It is quite easy to check your dog for any flea infestation. Do so whenever you are brushing or even petting your dog. Always take note of the animal’s skin condition, checking his fur as well.

When you do this, a few things to keep an open eye for are:

• Is the skin clean?
• Is the fur clean?
• Does the dog have an odor, even within 24 hours of a fresh bath?
• Where is the odor coming from?

The most common culprit is the flea

95% of the time any issues you find will be the result of fleas feeding off your pet. The flea causes much irritation on your dog due to sucking the canine’s blood. Flea saliva can cause your pet to become allergic to the bite. This will cause far worse scratching than a dog that does not have this sensitivity.

What is even more terrible about fleas is they spread tapeworms inside your pet. If the dog ingests the flea then it tapeworms start to grow. All it takes is a small group of these vampires to cause problems.

Where do they come from?

The tiny flea that jumps around is visible on the pet’s skin. Every time you take your dog for a stroll or a romp in the yard he is a potential victim to these parasites. The flea might not be there when you go out the door, but after that bush that you strolled by, the flea has just hitched a ride after a 2 foot jump!

The flea only bites to suck blood that will nourish it’s eggs. Then it will hop off most likely in your home – especially the carpet. Then come the eggs that hatch into a mob.

If you start to see your dog scratching more than usual after an outing then check for fleas. Fleas can sometimes look like little moving black dots. If your dog has fleas bad enough you might see what is called “flea dirt”. This is a waste product from the flea like dried blood and even at times eggs.

So brush your dog often and move that fur around to check for parasites. Check his back, the ears, along his neck and torso. Also check the belly and around the tail. If you find fleas then bathe your dog and get flea repellent for the inside of the house. And do not panic when the flea comes for a visit – every dog owner will encounter this problem at one point or another. It’s just part of having a family pet.