By: Brigitte Pohl- Bergantim
First the bad news. They say that nearly every pet will experience a flea bite at least once in their lifetime. Now the good news! Fleas are very easy to get rid of. With today’s once a month topical skin applications, flea infestations are a thing of the past. However, once upon a time fleas were the source of all evil in the world. Did you know that fleas were responsible for spreading the plague or Black Death during the Middle Ages throughout Europe? Since fleas suck the blood of their hosts, they picked up Yersinia Pestis (the bacteria that causes the plague) from infected rodents. When the rodents all died of the plague, fleas had to find a new food source and turned to humans. Fleas helped to kill 20% or London’s population!
Some other interesting flea facts to consider. A female flea lays about 2000 eggs in her lifetime, and those eggs are primarily laid on your pet, NOT in your house. The eggs then fall off your pet and land in the carpets or baseboards waiting to hatch and develop into 4 life stages. The female flea consumes 15 times her own body weight in blood daily, and an adult flea can live for more than 100 days without a blood meal! Fleas are also incredibly mobile. Fleas can jump an incredible 12 inches forward in 1 leap, that’s the equivalent of a human landing a 1000-foot-long jump.
Fleas have been around for millions of years. They even pestered the dinosaurs. Compression fossils found in Mongolia and China suggest a giant flea 0.8 inches long with equally impressive mouth parts hitched rides on dinosaurs long ago. These days we know of 2000 species and subspecies of fleas, but one flea species in particular, the cat flea, accounts for most of the infestations found in North America.
To combat these critters researchers have dedicated countless hours studying the habits of these miniature Draculas and have come up with innovative solutions to rapidly take down any flea trying to hitch a ride on your pet. Most quick kill flea products are available through your veterinarian. No need to buy sprays and shampoos at the pet store as they are hugely inadequate as are flea collars. Please speak with one of our team members if you suspect your friend has fleas.
