What symtoms do dogs have with fleas?

Answer 1

Usually scratching or biting themselves, mostly by the base of their tail.

If they have fleas you can see them easily. Look on their stomach. If you see something that looks like dirt, its actually called flea dirt (their poo).

Top Spot for dogs is a good product as it kills the fleas and their eggs. It can be purchased at a vet, I'm not sure if a pet store carries it, but they should.

You can also try a flea comb, which is what I used on my cats. Have a tub with water and dish soap in it handy. Brush the dog, the fleas will get stuck in the flea comb, put the flea comb in the water and the fleas will die.

Try to get to the root of the problem before they infest your house or start to bite you.

Answer 2

Scratching obviously, also they may rub their chins and ears off the floor, and they bite themselves so much so that they start to hurt themselves.

Checks for fleas should always be made in the most common areas which include the undercarriage (belly) insides of the legs and the 'armpit' areas, and around the base of the tail. As groomers we often find fleas on dogs that have been to the vet and have been diagnosed as not having fleas. This proves that they are notoriously difficult to spot sometimes. Even if your vet tells you your dog doesn't have fleas, always check yourself too. They might miss the fact your dog is crawling lol.

Treatments from pet shops, as someone rightly said, are just not as effective as the real stuff from the vet. Frontline, Spot On and Advantage are the most common and reliable. Flea collars are not worth bothering with as they DON'T WORK and become toxic when wet. also when treating flea infestations, your house should be thoroughly hoovered and all bedding etc your dog has been lying on should be machine washed as this kills all the fleas and their eggs. Pay particular attention to warm areas like under radiators when vaccuuming as this is a favourite spot for fleas.

Remember - any fleas found on your dog after treatment DON'T indicate a reinfestation, they may simply have jumped on your dog from the carpets etc. The treatment your dog receives for fleas will eventually kill these strays.

Answer 3

Hi the first signs can be scratching more than normal & chewing at the area above their tail...easy way to find out if the dog has fleas.If the dog has a dense coat making it difficult to see them is to use a comb around the sides of the neck just below the ear & the area just above the tail...take the dirt & hair that you have on the comb & place it on clean white paper...look for the gritty dirt & put a few DRIPS of water onto it...if this starts to show color like a redish color then this is a sure sign that the dog does have flea as what makes the color is dried flea poo in your dogs coat...ALWAYS GET FLEA TREATMENT FROM A VET..pet store stuff is not as good & might cost you a lot only to find you have not cured the problem & still have to seek a vets prescrition type of flea treatment...Regards Jake
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PetsSecondChance

Answer 4

Also you will see small dark specs on your dog's skin. These are small bits of dried blood left by the flea bits.

There are great, long term flea products on the market today that cost about $10 a month. There is no reason in this day and age for your pet to have fleas.

Answer 5

excessive scratching. If your dog has light coloured fur, try to separate fur at back of his neck and look near the skin, if you see little black flecks- that's flea dirt. If you dog is dark in colour, put couple of white pieces of paper as close beside him (or right under him if he is small) and give him a vigorous rub. If you see black flecks appear on the paper then that's flea dirt.

also, check your own ankles, if you have little red pick marks the fleas are in your carpets.

I wanted to add - do not use a pet store flea product -get one from your vet (Advantage, for example) some pet store products can cause your dog to seizure.

Answer 6

They itch and scratch a lot, especially near the base of their tails. Take a white paper towel and get it damp with water rub it over your pet and if they have fleas black debris will fall off, smear it on the wet paper towel if it turns red that is flea dander (or poop) Also check their belly and armpits fleas are attracted to warm spots. I would apply frontline or advantage regardless this time of year fleas are really bad.

Answer 7

Besides the obvious of scratching... a lot...you can usually see the fleas by laying your dog on her/his back and looking closely at their tummy and around their privates, rub their tummy area and the fleas will usually run. Bath your dog with a 'dog flea' shampoo, starting at her/his neck to keep fleas from running into her/his ears. ;)

Answer 8

They scratch & bite themselves a lot. If you think your dog has fleas, look under the fur at the skin....do you see little black dots/bugs? If so, chances are your dog has fleas

Answer 9

Scratching, and biting.

Answer 10

yes definately constant scratching.