Ctenocephalides felis (99%): cat flea — will also bite dogs and humans.
C. canis: dog flea — will also bite cats and humans.
Pulex irritans: human flea — will also bite cats and dogs.
Cenetophyllus gallinae: chicken / wild bird flea — will also bite humans.

Fleas are laterally flattened wingless insects with long strong legs adapted for jumping. The adult flea is parasitic on mammals and birds and sucks blood. Fleas are VERY mobile, jumping on and off, from host to host. They have marked host preferences but are not host specific with a wide environmental distribution. Their ability to live unfed, for up to 6 months, and species adaptability, makes flea control difficult.

Life Cycle
After copulation the female lays white shiny eggs approximately 0.5 cm long, on or off the host. Those laid on the host fall off and are widely distributed in the environment. 400 - 500 or more eggs may be produced in a lifetime. Eggs hatch after 2 - 16 days (depending on temperature and humidity). The larvae look like bristly fly maggots. They feed on organic matter, but flea faeces containing partially digested blood is an important source of protein. The larvae develop through three stages in 1 - 2 weeks, depending on temperature, and then pupate in a cocoon for 10 days or up to 12 - 20 months if conditions are unfavorable. They may hatch into immature hungry fleas in response to vibration and body heat.

The adults emerge from the cocoon and wait for a host to come along, adopting a 'questing posture'. In ideal conditions (high temperature and relative humidity >70%) the life cycle can be complete in 3 weeks. Adults spend most of their life off a host. They can survive 2 - 4 months in dry conditions, or 2 years with moisture if fed intermittently.

Adult fleas lifespan is generally about 4 months during which time they lay eggs continuously. (On your pet they may look like salt crystals). These hatch into larvae which seek nooks and crannies around your home to pupate a week later. These pupa hatch into small fleas in another two weeks and look for the nearest meal, usually your pet! The fleas meal of blood form little dried specks of blood known as ‘flea dirt’.

• Fleas cause irritation when feeding causing the host to scratch and rub. • Even an occasional bite may cause over grooming and start the itch scratch cycle. • Blood feeding may cause anemia. • Fleas may transmit disease e.g. Yersinia pestis transmitted by the rat flea. A component of flea saliva may cause allergies in dogs, cats and occasionally man.

Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD)
The itchiness is not related to the number of fleas. There may be secondary changes due to inflammation and self-trauma for example, atopy, and miliary dermatitis. Generally fleas are found on the lumbar area above the tail base, medial thighs, and ventral abdomen.

Flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) or fleabite hypersensitivity is a very common dermatologic disease of domestic dogs. Cats are also afflicted with FAD, which is one of the major or causes of feline miliary dermatitis. FAD is most prevalent in the summer Temperature extremes, low humidity, and high elevations tend to inhibit flea development.

When feeding, fleas inject saliva that contains proteolytic enzymes and histamine-like substances, resulting in irritation and Pruritus, and substances that are responsible for the production of hypersensitivity. Flea-naive dogs exposed intermittently to flea bites develop either immediate (15 min) or delayed (24 - 48 hr) reactions, or both, and detectable levels of both circulating IgE and IgG anti-flea antibodies. Dogs exposed continuously to flea bites have low levels of these circulating antibodies and either do not develop skin reactions or develop them later and to a considerably reduced degree. This could indicate that immunologic tolerance may be developed naturally in dogs continuously exposed to fleabites. Although the pathophysiology of FAD in cats is poorly understood, similar mechanisms may exist.

Clinical signs associated with FAD are variable and depend on frequency of flea exposure, duration of disease, presence of secondary or other concurrent skin disease, degree of hypersensitivity, and effects of previous or current treatment. The non allergic animal may have few clinical signs other than occasional scratching due to annoyance of flea bites. Those that are allergic will typically have a dermatitis that is characterised by pruritus.

In dogs, the pruritus associated with FAD can be intense and may manifest over the entire body. Affected dogs are likely to be restless and uncomfortable, spending much time scratching, licking, rubbing, chewing and even nibbling at the skin. Hair may be stained brown from the erythema, hyper pigmented skin, scaling, papules, and broken papules covered with reddish brown crusts. The rump and tail, and head areas are typically the first, most evident, areas affected. As FAD progresses, damage to the epidermis and hair follicles may result in a secondary pyoderma and seborrhoea.

Traumatic moist dermatitis (“hotspots”) can also occur. (see last magazine issue) As the disease becomes chronic, the dog may develop generalised hair loss, severe seborrhoea, hyperkeratosis, and hyper-pigmentation. In cats, the primary dermatitis is a papule, which often becomes crusted. This 'miliary' dermatitis is typically found on the back, neck, and face. The miliary lesions are not actual fleabites but a manifestation of a systemic allergic reaction that leads to generalised pruritus and an eczematous rash. Itching may be severe, evidenced by repeated licking, scratching, and chewing. Cats with FAD can have hair loss, facial dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis, and 'racing stripe' or dorsal dermatitis.

Flea excrement is reddish black, cylindrical, and pellet or comma-shaped. Placed in water or on a damp paper towel and crushed, the excrement dissolves, producing a reddish brown colour. The extremely hypersensitive animal is likely to be virtually free of fleas due to excessive grooming behaviour. In these cases, it is usually difficult to find evidence of fleas, thus making it more difficult to convince the owner of the problem. Use of a fine-toothed flea comb facilitates finding of fleas and their excrement. Examination of the pet's bedding for eggs, larvae, and excrement is also useful.

In dogs, differential diagnoses include allergic inhalant dermatitis (atopy), food allergy dermatitis, sarcoptic or demodectic mange, other ectoparasites, and bacterial folliculitis.

In cats, other conditions that can result in miliary dermatitis include external parasites (cheyletiellosis, trombiculosis, notoedric mange, and pediculosis), dermatophytosis, drug hypersensitivity, food allergy, atopy, bacterial folliculitis, and idiopathic miliary dermatitis. (Idiopathic = unknown).

ED: I do not believe the flea saliva is responsible for the allergies — it is the susceptibility of the animal to the saliva that is the problem!

So how can you ensure that this summer is going to be 'flea free'?

We have many many clients who have observed a downturn in their pets’ health, after applying chemical flea control and many pets display their hatred of the products.

Fleas can make pets and owners exasperated but using chemicals that are toxic to the brain and nervous system and disrupt hormone balance just to get rid of them is like burning your house down to get rid of your ant problem — effective but what are you left with?

The newest flea products — the ‘spot-ons’ applied to the pets’ skin, are represented as being safe, however all the active ingredients in these preparations have been linked to serious health effects in laboratory animals. There have been severe skin reactions with itching, bleeding and cracking of the skin, severe hair loss, 'chemical burn' conditions, sloughing and chronic itching. Interesting that instructions often include ‘avoid contact with the skin' and many cats and dogs show a ‘burn-type’ lesion where the flea treatment was applied.

In some cases the breakdown of these substances in the animal’s body are far more toxic to them than the product itself. The low, repeated doses are cumulative and the synergistic impact takes a heavy toll on animals. We have cases where the animals have changed their personalities and developed epilepsy, lethargy, gastro intestinal conditions and interrupted cycles.

Owners often feel unwell after giving the flea treatment and one client touched her mouth after applying one of the flea controls and her lips became numb for several hours. This demonstrates that the product does have an effect on mammals’ nervous systems as well as the insects systems.

All pesticides pose some degree of health risk to both humans and animals. Many people, including vets, feel comforted by the minuscule amount of an ‘active’ ingredient and up to 99% of ‘inert’ ingredients on the label, however the 'inert' ingredients do not have to be tested for safety to the same degree as the ‘active’ ones. The word ‘inert’ implies that the chemical is actually inactive BUT many ‘inert’ ingredients used in pesticides are more toxic than the ‘active’ ingredients! Naphthalene is one of the ‘inerts’ and clearly demonstrates cancer activity through inhalation (nasal cancers), liver damage, cataracts, anaemia and skin allergies. Many of the ‘inert’ ingredients are not required to be listed on the product label, being considered by the industry as ‘trade secrets’ when in fact if the names were known, the public would realise the deathly potential of these chemicals.

Laboratory trials to test the ‘safety’ of these products are held over short periods where the health effects resulting from higher doses are relevant. Long-term studies are very few on the ground, in fact one cancer study was stopped due to the excessive deaths early on in the experiments!

Advertisements strenuously claim they are not systemic but both veterinary and over-the-counter topical flea treatments are pesticides that enter the internal organs of our pets and are excreted through their faeces and urine. A metabolic study on Fipronil, an ingredient in one major product, demonstrated that "significant amounts of radio-labeled fipronil were found (not only) in various organs and fat at 168 hours post-dosing for all dose groups. (but they were also) excreted in the urine and faeces, and were present in other parts of the body — fat included — which demonstrated that the chemical is absorbed systemically".

The spot-on flea products fall into four general categories. The first three work by disrupting the nervous system of insects, killing by contact or ingestion. The forth type contains insect growth regulators which don't kill but interrupt the flea’s life cycle.

Imidacloprid is a relatively new insecticide and causes incoordination, laboured breathing, thyroid lesions, reduced birth weights and increased frequency of birth defects. Fipronil is another neurotoxin and is a suspected human carcinogen, causing (in animals) liver toxicity, thyroid cancer, kidney damage, increase in cholesterol levels, alterations in thyroid hormones, incoordination, increased miscarriages and smaller offspring. Permethrin, a synthetic broad-spectrum pyrethroid insecticide, is suspected of being an endocrine disruptor and a carcinogenic, causing lung cancer and liver tumors.

Spot-on flea / parasite controls are considered top of the market in vet clinics and pet stores, each claiming to be safer than before, and that their neurotoxic effects are well targeted. They are advertised as safe for children and young kittens and puppies as well as the geriatric animal. Next time you apply one of these to your pet observe closely, smell the breath, watch the behaviour, monitor yourself. There are no short cuts without a price attached, and this could mean an early death, lingering chronic disease or an inability to reproduce.

Flea Collars
Get rid of that flea collar — many of them contain organophosphates, carbamates and organochlorines These powerful poisons cause salivation, vomiting, convulsions, tremors and cancer. I have reservations about herbal collars too. The animal’s sense of smell is so acute that anything with an odour hung around its neck so close to its nose must be quite distressing.

Herbal Treatment
Throw out the chemical washes — slice a lemon and include it with the peel to 2 litres of near-boiling water. Steep overnight, add a drop of eucalyptus oil to the brew and sponge on to your pet and let it dry. If your pet enjoys swimming then encourage this weekly if possible to drown the fleas. Make your own flea powder with some finely chopped eucalyptus, rosemary, fennel, yellow dock leaves, wormwood and rue — put them all into the kitchen whizz and blend to powder, rub into your pet’s coat sparingly, especially around problem areas at the base of the tail, neck and belly. Invest in a flea comb. Use a white sheet or towel under your pet, comb through the coat and wipe comb on white paper towel. If you leave the fur / hair on the towel the fleas will try and hide in it rather than hop all over the place so they are easy to squash with your fingernail.

Oils of grapeseed, eucalyptus, lavender, patchouli, cederwood. You could also try St John’s wort, pennyroyal, tansy, red sage, nettle.

For lice or fleas, oils of Aniseed, Sassafras or Quassia used externally — Sassafras most effective. Mix 1 part Sassafras oil with 2 parts olive oil, rub into scalp and hair and comb with a fine tooth comb to remove dead lice and eggs. Repeat daily until the hair is completely cleared of adults and eggs. Complete clearance is only possible when good diet and scrupulous hygiene are maintained.

An ecological approach to the whole parasite environment and host lifestyle is needed.

Homoeopathic
There is little that homeopathy has to offer for flea control other than constitutional treatment to improve health and resistance to fleas.

Proprietary Blends:
There are a thousand and one lotions and potions on the market but very few that actually work or a totally safe.
My choice is Flee Flea. I like the combination of ingredients, the way it works through the inside to the outside, strengthening skin integrity as it does so — thereby making the animal inhospitable to fleas. It has the advantage of acting as a tonic as well.

The Animal Health Clinic has a special Flea Control made of the cat and dog flea in a homeopathic preparation and combined with an herbal blend that works well. The Clinic recommends the combined use of both Flee Flea and their prep.

Dietary Changes
Change the diet — get some real food! Fresh raw meat and vegetables, herbs (do you have dandelion leaves, couch, chickweed, puwha, fathen, cleavers growing in your yard — chop them finely and add to the meal), garlic (a small clove daily for average dog), a pinch of nutritional yeast, a dash of organic apple cider vinegar and fresh fruit.

General Hygiene
Wash the animal’s bedding with eucalyptus wool mix. Hang out to dry on hot sunny days (heat kills fleas and their eggs). Apply some agriculture lime to outside grassy areas where pet sleeps (dries up the fleas), if its a bare dirt patch cover with black polythene on a hot sunny day. Keep your lawn short so that the sunlight can penetrate to the flea eggs.

Inside your home arrange some small leafy branches of eucalyptus trees behind your TV, sofa, under your beds. Use eucalyptus oil in your incense burner, put it in an atomiser and spray in those ‘hard-to-get-to’ places. Steam cleaning your carpet is an effective way of killing flea eggs if you have a severe infestation. Place a few drops of oil of eucalyptus in your vac bag before vacuuming to catch the live fleas and sprinkle a little essential oil on the outlet of the vacuum cleaner. This diffuses through the room.

Every client who has made some meaningful changes to his or her pets diet and opted for non-chemical flea, worm and vaccination control has noticed their pets no longer have a problem with fleas even if there is still the odd one around them.