A Low Cost Solution to Dog Fleas
By: Mahima Bhagwat
Description and Rationale
Living in the Philippines, one is exposed to a tropical environment that encourages heat and dirt. Because of this, many are put at a disadvantage of trying to keep themselves and their surroundings hygienic and suitable enough to live comfortably in. One issue that we have to deal with, in connection to cleanliness, is the fleas and ticks and various parasites that are attracted by our pets. Constant exposure of fleas to dogs can lead to flea allergy dermatitis (FAD). There are many possible diseases that can occur in the dogs from flea infestation, for instance, anemia, tapeworm and heartworm. In some cases if the infestation is particularly bad, death can occur. It is not uncommon for some of those diseases to occur in humans too.
Many people have dogs. They are able to understand and appreciate that keeping a dog clean and free of pests is no small task. Try as we might, it is almost impossible to keep our dogs from acquiring any amount of ticks and fleas. So we resort to buying things like flea collars or shampoos or even expensive medicines like Frontlineâ and Revolution to try and keep the pests away. But are these the most effective medicines? Is it possible to find another, cheaper, alternative that works just as well? Can experiments be carried out to test some new methods of flea control? Should research be carried out to see if it is possible for fleas and ticks to be eliminated before they appear on our dogs? Would keeping the surroundings of ourselves and our pets devoid of fleas and ticks by some method (like pest control) make it any easier to treat for them?
Would experiments with things like garlic or neem help in bringing us closer to finding a better solution? Internet sites like www.judyshealthcafe say that garlic usage for flea and tick prevention is safe and cheaper than things like Frontlineâ. With substances like neem and garlic in the medicine used to treat dogs, there is very little risk in experimentation. If these substances do indeed turn out to work successfully, then how would the information be communicated without offending companies that believe strongly in their own treatments?
The initial purpose of this project will be to research the biology of fleas that are most commonly found on dogs. This will be done through a search of the written as well as speaking to two or more dog owners who know how and when to treat their pets for fleas and ticks. These findings may help the experimental phase, where the cheapest and best way to treat fleas and ticks will be explored.
The findings and results of this experiment will show that much money need not be unnecessarily spent in the interests of pets. In a country like the Philippines, people living in poor communities do not live in a very hygienic environment. Keeping the area around them free of pests like fleas that can carry diseases and cause much distress would be very helpful to them. In addition, many people cannot afford to keep buying medication to keep their dogs pest free. So by reducing the cost of just one of the many things essential to all around well-being could be effective in raising the standard of living by just little.
main table of contents...
Biology
Common Names and Synonyms
“Kagaw” is the Filipino word for a flea, gnat or insect. Known widely to people as the dog flea or to flea enthusiasts as Ctenocephalides canis (Latin), these pests are found on canines and they feed off of canines. The dog flea is a constant irritant to people who own dogs and of course to the dog itself. The French synonym for the flea is “puce.”
Classification
Kingdom-Animalia (animals)
Phylum-Arthropoda (insects, crustaceans, arachnids, myriapods)
Class-Insecta (insects)
Order-Siphonaptera (fleas)
Family- Pulicidae (fleas that feed on humans/animals)
Genus- Ctenocephalides (fleas that feed on rats, cats and dogs)
Species- C. canis (dog)
main table of contents...
Morphology and Physical Description
Dog fleas and fleas in general are very small insects. Adults are only found to be about 1.5 to 3.3 mm long. They have long, tube-like mouth parts that are well adapted to feeding off the blood of their hosts. They have laterally compressed and hard bodies that enable easy movement through fur. Fleas have long legs, which enable them to jump high and fast (this makes it very hard to catch them) from one spot to another. Their hind legs aid in this characteristic as they can be up to 20 inches long, which is 200 times their own body length.The flea body is polished and covered with many hairs and short spines directed backward, which also assists its movement on the host. Its body is able to withstand great pressure, probably an adaptation resulting from constant scratching to get rid of them. Even hard squeezing between the fingers is normally insufficient to kill the flea. Ctenocephalides canis do not have compound eyes, although they do have lateral ocelli present, where the ocellus has only one lens. The antennae in a male is usually longer than a females although the female is bigger in size.
main table of contents...
Getting Food
When flea larvae come out from the egg, it feeds on any organic material like other insects, the feces of the adult fleas or even vegetable matter. When the larvae reach their full adult stage, they need blood to be able to survive and reproduce. As a resul t the female requires more blood and so feeds faster and in greater volume on the blood. To feed on the blood, the dog flea either taps into a capillary or cuts into the tissue of its host and feeds on the pool of blood that forms. Sometimes the eggs are laid on the host itself and the fleas survive off of that host. Other times they jump onto the host whenever they sense one is nearby. They transfer either from another host or from places like the garden, fields, etc. Their favorite places on their hosts are in furry places, the belly and the inner thighs. This is because fleas do not like the light too much and so prefer darker, more secluded areas to feed in.
main table of contents...
Reproduction
The kagaw reproduce sexually, and the female lays eggs in about batches of 20 usually on the host itself. The eggs can easily roll off the dog and that place becomes the habitat for the developing fleas. The eggs take from two days up to two weeks to hatch. When the eggs hatch, larvae emerge. They are in immediate need of food and they are blind. Larvae also avoid sunlight by keeping to dark places like cracks, crevices and bedding. If given a good supply of food and favorable living conditions, the larvae should pupate 1-2 weeks after the larval stage. This is when they weave a silken cocoon around themselves. After another one or two weeks, if temperature and humidity is favorable, the adult flea is fully developed and emerges from the cocoon. Sometimes however, the flea remains in the cocoon, waiting for a signal that a host is nearby. Vibrations of movement and sound, heat and carbon dioxide are the signal or stimuli indicating that a host is available. The dog flea’s total life cycle ranges from two weeks to about 3 months if conditions are favorable. The female flea lays about 400 eggs in her entire lifetime, 500 if growth rates are very high.
Flea larva
main table of contents...
Environmental Factors
Ctenocephalides canis is a plentiful, free-living flea. A few species especially those inhabiting coastal, semitropical, and tropical regions live by jumping on and off their hosts and breeding in open environmental conditions, such as floors of homes, pathways, barnyards, animal pens, and pet beds.
The best temperature for flea development in the flea's life cycle is from 70°F to 85°F.
If pesticides and pest control is used in the flea’s environment, its competitors are greatly reduced. The dog flea’s biggest competitors is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) and also other species of ticks, that are also a parasite that feed off of dogs.
main table of contents...
Origin and Distribution
Morphological and genetic evidence shows that the flea is a descendant of the Scorpionfly of the family Boreidae. It is hard to pinpoint where exactly the first species of C. canis occurred. But they have spread to many parts of Europe, where living conditions are suitable. There is a dense population in the United States. In places where it is tropical, such as the Philippines and semi- tropical dog fleas are abundant as the high temperatures provide a good environment for breeding and living conditions. Fleas have migrated through countries by way of their hosts.
main table of contents...
Importance to People
The dog flea is in no way helpful to people. They are most generally known as a pest to be got rid of. In a country like the Philippines, which is tropical, fleas breed successfully. Many people own dogs, and so they do not like the presence of kagaw. This means that they have to be vigilant of their dogs’ health and cleanliness. However, the cost of keeping the dogs free of fleas and ticks (flea collars, shampoos, combs, medicine) is high. Here in the Philippines, buying bottles of Frontline or Revolution for those that have more than one dog can really hurt the wallet. Experiments have been carried out by some to try and find a cheaper, home-make-able remedy for fleas but none are widely known.
Whatever is tried, there will always be fleas. The kagaw are too small to collect to make any use and the only option is to eliminate as much of them as possible to keep the environment for our dogs and selves hygienic. Fleas also carry diseases with them. Even the common dog flea can be lethal to any host it inhabits. As mentioned previously, some of the diseases are tapeworm, anemia and heartworm. Some fleas also carry the plague with them from rodents. If pets contract these parasites and diseases, then people are exposed to them continually, which is not healthy.
main table of contents...
Survivability and Endangered Status
Fleas are a curious insect. The dog flea, like others, has a hard body and even squeezing it between the fingers, or in the more relative case of dogs- scratching, is not enough to kill their numbers. Fleas are in abundance everywhere in the Philippines because of the tropical weather and some can even be found in sub-arctic temperatures. 90% or more of dog fleas are in the pupa or larval stage. The adult fleas make up only a small percent of the population as on average, they live little more than a month. Agencies like Rentokil Pest Control in Manila are very efficient in eradicating pests such as fleas. Careful studies are carried out on the insects that they plan to exterminate and the best method is employed. If people can afford such services, Rentokil performs it proficiently, reducing the number of problems for some families.
A call to the number (632) 6870201, which is the number of the Rentokil Pest Control here in Manila resulted in me receiving an answering machine that had its memory full with other messages. So while I could not leave a message myself, I tried to send an email to them on their website but it was not available as they did not have their email address posted up. I have sent a basic email via their website to them, but as yet have not received a reply.
(http://www.rentokil.com.ph/contact-us.htm)
main table of contents...
Potential Solutions
Is there a cheap and ideal medication to fleas on dogs that anybody can use? It has not been established by the researcher at this point if there are any, although there are several possible experiments that could be carried out to determine one that is good. At least one of these experiments needs to be carried out before it is advertised as a medication that can be used freely. These experiments have the potential to help a lot of people in the slum areas near the Pasig River or in congested and unhygienic communities found everywhere in Metro Manila who struggle to raise their standard of living. Below are three possibilities with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages for each. Along with each possibility is a current status report of progress made to date on each of the possibilities.
Possibility 1 -
Application of Neem leaf oil
Neem is a substance used in a variety of things. It is used in hair oil that is very effective in reducing the likelihood of lice in human hair. Neem is also used in sprays and shampoos for dogs and has been a great success. So far not many people are aware that neem can be used as a flea repellant in dogs. There are some shampoos available such as Neem Protect Pet Shampoo, but they have to be bought and can be expensive.
Advantages:
1. Just like hair oil on humans kills or hinders lice from living, neem oil may work on dogs too. The oil makes it slippery and hard for the flea to hold on, so when combed, the fleas will be removed more easily.
2. It may also affect the flea negatively if ingested and so will make it easier for the flea to be removed/killed.
3. Neem’s medicinal properties will further help to interrupt the flea lifecycle, thus hindering new fleas to be hatched, matured etc. and as a result limiting their population in the dog’s surroundings.
Disadvantages:
1. The application of oil may make the fur of the dog greasy and unpleasant. This may stop the owners from fondling the dog very often.
2. It will also spread wherever the dog goes making surfaces it contacts greasy as well. This means that the oil cannot be applied in large quantities, making it less effective.
3. The dog also may not like having a substance applied on it, as it may be uncomfortable. And since the substance may have to be applied often, it might be more than a little inconvenient.
main table of contents...
Possibility 2 -
Dosage of garlic with pet’s food
This remedy of fleas was completely unknown to me before research. Many favorable reports have come in from garlic usage, while many other reports say that it does not do much to repel fleas and only makes their pets smell awful. There have been many debates whether or not garlic works to get rid of fleas. The main reason that it would be effective with fleas and ticks is that its strong smell will not be pleasant for pests to reside in and so they will find somewhere else to go. Experiments that have been carried out, have given versatile results so I do not know which ones to trust. I was prevented from trying this out myself because dogs were not easily available where I could observe them personally.
Advantages:
1. Garlic is a very strong smelling food and when the dog takes it in, as the smell is secreted with sweat, fleas and ticks are repelled by it. They cannot survive well within strong smelling environments. As a result they will jump off the dog.
Disadvantages:
1. For the garlic to be effective, an adequate amount needs to be used and that will no doubt result in the pooch smelling very strongly unpleasant.
2. If it used too much, then the dog is also in danger of falling sick and in serious cases developing severe allergies to it. Some people regard giving garlic to a dog as bad as giving them chocolate.
main table of contents...
Possibility 3 -
Solution of Eucalyptus
Using a fellow classmate’s dogs for my experiment, I mixed some eucalyptus leaves found on the Faith campus with water and made it into a paste like shampoo, which I applied on the dogs and washed them with. Apparently the solution of the leaves makes the coats of the dogs shinier and healthier. It also helps with the fleas, but for it to be effective, the dogs would have to be washed frequently, about 3 or four times a week. Unfortunately, the home made shampoo seems not to work for ticks, as after the happy bathing time ticks were found on one of the dog’s ears.
I spoke with 8 people about my experiment and its results. Most seemed okay with learning about a new cheap medicine that could be used on their dogs. One of the drivers at Faith Academy said he had three dogs and he used the small 10 peso packets of Sunsilk to keep them clean and flea free. With the language barrier I had to find another Filipino to help him understand what I was trying to say. That was kind of hard and caused confusion as he repeatedly asked if what I was telling him about would cost him anything.
Advantages:
1. Eucalyptus is a herbal medicine known for its soothing effects. It will help the dog’s skin itch less because of the fleabites.
2. The fleas on the dog will be repelled by the strong smell of the herb (which, additionally, to the human nose is not unpleasant).
3. There is almost no danger of the dog having side effects from being treated with this herb.
4. The natural chemicals present in the leaf itself is like a poison to the flea because if they ingest it, it slowly disrupts their life cycle. It is efficient if used in the right quantity.
Disadvantages:
1. Eucalyptus trees are not available just anywhere you go. For easiest access and frequent use, the plants will have to be grown near the user’s house. Another option is for the user to find a place where they can buy the plant leaves regularly.
2. For this method to work satisfactorily, the dogs will have to be washed more than a couple of times a week. 3-5 at best. Many people cannot afford to give up so much time to each week to just washing their dogs.
main table of contents...
Bibliography
"Does feeding a dog garlic kill fleas?" answerbag. 2007. 10 May 2009 <http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/85050>.
FleaAndTick-4Less. 18 Apr. 2009
<http://www.fleaandtick-4less.com/>.
"Fleas on Dogs and Cats." The Pet Center.com. 16 Apr. 2009
<http://www.thepetcenter.com/gen/fleB.html>.
"Flea." Wikipedia. 7 May 2009. 9 Apr. 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea>.
"Natural Flea and Tick Control for Dogs and Cats." Judy's Health Cafe. 10 May 2009
<http://www.judyshealthcafe.com/flea-free.html>.
"Rentokil Pest Control Philippines." Rentokil. 2007. 17 Apr. 2009
<http://www.rentokil.com.ph/techinical-a-z-pests-dog-flea-6.4.3.9.htm>.
"Rentokil Pest Control Philippines." Rentokil. 2007. 11 May 2009 <http://www.rentokil.com.ph/contact-us.htm>.
"Using Neem Oil For Dogs." Discover neem. 2009. 10 May 2009 <http://www.discoverneem.com/neem-oil-for-dogs.html>.
main table of contents...
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.