How to Identify Signs of Fleas

Your cat or dog looks to be in some discomfort and is constantly scratching or biting their fur.  Is it a skin infection or could it be fleas feeding? But what do fleas look like? Before you take your pet to the vet there are a couple of ways to check if you have fleas in the home.

Signs of Fleas

If you are concerned about fleas, you can look for these signs:

• Can you see fleas crawling on your pet’s coat? They are normally reddy-brown and about 2mm long.
• Check the hind-quarters of your dog or the head and neck of your cat. These are the areas that are targeted and where you might see signs of flea activity.
• Carefully look at your pet’s skin for fine black droppings. This is ‘flea dirt’ or adult flea faeces and looks like ground black pepper. A good way to spot it is to use a flea comb over a sheet of white paper, which makes it easier to see the small black specks.
• Another sign of a problem is flea dirt on pet bedding, carpets or rugs.

If you have spotted any of these signs call Rentokil free on 246 429 3546 and we’ll call you back within 24 hours (Monday – Friday) to arrange an appointment.

Looking for Flea Eggs

Sometimes it’s easy to think you’ve got rid of the fleas in your home when you haven’t. This is because flea eggs are very difficult to spot.

Fleas will lay their eggs on your pet’s body. But they won’t stay there. Eggs easily fall off and can become hidden in carpets, rugs, bedding or gaps between floorboards. Flea eggs are tiny (only about 0.5mm long), oval and white. This makes them almost impossible to see against rough surfaces and materials.

Need help with treating fleas?

If fleas keep coming back, or you want to make sure they are eliminated first time, just get in touch with our experts.

Call Rentokil free on 246 429 3546 and we’ll contact you within 24 hours to arrange an appointment to get rid of fleas in your home or business.