Step one for how to get rid of flea dirt? Eliminate the fleas. So it’s important to take action if you find fleas, ticks or their feces on your pet. How to Get Rid of Flea Dirtįlea dirt and tick poop won’t magically disappear on their own, nor will the fleas and ticks that cause it. So even if you don’t see any live fleas, flea dirt means they’re probably hiding out somewhere on your pet. She adds that flea eggs are near-impossible to spot. Jennifer Coates, DVM, of Fort Collins, Colorado. Female fleas can lay eggs within two days after they’ve fed, says Dr. That means they’ve probably also had time to breed. “A flea that is dropping waste on the animal has had enough time to feed on that animal,” Dr. When you find flea dirt on cats or dogs, you can’t assume your pet was merely a pest pit stop.
Many pet parents wonder whether it’s possible for a pet to have flea dirt but not fleas. “You should also talk to your veterinarian about treatment.” Does Flea Dirt Mean an Infestation? “It is important to check your pet for ticks and to remove any ticks as quickly as possible,” he says. While tick poop isn’t seen as commonly as flea feces, you may find it in the area around a tick bite, Dr. “One way we distinguish flea dirt from regular dirt is to wet it and wipe it on a white surface to see if it looks red, like blood.” (If that task sounds too gross to handle, no judgment here-go ahead and delegate that task to your veterinarian.) “Since fleas ingest a blood meal from the pet, this blood is passed in their droppings,” Dr. But there’s a simple solution for telling them apart. Keep in mind that it may be harder to spot fleas and flea dirt on cats than on dogs because felines are such fastidious groomers, he adds.īasically, what flea dirt looks like is, well, regular dirt, and it’s easy to mistake one for the other.
Although it can be found on any part of your pet, it’s most often seen around their rears and bellies.
“Certainly, ticks that stay attached to the animals can and will defecate, but it’s not a common finding on the skin like flea droppings or flea ‘dirt’ would be.” What Does Flea Dirt Look Like?įlea dirt is dark, even appearing black in some cases, and looks like small flecks or clumps, Dr. “Tick excrement is not something that I routinely identify or expect owners to identify on their pets,” she says. Mitzi Clark, a board-certified veterinary dermatologist and assistant clinical professor at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. It’s less likely to be found before the ticks themselves, says Dr. Tick poop-yep, we’re going there-is another story. Finding flea dirt on cats or dogs may actually help you realize there’s a flea problem before it gets out of hand. Flea dirt, on the other hand, stays in one place, making it an obvious warning sign. Actual fleas can be difficult to spot, because they are so tiny and move quickly. There is one good thing about this icky stuff: It’s easy to find. Now that you know what flea dirt is, take heart. Essentially, it’s the waste fleas leave behind after they consume your pet’s blood. John Howe, DVM, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Here’s the short answer: Flea dirt is a mix of blood meal and flea feces, says Dr. The better news? It’s totally preventable. But what is flea dirt, exactly? And more importantly, do you know how to get rid of it?Īlthough flea dirt is a problem that pet parents have to deal with more frequently than they might like, there’s good news: There are plenty of ways to get rid of it (and the fleas that cause it). Maybe your veterinarian has even found it on your pet. Flea dirt: If you’re a pet parent, you’ve probably heard of it.