaining eggs and juvenile fleas.
It's also easy to mistake the eggs for flea dirt, reddish or blackish specks that are actually the faeces of the adult forms — and the larvae's favourite food.
These small black specks are flea faeces and materially are composed of old blood. You'll mostly spot them on the skin of your dog, although they're also known to show up in dog beds and other places your pet spends time too.
Look for tiny, dark insects that are smaller than ants. Your dog's armpit and groin areas are favorite flea hangouts because they tend to be warm and protected.
Fleas often gather at the neck and shoulder blades of your pets. The base of the tail and along the back of the legs is a favorite hangout for them, too. Those are also places animals will bite to get to the fleas. That can take its toll on a pet's coat.
Symptoms of Fleas on Dogs
Your dog may have hair loss or “hair barbering” (when the hair is chewed off leaving stiff or rough ends), changes in its coat color due to chronic licking or chewing, crusts, scales, redness, and “hot spots” (moist, ulcerative, and often inflamed lesions that appear suddenly).
Look for flea eggs in the carpets and furniture
This is a little tricky if you don't really know what you're looking for, but you can look for eggs in the carpet of your home to check for fleas. They are tiny and hard to spot, especially for an untrained eye.
One of the first solutions to get rid of fleas is to bathe your pet. Just lukewarm water, or water and a mild soap, can help get fleas off your pet's fur and skin. The dish soap can help to drown adult fleas. If you're thinking about using a flea shampoo or something similar, talk to your veterinarian first.
Your dog's constant scratching may lead to visible patches of hair loss and reddened, irritated skin. Fleas may also cause skin allergies and can transmit other parasites, such as tapeworms, to your dog.
Adult fleas will be killed within a few days but the floor should not be vacuumed, swept or washed for at least two weeks after treatment because there will still be eggs which will continue to hatch.
Apple cider vinegar can't kill fleas, but it can help to repel them. Fleas don't like the smell or taste of it, so they're likely to avoid your pet if they have it on their fur. Dilute apple cider vinegar in water and add it to a spray bottle.
Citronella, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary will all naturally repel fleas. If your dog doesn't mind a spray bottle, dilute a few drops of your chosen essential oil into a 300ml-400ml of water and spray directly onto your dog's coat.
Vinegar. Combine 1 quart of water, 1 cup of white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, and 1 cup of baby shampoo or liquid dish soap. Use this mixture to bathe your dog once or twice a month. Vinegar kills fleas and ticks on contact and can prevent future infestations.
Let's look at some of the common ways dogs can get fleas: Grass in the backyard: Dogs can catch fleas from the grass in your backyard, most often by other animals such as a raccoon, fox, or mouse, who walk through the area and transmit fleas to the ground.
Don't worry, fleas are more common than you think
There's an awful stigma attached to an outbreak of fleas. But they are incredibly common. Fleas are mightily successful creatures; the most common parasite of its kind in the northern hemisphere. So if you find them, don't worry.