Fleas
Fleas are the most common external parasite of dogs. Even the best-kept dogs can be infested with fleas, especially if they regularly leave their property.
Left untreated the infestation quickly becomes a much bigger problem and can lead to other things such as tapeworm infection, anaemia (low red cells in the blood) and skin conditions such as flea allergy dermatitis.
But I bathed the dog...
Many dog owners think that simply bathing their dog will solve the problem, but this is not the case. To understand how to truly keep on top of fleas, you first need to understand their lifecycle.
Fleas are a little bit like a mosquito in that they feed on blood. Without a feed of blood, they are unable to mature and lay their eggs. So to the flea, your greyhound is simply a moving restaurant – they jump on, have a feed, leave and then lay their eggs and die. The majority of the flea lifecycle takes place away from the dog – in the bedding, kennels, or even in the carpet of your house if your dogs come inside. So what you see on the dog is only the tip of the iceberg.
How does the dog get fleas in the first place?
Even if your property is completely flea-free, your dogs can become infested if fleas are brought onto the property. This can be via a new dog, through straw-type bedding (often infested from rabbits that live in hay sheds), or from yours or the neighbour’s cat that has been off wandering and has picked up a few fleas on their travels. Dogs, cats and rabbits all share the same fleas. Your dog may also pick up fleas when off your property.
The flea simply jumps onto the dog as it goes past. Once on the dog, the flea will usually head towards the rear, often spending most of the time in the hair above the base of the tail. This is why the best place to look for fleas is in this area, or in the less hairy parts of the dog such as the belly area or inside the thighs. Seeing fleas with the naked eye can be hard as they don’t like light, so if you part the dog’s hair the fleas will scramble into the dark areas.
Sometimes the only thing you will see is ‘flea-dirt’. This is simply the waste matter the flea passes out after digesting its meal. Flea dirt looks like normal grains of dark dirt in the coat, but if you wet it, it dissolves and turns a reddish colour. Similarly, if you are bathing the dog, and the water hits the flea dirt, it will turn into a reddish stain. If there is flea dirt, there are fleas, whether you can see them or not.
What happens once the flea is on the dog?
Once on the dog, they start feeding. The flea will suck blood from the dog, injecting saliva as they do it. This flea saliva can cause allergic reactions in some dogs, and they will quickly start to bite and scratch at themselves – similar to a person who is allergic to mosquito bites. This can lead to severe coat problems, dermatitis, and damage to the skin from biting and scratching.
Once the flea has had its meal of blood, it will start to lay eggs which simply drop off the dog. Each flea can lay hundreds of eggs, and these eggs can survive in the environment for quite a long time (even years) and are quite hard to kill. Because the eggs drop off the dog, common places for egg infestation are bedding, resting areas, and kennels – all places where dogs spend a lot of time.
Hatching of the eggs occurs when the temperature and humidity is right. The hatching can also be triggered by vibration. This explains why people who move into an empty house that has previously had pets often end up with flea bites – their movement triggers the eggs to hatch and the fleas have no pets to jump onto, and end up biting the people instead!
Flea eggs hatch into larva, which look similar to a microscopic maggot. They are not as tough as the eggs, and need warm, humid conditions to mature. The larvae then spin a little cocoon for themselves and turn into the next lifecycle stage – the pupae. The pupae can survive for months before hatching into adult fleas, so even if you think you have got rid of all the adult fleas, you will still have pupae waiting to hatch when the conditions are right.
How long does it take?
The whole lifecycle of the flea – from adult to eggs to adult can take as little as 2 weeks in the warm, humid months, meaning one flea can turn into hundreds which can turn into thousands in under a month! That is why flea problems tend to be worst in the spring and summer months when the weather is just right.
What should I do to keep my dogs flea-free?
Only 5% of the flea problem is adult fleas on the dog, so the only way to be successful in controlling fleas is to address the environmental infestation as well. In the past, people used flea combs to remove the adult fleas from the dog’s coats, but when the dog goes back to its kennel it gets re-infested.
Similarly, bathing the dog with a flea shampoo, or using a flea rinse will certainly kill the fleas on the dog at the time of the bath and rinse them from the coat, but it will do nothing to stop the dog becoming re-infested. Add to this, many of the ‘old-fashioned’ flea rinses are quite toxic, and there is little point to using them if you want to truly solve the problem.
These days there are many ‘spot-on’ products that not only kill the fleas on the dog when applied, but go on working to kill the fleas for up to a month. This can work quite well as you are basically using the dog to clean the environment – the eggs hatch, the fleas jump on and die, no new eggs are laid. The environmental store of eggs gradually all hatch and you end up with reduced environmental contamination. There are also products that have an added ingredient that stops the eggs from hatching. The product crystallizes and small crystals fall off into the dog’s bedding and elsewhere, causing any eggs there to become sterile.
Finally, addressing the environmental contamination can also reduce the burden. Regularly vacuuming carpets will remove eggs, but remember to empty the vacuum bag into the bin as the eggs will still be alive in the bag. Regularly washing dog blankets and bedding in hot (>60Oc) water for more than 10 minutes, or completely replacing carpet used in the kennels will also keep the environment cleaner. Avoid giving your dogs access to areas such as under the house, where the humidity and temperature are right for a fast flea lifecycle and where cleaning is almost impossible.
Finally, make sure that any new dogs coming onto your property are treated for fleas. Treating the arriving dogs yourself with a good quality flea product will ensure you keep the fleas away. Ask your veterinarian for advice on which products would best suit your greyhound.
Meet our dogs ready for adoption
All greyhounds adopted from GAP are de-sexed, vaccinated, microchipped, wormed and health checked.

Bellatrix


Xinji ARP
Xinji (pronounced Shin-jee) is a lovely young girl who has a world of love to give you. She can be a bit of a worrier and can be shy when she first meets you, but with a little bit of time and patience, we know she will blossom into a wonderful companion. She walks well on the lead and will be looking for a quiet household to settle into. She may be happy living with or without another canine companion of any size, though she would prefer having access to a backyard. She may also suit full time workers and living with children aged in their teens.

Hermione


Jett


Coco ARP

Meet the lovely big boy, Coco. Even though he is big, he is a very polite, gentle, sensible boy who is affectionate and loves a pat and wants to please his person. If you love taking long drives in your car, well Coco will be your sidekick for the ride, as he loves to travel in the car and would spend all day in there if you’d let him. Coco may suit living with or without a medium or large canine pal and children aged 10 years and older.

Sally ARP


Sweet, happy, affectionate and super friendly are all things that make up Sally! She is a happy-go-lucky pup that just LOVES people. She has experience in a home and loves her treats. We think she may suit living with or without another male dog of any size and children 5 and over.

Rose ARP


Meet Rose, a 5-year-old lady with a heart of gold. Formerly known as Lady Rosina Hook on the racetrack, she's traded in her racing shoes for a life of leisure and love. This sweet and friendly girl is a people person, thriving on attention and interaction. Though she can be cautious and anxious at times, Rose is always willing to try, making her a lovable companion. With her personable nature, she'll charm her way into your heart. And with her great social skills, Rose gets along swimmingly with dogs of all sizes - she's a true lady! She may do best in a home with older children aged 10 years+.

Freddie ARP

Meet Freddie, a sleek black 4 year old boy. His race name is "Transponder" but let's call him "Signal Strong" because he's always transmitting love and affection to those around him. This friendly and outgoing guy is always on the same wavelength as his humans, craving attention and connection. With a puppyish playfulness and a dash of submissiveness, Freddie is a team player who'll fit right in with any pack. Tune in to Freddie's frequency and discover a loyal companion who'll be by your side through thick and thin! Freddie may suit living with or without a canine companion of similar size and children aged as young as 5 years old.

Stumpy ARP


Meet Stumpy, the adorable 21-month-old greyhound who's as sweet as can be! This little gem was born without a tail, making her one-of-a-kind. With her youthful energy and puppy-like charm, Stumpy is a bundle of joy. Despite being tiny in size, her personality is larger than life - friendly, personable, and always eager to please. Stumpy can get a bit anxious, but she's always willing to try, making her a lovable companion. Get ready for a lifetime of snuggles and smiles with this pretty little greyhound! Stumpy may suit living with or without a canine friend of any size and children aged 10 years and older.