How do you check for fleas on dogs?

Comments

  1. Bluealt

    Look on the dog’s shoulders, ears, rump and on the stomach. Part the hair to see the skin. You’ll be able to see the little black fleas crawling around on the skin. Or the dog may be scratching at them. Look in the spot where the dog is scratching to see if you can see them. If the dog has fleas you can bathe him in medicated flea shampoo and get some flea drops at the vet.’

  2. girl_los

    fleas generally frequent areas such as the collar area, under arms, anus area… so check these first. He may also show signs of rashing or heat spots and eventually fatigue and anemia. A bath with a simple bar of coal tar soap (about $1.50 and available at most health stores) can be very helpful. Do not rinse first – start at the collar area and around the head (they like to hide in the ears, eyes, etc) and do the main flea areas first with water and the soap. then when he’s fully lathered, make him sit for as long as he will stand it (hopefully about 8 minutes) and rinse well. repeat this a week later and then again. Don’t be afraid if you notice red coming off of him as he is being bathed – he’s not bleeding to death, it is just flea poop. Remember that a healthy dog is less likely to be affected with fleas, so make sure he has a good diet! (my dog food of choice is “GO Naturals” and a raw meat diet with added EFA’s) Good luck!

  3. qwerty h

    part it’s hair so you can see it’s skin or sometimes you can just see them crawling through the fur

  4. Been There~Done That!

    You usually don’t have to they will let you know by scratching until it makes you crazy.
    Look on the belly (less hair to dig through) and you will see black specs or fleas themselves.
    Treat the dog with Frontline Plus. Don’t use that stuff you get in PetCo or PetSmart.

  5. not the real me

    If you suspect fleas, but can’t see them, try this:
    Wet a large piece of paper towel and stand you dog on top of it. Then brush or comb you dog. If anything that falls on the wet towel turns into little red specks, that’s the blood from flea bites.
    Whether not your dog has fleas this time around, you should consider using one of the proprietary flea pills once a month. They really do work (check with your vet for the best brand and correct dosage). I wish I’d had that option years ago when my lab suffered badly from flea bites no matter how much we treated her with topical products.
    Good luck–and stop the problem before it starts.

  6. sharrona

    I don’t. . . the dog tell’s me……
    the big scratch. part the hair, very, very small running black dots are running along nose to ear area.
    Had this once that was enough. Took care of it, and in 25 years,
    never had fleas on a dog again – resolution medication.
    good luck

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