how can you tell if a dog has fleas or if it's just dry skin?

Answer 1

Often a dog will have fleas and you will still never see one. A dog with fleas will have "flea dirt"--little black specks that are actually flea feces, made up of dried blood, on their skin and often on their bedding. If you gather some of this "dirt" and get it wet it should turn red.

Basically, white dandruff=dry skin, black dandruff=fleas.

Here are a couple of websites about it.

Answer 2

I would check around his face. Fleas need water to live so they nest often on the face close to the eyes, mouth and nose. Another easy place to check would be their belly as there is less hair. If their skin is flaky and I found no fleas I would assume he has some allergies and may need an allergy shot.

Answer 3

Go to petsmart and buy a flea brush ( not sure the exact naming ), this will seperate even the smallest fleas from your dogs coat

Answer 4

Give him or her a bath. If you see a lot of black things moving away fromt he water he has fleas. If you are unsure a flea bath should not hurt the dog.

Answer 5

You can actually see the fleas

Answer 6

if the black dots are moving, it's fleas

Answer 7

If they're black and moving then they're fleas