The easiest way to tell if your pet has fleas is to see the live insects on your pet. Pay close attention to the flea’s favorite spots (on the face and chin, on the rump by the tail, and in the more sparsely haired areas on the belly). Sometimes, though, there may not be many fleas and they can hide while you are searching for them. In this case, a flea comb is helpful in determining your pet’s flea status. A flea comb will pick up two things--fleas and flea dirt. Flea dirt (tiny black specks about the size of poppy seeds) is actually flea feces composed of digested blood. If you find small black specks and are not sure if you are finding "flea dirt" or just plain dirt, place the specks on a damp paper towel--if you see red then it is flea dirt.
Other signs range from scratching and biting at the skin to more severe dermatitis. Your pet can be highly allergic to fleas (flea allergic dermatitis is the most common skin disease in pets) and although you may not see fleas, they may still be present so check your pet any let’s stay flea free this year.
--Dr. Melinda, Hartz R&D Team
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Dr. Melinda is the resident veterinarian at Hartz and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.
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