Fleas, Fleas and More Fleas

The city of Port Elizabeth can be found on the South Eastern Coast of South Africa. Port Elizabeth is in the Eastern Cape province. Port Elizabeth has the perfect climate for fleas all year round.

-fleas love temperatures of 18-30°C
-fleas prefer a humidity of 70-80%

At Southern Cross Veterinary Clinic in Port Elizabeth, we see lots of dogs and cats who are allergic to fleas. Fleas play a part in the many skin problems that we treat.

-adult fleas can live for 1-2 weeks without feeding
-feeding fleas can survive for up to 100 days on a dog or cat
-after a blood meal, a female flea lays eggs

-a female flea can lay up to 50 eggs/day and up to 2000 eggs during her lifetime
-eggs fall off the pet into the environment
-eggs develop into larvae

-larvae hide from light so are found in cracks in the flooring, between floor planks and deep in the pile of carpets
-larvae develop into pupae

-pupae are very resistant and can remain in the environment for 3-4 months
-pupae develop into adult fleas

-the flea life-cycle takes 3-4 weeks but can be as fast as 2 weeks or as slow as 6 months depending on environmental conditions
-5% of the flea life-cycle (i.e. adult fleas) takes place on the dog or cat - this is what you can see!!
-95% of the flea life-cycle (i.e. eggs, larvae and pupae) takes place in the environment - this is what you cannot see!!

-use a good flea (and ideally tick) control product on all your pets every 3-4 weeks all year round
-use an environmental flea spray twice a year (do not forget to spray the car and garage).