Fleas are gross. We all know this. They get all over your dog (and sometimes you) and bite. And bite. And bite. They can also infest your house, which is also gross. All grossness aside, there are some facts about fleas that you may not know, but you should. This post is sponsored by Bayer / Seresto and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about the Seresto product, but Sweep Tight only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Bayer / Seresto is not responsible for the content of this article.
4 Facts about Fleas that Might Surprise You
1: Fleas carry tapeworm eggs. Yep that’s right. All your dog has to do is eat a flea, and BOOM… tapeworm.
2: Flea eggs have a long shelf life. If a flea lays eggs in your home, they can stay dormant for a very long time. Some experts say eggs can be viable for up to one year. So if the conditions aren’t just right for the flea eggs in your home to hatch, they can wait it out.
3: Flea bites can be more than itchy. For some dogs, flea bites are an itchy annoyance. For other dogs, it can be much worse. Some dogs are allergic to flea saliva. For an allergic dog, a flea bite can cause allergic dermatitis. This is an extremely itchy reaction causing skin irritation and swelling. If a dog that is allergic to flea saliva is infested with fleas, multiple bites can cause widespread itching, hives, thickening of the skin, and dry or oily flaky skin. It’s a horrible, uncomfortable thing.
4: Fleas can kill. This is only in severe cases. However a dog which is infested with fleas can suffer anemia and death from hundreds of bites.
If we haven’t freaked you out enough about fleas already, maybe that will do the trick. Fleas are nothing to mess with and it’s so important to protect your furry loved ones. Hilo is still wearing his Seresto Collar after a few months now. No one even realizes the collar is there, and he’s still never shown any signs of it bothering him whatsoever.
Our tiny slice of summer seems to be over, but that doesn’t mean to chill out on the flea protection. It’s important to keep up on heartworm and flea protection all year round. At least with the Seresto Collar you are good for 8 months. We are loving this option to fight against fleas for Hilo. Since he doesn’t mind a collar, it’s an ideal choice for him.
Did you know these facts about fleas? Do you make sure to protect your pets?
Tammy S says
September 15, 2014 at 8:57 amAll I can say is Eww! It is so important to take care of your pets to make sure they don’t get fleas! This Seresto Collar sounds like a great way to go. I will have to check with my vet next time we are in. Thanks!
Joni Mason says
September 15, 2014 at 2:34 pmI did not know these facts about fleas! I’ll be sure to tell all my family and friends about the dangers! We all love our animals , they are part of our family! Thanks for sharing!
M.Clark says
September 15, 2014 at 8:36 pmI did not know that dogs could suffer anemia and death from flea bites. I don’t have any pets ut if I did I would certainly make sure that they were protected.
Sarah L says
September 15, 2014 at 11:35 pmHere in Colorado we have to be alert for tics more than fleas.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
September 17, 2014 at 7:59 amOur dog has never had fleas, but I had NO idea they could kill. Now I need to be more vigilant with him.
daisy says
September 17, 2014 at 8:41 amI didn’t realize that they carry tape worm. Eek! Yuck! It’s so important to keep fleas far away.
Kelsey Apley says
September 17, 2014 at 10:20 amOh yuck, I had no idea they carried tapeworm eggs, that makes my skin crawl! We treat our dog, cause I can’t stand fleas, and now I really cant stand them!!!
Jenna Wood says
September 17, 2014 at 10:34 amMy number one concern with fleas, and kids, is tapeworms….fleas around food are no bueno for humans or pets. I’ll have to look into Serestro for our pup.
Elizabeth @ Being MVP says
September 17, 2014 at 11:11 amYuck I can’t imagine all those horrible things on cute little dogs! We don’t have a dog but I”ll let my coworkers know 😉
Alena Belleque says
September 17, 2014 at 11:33 amOur dog Butters had horrible fleas – our backyard was infested, as was the mattress that was donated to us after 4 years of homelessness (staying in guest rooms in 3 different states until my husband found enough work to support us – I’m disabled). It was horrible, and because we had a one year old baby, we couldn’t use collars, only the cream/ointment. None of the brands carried by Walmart worked, and eventually we had to take him to a vet for the expensive stuff. It emptied what little savings we had, and we found out at the same time that there’s heartworm in this area. Since we couldn’t afford the medication, we had to rehome our poor guy. #sad It’s been a year and a half, and I still miss him terribly.
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos says
September 17, 2014 at 12:01 pmtapeworm, ewww! I had no idea, but wow, I’ll share the news. Scary stuff!
Marina says
September 17, 2014 at 12:40 pmWho knew that fleas could cause such problems? I had no idea they could actually kill an animal.
Liz Mays says
September 17, 2014 at 12:41 pmWow. My dog can get tapeworm from fleas, and then I could get tapeworm from my dog? Gross!
Dominique says
September 17, 2014 at 1:28 pmI had zero idea they carried tapeworm eggs!! Goodness! I make sure to keep my dog up to date on all his flea medication!
Stefany says
September 17, 2014 at 4:00 pmI really need to get one of these for my dogs. We have a huge flea problem in our area and it seems like a lost cause. Maybe this would help!
Janel says
September 17, 2014 at 4:27 pmWow, I had no ideas fleas could be so tormenting or even cause death! Great to know!!
Amber Edwards says
September 17, 2014 at 4:32 pmI didn’t realize they had such a long shelf life. Definitely something to protect against. Yuck. Don’t like Fleas.
Tammilee Tips says
September 17, 2014 at 5:21 pmI had no idea that Fleas carried tapeworm eggs!! Definitely something to protect animals against!
Pam says
September 17, 2014 at 5:48 pmOur dog and one of our cats is allergic to fleas. We have to make sure we are a flea free household, because even one flea bite can drive them crazy!
Lisa says
September 17, 2014 at 6:23 pmWe have a great flea treatment for our dog. So far we haven’t had any since we got him. Knock on wood.
Jenn says
September 17, 2014 at 6:36 pmIt makes me so angry to see those shows on TV where they pick up neglected animals literally being eating alive by fleas and ticks. Oy…. Just do the treatments, use the collars… take care of the furry balls of love!
Amy says
September 17, 2014 at 7:03 pmWow, fleas are nasty little buggers! I can’t believe how ugly they are!
Shauna says
September 17, 2014 at 8:35 pmUgh, I hate, hate, hate fleas… I actually mark my calendar when we need to do more flea stuff on my pup because I am so afraid of fleas… they just suck
Nolie says
September 17, 2014 at 9:52 pmI knew about tapeworm but had no clue they could kill.
Ann Bacciaglia says
September 17, 2014 at 10:43 pmI had no idea that fleas carry tapeworm. What a scary thought!
Meagan says
September 18, 2014 at 12:18 amI always worry that my dog is going to get fleas! So many complications can come from fleas! Such a great thing to be a proactive pet parent!
Toni says
September 18, 2014 at 4:43 amI never knew these facts. I think our dogs have allergies to them because they get so itchy, like not normal itching.
candice says
September 18, 2014 at 9:46 amgross! we use this collar too. its so popular that our vet was totally out of stock for a while. i love that its a collar.
April says
September 19, 2014 at 10:03 amFleas suck. We had them once and I lost my mind. I went crazy and got rid of the pretty quickly.
Sarah L says
September 23, 2014 at 11:37 pmI’m glad to say that in my 66 years I haven’t had to deal with fleas.