FLEAS AND LICE

Fleas and Lice

With nearly 2,000 species and subspecies, fleas thrive in warm, humid environments, and feed on the blood of their hosts. Dogs play host to the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis), whose dark brown or black body is usually one to three millimeters in length.

Fleas are hearty and nimble, and when searching for a host, they can jump 10,000 times in a row (the length of three football fields). Three pairs of legs make for excellent leaping capabilities (up to two feet), and a laterally flattened body allows for quick movement in a dog’s fur.

With a complete life cycle ranging anywhere from 16 days to 21 months, depending on environmental conditions, fleas are most commonly found on a dog’s abdomen, the base of the tail and the head. With heavy infestations, however, fleas can thrive anywhere on the body. They feed once every day or two, and generally remain on their host during the interim.

 Cats and dogs are the main host, human may also be affected by fleas bite. 

- Each bite produce a small, hard, red spot with a noticeable puncture wound. 
- Female flea only mate once but she can lay 25 eggs a day and produce several hundred eggs during  her life. 

                    Flea after Feeding

                                  Fleas

Life Cycle of Fleas..

- Have four main stages in their life cycle

- The total flea life cycle can range from a couple weeks to several months, depending on environmental conditions.

ADULT: The adult flea is very flat side to side. There are hair-like bristles on the flea body and legs to aid in their navigation through pet hair. Fleas have 3 pairs of legs, the hindmost pair designed for jumping. Fleas are well known for their jumping abilities.

Adult fleas prefer to live on the animal and their diet consists of blood meals courtesy of the host animal. The female flea lays white, roundish eggs. The adult female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day1, 500-600 eggs2 over several months

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EGG: The eggs are not sticky (like some parasites), and they usually fall off of the animal into the carpet, bedding, floorboards, and soil. When the flea egg hatches varies -- anywhere from two days to a few weeks, depending on environmental conditions. The larva emerges from the egg using a chitin tooth, a hard spine on the top of the head that disappears as the flea matures

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LARVA (plural = larvae): The larval stage actually has three developmental stages within this stage. Larvae are about 1/4" (6.35 mm) long, and semi-transparent white. They have small hairs along their body and actively move. They eat the feces of adult fleas (which is mostly dried blood) and other organic debris found in the carpet, bedding, and soil. Depending on the amount of food present and the environmental conditions, the larval stage lasts about 5 to 18 days (longer in some cases) then the larva spins a silken cocoon and pupates.

PUPA (plural = pupae): The pupa is the last stage before adult. The adult flea can emerge from the cocoon as early as 3 to 5 days, or it can stay in the cocoon for a year or more, waiting for the right time to emerge. When is the right time? (Never, say pet lovers everywhere!) Stimuli such as warm ambient temperatures, high humidity, even the vibrations and carbon dioxide emitted from a passing animal will cause the flea to emerge from the cocoon faster. This brings us back to the adult flea.

The entire life cycle is quite variable, as evidenced by the variability in each life stage progression. As mentioned above, the cycle can be as short as two weeks or as long as two years.

Disease that carry by Fleas.

1. Parasitic dermatitis is an allergic reaction that is caused by a pet's hypersensitivity to substances in flea saliva.
2. Bartonella strains are bacterial parasites that are transmitted through flea or tick bites. Bartonella  can infect humans, dogs, cats and rodents.
3. The most notable flea is xynopsylla which carry Yersinia pestis.

LICE

1. Lice are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that feed on your blood. Lice are easily spread especially by schoolchildren through close personal contact and by sharing belongings.

2. 

The head louse (plural, lice) is scientifically known as Pediculus humanus capitis, and an infestation with head lice is medically known as Pediculosis capitis.

3. Head lice are obligate parasites. This means that they cannot survive without a human host—this species can live only on human hosts, so you cannot get them from your dog, cat, guinea pig, or any other kind of furry pet you may have.

4.Head lice have no wings, so they cannot fly. They have six legs with claws at the ends—that is how they attach themselves to hair.

5. It is important to emphasize that poor hygiene, skipped baths or showers, or any other hygiene issue is not the cause of head lice. Children who live in crowded conditions may have more of a problem with head lice, but that is only because they are living close to one another and may sleep in the same bed.

6. The only way head lice spread from one person to another is by direct head-to-head contact (as when kids hug or put their heads together to look at the same book) or by the sharing of hats, caps, hair ties, scarves, or any personal item such as combs or brushes.

7. Lice feed on blood—they use their mouth parts to bite into the skin and secrete a substance that acts to block clotting. They feed about four to five times every day.

8. Head lice can be found anywhere on the scalp, but are commonly found on hairs at the back of the neck and around the ears.

9. There are a number of treatments that can effectively get rid of head lice—these include over-the-counter (OTC) products, natural products, and prescription medications.

10. Body lice are a bit different from head lice. They lay their eggs on clothing instead of on the body. Body lice can carry a number of diseases, including louse-borne typhus, relapsing fever, trench fever, and bubonic plague.

           

• Head lice. These lice develop on your scalp. They're easiest to see at the nape of your neck and over your ears.
• Body lice. These lice live in clothing and on bedding and move onto your skin to feed. Body lice most often affect people who aren't able to bathe or launder clothing regularly, such as homeless or transient individuals.
• Pubic lice. Commonly called crabs, these lice occur on the skin and hair of your pubic area and, less frequently, on coarse body hair, such as chest hair, eyebrows or eyelashes.

Life cycle of Lice..

How to Control the Lice??

• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfest combs and brushes used by an infested person by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5–10 minutes.
• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person.
• Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay. However, spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
• Do not use fumigant sprays or fogs; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
• Avoid a poor hygiene 
• Good sanitary 

Enjoy the video ;)