Warm weather is here, and with it the increased likelihood that your dog or cat could suffer a flea infestation.

Fleas are a normal part of the Australian climate and are in the environment all year round, using hosts such as rats, mice, rabbits and stray or unprotected domestic pets to breed on. The flea will lay eggs that are shed into the environment. Theses eggs lay dormant during the cool months and when the weather heats up so do the fleas! Eggs will hatch and the juvenile flea needs to find a host to continue the vicious cycle. 

Don’t risk your house becoming a breeding ground for fleas – because if it does, the fleas will bite you, too! Each female flea on your pet can lay up to 50 eggs a day, which end up in your carpet, furniture or cracks in floorboards.  These fleas then hatch into tiny maggot-like larvae called pupae, that spin a cocoon around themselves, flea pupae are - the most resilient life-stage of fleas, they can lay dormant and safe from insecticides in the pet’s your home environment for up to one year before new, hungry juvenile fleas emerge and jump onto your pet to feed and breed.

We often hear “Its flea season” because my pet is scratching! Unfortunately this scratching is an indicator that fleas are already established in the pet’s immediate environment. Flea bites are genuinely aggravating, painful and can cause a skin condition called Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). Basically, it’s a hypersensitivity to flea bites found in many cats and dogs. Signs include repeated scratching, hair loss, skin infection and crusting or thickening of the skin. It’s unsightly, and worst of all painful. It means your pet isn’t just itchy  – it means they are suffering.

The thing is, fleas aren’t inevitable. It’s not “normal” for dogs or cats to be infested with fleas.

Regular, year-round protection of all pets in your household ensures you, your pet and your home are protected. By using Advocate, it not only stops fleas from biting your pet within 5 minutes and kills fleas within 20 minutes; it also kills those flea larvae in your home before they turn into resilient, long-lived pupae that are the source of flea re-infestation.

Remember just 10 adult fleas can become an infestation of 250,000 in just 30 days, if you think your pet is suffering from fleas consult your pet care professional and get them protected quick-smart.

Advocate is available for dogs and cats of all sizes and can be used from 7 weeks of age in Dogs and 9 weeks of age in Kittens – Don’t delay, do it today!