Fleas

Health & Well Being
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.

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0 Years Old

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Harris

3 years old

Talk about a big softie! This lovely boy is such a sweetheart, he leans into you pats and looks up to you with his big eyes. He can be a little shy in new environments but soon bounces back to his joyful self! We think he may suit many households as long as there is a nice yard for him to relax and explore in.

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Bobby

3 years old

Bobby is a lovely young man, just look at his beautiful light-coloured eyes, they seem to stare into your soul. Bobby is a social, friendly and affectionate boy who is keen to move into his furever home. He may suit living with or without a canine pal of similar size and children aged 10years and older.

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Shiny

4 years old

Meet Shiny, the sparkling gem of a greyhound who's sure to brighten up your life! This quiet and gentle soul is a sweet and affectionate girl who loves people and adores treats. Shiny's a laid-back companion who'll fit right into your daily routine, bringing joy and calm to your home. Shiny may be suited to a household with kids aged 5+ and for a home with either no other dogs or a male canine companion that gets along with her gentle nature. She also might be a great fit for elderly owners or apartment living,as she's low-maintenance and doesn't require a lot of space. And, surprisingly, Shiny might even live harmoniously with a cat! If you're ready for a loving and gentle companion, Shiny might be the perfect fit for your family.

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Trixie

3 years old

Trixie is full of tricks! Well not yet but we know she is a smart cookie that will pick up on things very quickly, maybe even get up to some mischief if she catches you napping on the job of Greyhound Servant! We think this beautiful, affectionate and sweet little girl may be ok for families with children 10 and over and another male canine companion of any size, she may even suit living with a feline friend! Go Trixie!

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Ravioli

2 years old

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This delicious girl has her eyeliner on and is ready to hit the streets and show off her glamourous looks! Maybe even stopping for a bite to eat at your favourite Italian spot! Miss Ravioli is not only beautiful, she is sweet, kind and affectionate. She can be a little reserved at first but soon warms up and leans in for a cuddle. We think she may suit living with children10 and over and maybe even another medium or larger male canine for company. We also think she would be best off in a home that has a yard as she is still only young and can take her time to adjust to new environments.

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Shell

2 years old

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This sweet little girl is Shell, and she is one that will need to come out of her “shell” a little when she goes into her forever home. But she will blossom as a sweet, puppyish girl that is excitable and bubbly when she is comfortable. We think she may suit living as an only dog or with another medium to large male canine companion and somewhere

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Sue ARP

2 years old

Meet the beautiful little Sue! Not only is she drop dead gorgeous, but she is also super sweet. Sue is a very gentle girl and can come across as a tad shy and puppyish to begin with but doesn't take her long to let her lovely personality shine bright. She can be a little on the anxious side at times so would benefit from having a patient and understanding family, who are willing to show her that she's doing okay and help teach her about the world. She may suit living as an only dog or with a canine companion of similar size, who is calm and respectful. She may suit living with children from 10 years and older. Due to her puppyish nature, we don't think Sue would be suitable to live in an apartment and needs a yard to let out those zooms. Look at that little face! She really is a character once she lets her hair down. Good girl, Sue! THIS LOVELY DOG WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AT OUR UPCOMING ADOPTION DAY ON SUNDAY 27TH JULY! REGISTER VIA GAP WEBSITE.
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Rocko ARP

5 years old

Rocko is a quiet, loving and laid-back boy who shines as bright as the sun. He is such a sweetheart and can't wait until he has a forever family to love, and who will love him in return. Rocko is a treat connoisseur and will appreciate devouring them, thank you very much! He is also a social sort and will enjoy going on outings with you to well, wherever! This trusty side-kick may even suit apartment living due to his placid nature! He would likely be ok with children aged 5 or older and is ok to live with full time workers. Good boy Rocko, your heart is as big as your appetite and we're here for it! THIS LOVELY DOG WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AT OUR UPCOMING ADOPTION EVENT ON SUNDAY 27TH JULY. REGISTER VIA THE GAP WEBSITE.
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Cricket

7 years old

JIMINY CRICKET! Its the next love of you life waiting for you to come get her! Our Cricket is a absolute sweetheart that everyone falls in love with. She is quiet, sensible, laidback and gentle, but then when you bring her toys out she is a bouncy, fun, excited girl that loves to play (she is still trying to master the part where she brings the toys back to you though!). Cricket has spent sometime learning about other breeds of dogs and how to greet them and is ready to show off her new skills. She may suit many homes including an apartment or even with an older owner. She may also like living with Children 5+ and another medium or larger male companion. Cricket has Pannus, an autoimmune disease of the eyes. this is controlled and maintained with daily drops. He also has an old elbow fracture, which has some arthritis in it. We have started a course of pentosan injections (arthritis injections) to help with this. THIS LOVELY GREYHOUND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AT OUR UPCOMING ADOPTION DAY ON SUNDAY 27TH JULY! REGISTER VIA GAP WEBSITE
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Harriet

6 years old

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Meet the gorgeous Harriet, or affectionately known as "Harry" for short. She has a beautiful soft and healthy coat; you'll want to pat and cuddle her all day long. We think she may have the softest belly we've ever come across here at GAP - it's like velvet! She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, she loves people more than anything! Harriet is a placid girl once she gets her 5 minutes of energy out, and she says that a daily walk is a must! Harriet may suit living with or without a canine pal of similar size and will need a home without children. Harry really is such an affectionate little girl who can't wait to shower you with love. THIS LOVELY GREYHOUND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION AT OUR UPCOMING ADOPTION DAY ON SUNDAY 27TH JULY! REGISTER VIA GAP WEBSITE
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