While fleas are a problem throughout the year, now that summer has arrived so too has the warm humid air; these conditions are, unfortunately, ideal breeding conditions for fleas.
Without protection, your pet and home are at risk of flea infestation. But, what are fleas, and what can you do about them?
What are fleas?
Fleas are small, dark brown, wingless, blood sucking insects that bite cats, dogs and rabbits – and occasionally humans! When they bite, their saliva causes an itch, in some cases they can cause viral or bacterial illnesses, and they are also an intermediate host to worms.
Unfortunately, fleas are really only obvious when they are adults, and this represents less than 5% of the total flea population that might be in your home! As a result, it is usually the behaviour of our pets that alert us to the problem, first!
It is therefore important to know the signs and symptoms associated with the presence of fleas - and how you can treat infestations - in order to keep our pets happy and healthy.
Symptoms of flea infestation
There are a number of symptoms that you might notice if you pet has fleas, these include

• Scratching
• Agitation, edginess and restlessness
• Chewing and biting
• Excessive licking
• Pale gums
• Patchy areas of hair loss
• Skin abrasions and hot spots

Of course, these could be symptoms of something else too, so it is advisable to identify the cause of your pet's discomfort before you treat them, just in case.
Treatment and control

There are several ways of treating for fleas, directly and indirectly
There are two main methods for treating your pets directly; internal treatments (i.e. ingested by your pet) and external, or topical, treatments (i.e. applied directly on to the animal); there are also products that treat the affected environment!
External Treatments - these include Spot on liquids like Frontline Plus, liquid that is applied to the skin between your pet’s shoulder blades and absorbed into the body. These treatments usually protect your pet for around 30 days, from all parts of the flea’s lifecycle.
Other external treatments include, flea collars, shampoos and flea combs. Flea combs are particularly useful for newborn and very young pets where other treatments could be toxic to them.
Internal Treatments - these include tablets and injections. The former does not kill the adult flea; rather, they prevent the eggs from hatching and therefore developing into adults, while in the latter, although effective for 6 months, requires the flea to bite the host before becoming useful. This method is only available from a vet, and is rarely used. This is due to the possible side effects that might occur with a medication that is continuously effective for up to 6 months.
Environmental Treatments  - In order to prevent a recurrence it is recommended that you treat your home as well as your pet at the same time. This involves vacuuming thoroughly, especially in areas where your pet frequents - it is estimated that vacuuming can remove up to 50% of flea eggs!
In severe infestations, you should discard the vacuum bag straight after use. You should also wash your pet’s bedding thoroughly and keep on doing so in case of re-infestation.
Other ways to help following an infestation is by cleaning your pet’s bedding and other items where fleas might hide in hot water. You can also purchase sprays for use on carpets and furnishings, which will kill all stages of the flea's life-cycle and are often effective for several months.
As a result, in order to prevent inconvenience to you and improve your pet’s comfort; prevention, in this case, is better than cure, so make sure that you treat your pet on a regular basis.
For more details about fleas please visit our dedicated advice page, where you can find links to all our flea control products.