How to Tell If Your Dog Has Fleas

As a dog owner, it is important to know how to tell if your dog has fleas. There are simple procedures to determine the presence of fleas on your pet. Fleas are more then a nuisance, as they also pose a serious health hazard to both you and your pet.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flea comb
• Wet paper towel

1. Pay attention to your dog's behavior. If he's scratching himself frequently, most likely he's got fleas. This is a signal to examine your dog for the presence of fleas.

2. Look at your dog's belly to see if there are any fleas or flea droppings, which look like tiny black dots. Fleas like the warmth of this area of a dog's body.

3. Comb a section of your dog's coat slowly using a flea comb.

4. See if there are any black specks or live fleas caught in the teeth of the flea comb.

5. Repeat the process using the flea comb on several different areas of your dog's body.

6. Check any black dots that you find on your dog to see if they are flea droppings by knocking them out of the comb onto a wet paper towel. If they are flea droppings, they will turn a reddish brown color.

Tips & Warnings

• The best way to keep your dog flea free is to check for fleas on a regular basis.
• Flea combs have teeth that are very close together. This type of comb is available at pet stores, supermarkets and variety stores.
• If your dog has long hair or a very thick coat, separate a small section of hair and run the flea comb over the skin and out toward the ends of the hair. Any fleas or flea dirt will be picked up by the comb.
• Be aware that just one flea can bite your pet more than 400 times in just one day.
• Fleas can infest your home's carpet, furniture and bedding.