Before You Start Treating for Fleas
The most obvious sign that your pet might be suffering from a flea infestation is frequent scratching. If you notice your pet is scratching or biting their skin, they could very well be fleas.
Looking for telltale signs of fleas
In order to be sure your pet has fleas, first try to locate adult fleas on their skin. Although fleas are tiny, if you look closely you may be able to find them, particularly on lighter skinned pets.
A flea comb can be helpful for this purpose. Flea combs have tiny, closely spaced teeth, and will remove adult fleas from your pet when used properly. Thoroughly combing your pet with this type of comb can locate adult fleas, as well as flea “dirt”, or excrement, which is another sure sign your pet has fleas.
Flea dirt is a sure sign of fleas
If you don’t have a suitable comb, you can try to locate flea dirt by examining your pet’s skin, particularly bare areas such as the belly. Flea dirt will look like tiny, dark specks. These specs are actually small bits of dried blood that have passed through the fleas’ system.
If you do find what appears to be flea dirt on your pet, collect some of the specks with a paper towel. Once you have some, moisten them with water. Since flea dirt is dried blood, the specks should turn reddish brown when dissolved in water. If they do turn reddish brown, that’s a pretty sure sign your pet has fleas.
Do you have flea bites?
If you’re suffering from bites yourself, especially on your ankles, that’s another sign you may have fleas on your pet and in your home. A good way to check for fleas in your home and yard is to wear white socks and shuffle around the areas your pet frequents. If you have fleas, it’s likely you’ll collect some on the socks, and they’ll be easy to spot on the white fabric.
If you determine your pet has fleas, don’t despair. Treat your pet and your home according to the information provided in this website. Your pet can be treated with a topical flea treatment, such as Frontline, and fleas in your home can be eliminated by following the recommendations in our home flea control page. The most important thing to remember is to treat both your pet and your home and yard to avoid re-infestation.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
hi my dog has that flea dirt also it has fleas their massive and red
okay. so my dog has black specks around her nipples and belly. i tried wiping them off but they want go away. they dont turn red? looks like pepper or dirt…what is it???
My pet shows no signs of having fleas my all the sudden there are a bunch of fruit fly/nat looking bugs flying around. Is this pet related?
Most of the times fruit flys and nats come from bananas and other fruit so most cases are not pet related. But if you are still not sure talk to your local vet
My dog has been scratching a lot and has been biting the area around his front and back paws. His stomach looks pink, as do his paws where he has been nibbling. Is this fleas or is it something else that I should take notice of. Or is he simply itchy? Please help, he gets into mischief all the time, and I would like to know if I have to spend even more money!!
Thanks!
Sandie Leslie
sometimes scratching can be allergies if there is no sign of fleas.
I treat my yelow lab every month for fleas and she stll bites and scratches. I still find fleas now and then.Why would they keep coming back.I use advantage so it’s not a cheap brand.We don’t get flea bites so where are they coming from.I feel so bad for her.
my dog has had a bright red belly for about a week now i have been keepsa close eye on it checked him for fleas no sign i got quite concerned when i noticed his nose getting red also the other puuie which they are inseparable i might add has nothing i heard it could be mange is this true?? is there any other signs that it could be that?
Hi my dog had some flea looking things on the top of her head, so I grabbed one and looked at it under a magnafying glass. It looked diffrent from the pictures I’ve seen, but I’m still worried. There where olny a small amount of fleas on her and i looked all over her belly and ears and the top of her head and couldn’t find any more. Should I still be on the look out for fleas? Or should I stop?
Hi Lindsay,
You might still want to treat your dog with Frontline or another topical, just to be on the safe side.
Why does my dog have flea dirt but no fleas? i found the flea dirt on his back near his tail… wet a cotton ball and it dissolved and turned red which from what i have been reading means flea dirt… Its Wednesday and he was at the groomers Sat but they didnt say anything? i have searched his entire body and see no Fleas? Does that mean theyre in the house?!?!
Hey Melissa,
Have you treated your dog at all for fleas? Frontline or some other topical? It sure sounds like flea dirt, and the fact it turned red with water sounds like blood to me. If you haven’t treated him for fleas, you might want to get some Frontline, just to be on the safe side.
Otherwise, maybe he just had a few, and he got rid of them some other way. Maybe they just don’t like him? Could be he’s eating something that turns them off. Hard to say, but knock wood.