C. felis – female C. felis – male, female and eggs

C. felis – feeding Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)

Flea Biology

• MostcommonfleaspeciesinfestingdogsandcatsistheCatFlea(Ctenocephalides felis).

• Onceafemalefleajumpsonapetitlayseggswithin24hoursandcanlayupto40to50eggs/day.

• Eggsarelaidinthehaircoatofthepet.– Eggsthenrolloutofthehairintothe

premises.• Fleastypicallystayonahost,theydonot

readilymovefrompet-to-pet.– Fleasseenonpeopleareusuallyfleas

recentlyemergedfromcocoons.

• Petsacquirefleasfromaninfestedpremises.–Straydogsandcats,opossumsandrac-

coonsarecommonhostsfortheCatFlea,C. felis.

– Asthesefleainfestedanimalsmovethroughtheneighborhoodoryouryard,fleaeggsdropoutoftheirhair.Someoftheseeggssurviveandwithinthreetoeightweeksdevelopintoadultfleas.

– Problemsinyourhomebeginwhenafewofthosefleasjumpontoyourpetandwithin24hoursdepositeggsintoyourhome.

Flea Control Facts• Afleainfestationcannotbeeliminatedwithin

afewdays.• Oncetreatmenthasbegunitcantakethree

toeightweeks(occasionallylonger)beforethefleainfestationiseliminated.– Thisisbecausethehomeand/oryardare

infestedwithfleaeggs,larvae,pupaeandadultsemergingdaily.

–Remember,thefleasyouseeonyourpettodaycamefromfleaeggslaidthreetoeightweeksago.

Flea Control Objectives1.Relievingpetdiscomfort

– Killfleasonpet(s).Treatallpetsinhousehold.

2.Eliminatepremisesinfestation– Administrationofresidualinsecticides

thatkillnewlyacquiredfleas(within24hours)beforetheycaninitiatereproduction.

– Administrationofinsectgrowthregulators(IGRs)tostopreproduction.

– Applicationofinsecticidesand/orIGRsintothepremisesincasesofsevereinfestationsorfleaallergy.

3.Prevention–Year-roundfleacontrolprogram

Medical Problems Caused by the Cat Flea

• Annoyance• Anemia• DiseaseTransmission

– Murinetyphus,(Rickettsia typhi)– CatScratchDisease(Bartonella hensalae)

• Intermediatehostofparasites– Dipetalonema reconditum,subcutaneous

filaridnematodeofdogs.– Dipylidium caninum,thecommondouble-

poretapeworm

• FleaAllergyDermatitis“FAD”(dermatitisindogs,catsandpeople)– Fleasinjectsalivawhilefeedingwhichcan

causeanallergicreactionthatoftenresultsinseverepruritus(itching)andhairloss.

Flea Fact Sheet

Flea Life CycleFrom egg to adult flea: 21-56 days

Emergence can occur in as little as 14 days or be delayed up to 300 days

Flea Life Cycle

Adult fleas on the dog or cat

Eggs (0.5mm) laid on pet and then fall off in pet’s environment (ex: carpet)

Larvae live in pet’s habitat and feed on flea feces and debris

Pupae within cocoons in the carpet or outdoors

Adults

Pupae Eggs

Larvae

Created by MW Dryden DVM, PhD & Shawn Dryden

2-1

0 da

ys7-21 days

7-20

0+ da

ys