Fleas have been annoying humankind and animals for centuries, and they're almost as tough to control today as they were in the days of ancient Rome. The flea's exoskeleton is amazingly resilient, and fleas can jump several feet to land on an unsuspecting host. Despite what many dog owners believe, fleas do not spend most of their lives on their pets. In fact, fleas only stay on dogs to feed and breed. They feed by biting the dog and sucking its blood. Because fleas often harbor tapeworm larvae in their systems, besides aggravating dogs with their bites, fleas can transmit tapeworm disease to the animal via the blood-stream or by being eaten by a dog trying to chew the fleas off himself.

When fleas mate, the females lay hundreds of eggs. These drop off the dog and into the environment. Larvae hatch from the eggs in two to three weeks, and these feed on environmental debris like human or animal dandruff, mold, and other protein and vegetable matter. From the larval stage, the flea develops a cocoon shell in which it matures. In the cocoon stage, the flea can live with no nutrients for almost a year. Then all it takes is the slight vibration of an animal's passing for the cocoon to release the adult, which jumps onto its host and begins the life cycle all over again.

You'll know you and your puppy are in trouble when you see him scratching or licking himself suddenly and with real purpose. To confirm your suspicions, part your puppy's hair to the skin or brush it backward and see if you notice any black specks. The specks can be dense around the dog's groin area, in the hair at the base of the tail, and around the ears and neck. With a moist paper towel, wipe the specks. If they turn red, it is flea dirt — particles of digested blood the flea has excreted.

If you know your puppy has fleas, you will have to be diligent about removing them from the pup and the environment. If you only remove the fleas from your dog without eliminating the flea eggs, larvae, and cocoons from the environment, you are guaranteed a continuing problem.

Puppy owners are fortunate to have a whole slew of flea-fighting products to choose from, ones that are safer than ever for dogs and the environment. Consult with your veterinarian before waging a war on the fleas that have infiltrated your happy home; you'll want to be sure that the products you select for use on your puppy and your home are appropriate for your dog's age, weight, and skin type, and that the ingredients don't clash with a product you choose for your home and yard.

The active ingredient in many of the topical flea products on the market these days is pyrethrum, a natural compound toxic to fleas but not harmful to pets or people. There are also formulations that stop flea eggs from developing, interrupt the reproductive cycle, and break down the tough skeleton of fleas.

Fleas in Your Home

Once you've selected the flea-fighters you'll need, plan a systematic approach to ridding your dog, home, and yard of all stages of the flea life cycle. Take every step seriously if you want to completely eliminate the problem. You'll need to vacuum thoroughly, using several vacuum cleaner bags and disposing of them all in airtight plastic bags. You'll need to wash all the dog's bedding in very hot water. This may include your family's bedding, too, if the dog shares anyone's bed. Any place that your dog passes through or sleeps in can be considered a flea hot spot, and potentially infested. Concentrate your efforts here.

To remove fleas on your puppy, wash with a flea-killing shampoo, then comb thoroughly with a fine-toothed flea comb. Dip the comb in a large glass of soapy water to drown any fleas that survived the bath. Dry your puppy thoroughly, and don't let him roll in his favorite hole in the yard or lie down in his usual spot on the porch — these are possible hot spots, too, and need to be treated with an outdoor insecticide.

Preventive Measures

Once you've treated the puppy, house, and yard, you'll never want to repeat the process, so you'll need to step up your preventive measures.

Figuring your puppy can get fleas any time he steps out of your home and into a well-populated area, you should check him regularly before coming inside. Run a flea comb through his fur. This will snag any free-loaders before they start breeding. Kill them on the comb by crushing them with your fingernail or immersing the comb in a glass of soapy water. During the warm months, when fleas are at their worst, bathe your puppy regularly with a flea-preventive shampoo, and ask your veterinarian about other products designed to keep fleas from settling on your pet. Vacuum your home frequently, and make sure to keep your pet's bedding fresh and clean.

Many puppies and adult dogs are allergic to the saliva that fleas inject into their skin when they bite them, or are particularly sensitive to fleas living on them. These dogs can develop serious skin ailments from their allergies and sensitivities, which often linger even after the flea problem has been eradicated. The excessive scratching, licking, and fur-biting they indulge in to get at the fleas leaves their skin damaged, causing further itching and, often, infection. The infection can leave the skin swollen or patchy, and can lead to permanent hair loss. Besides being unsightly, a flea allergy or sensitivity is extremely irritating to your dog. Your veterinarian will advise you on how best to treat this problem.

Ticks

There are many types of ticks throughout the United States, the most common being the brown tick, the wood tick, and the deer tick. All adult ticks seek out dogs and other animals as hosts for feeding and breeding. The brown tick is typically the size of a match head or small pea when engorged. The wood tick is a larger tick that, when full, swells to the size of a kernel of corn. The deer tick is a tiny tick that even when engorged is no larger than a speck. The brown tick is known to transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, while the deer tick is the carrier of Lyme disease, both of which can be deadly.

The sooner you spot a tick or ticks on your puppy, the better. You need to remove the tick(s) immediately, then monitor the spot from which you removed the tick. To take a tick off your puppy, first wet a cotton ball with alcohol or a dab of petroleum jelly. Apply this to the tick to suffocate or numb it, then, with tweezers or with gloves on your hands, pull the tick gently off the pup. Deposit the tick in a jar filled with alcohol or nail polish remover. If your puppy comes out of a trip to the woods loaded with ticks, you may want to get a tick dip from your veterinarian to help remove them all at once.

Tick bites rarely become infected, but you'll want to keep an eye on your puppy's skin in the area from which the tick was pulled off, especially if it was a deer tick. Often a red, circular rash will develop around the bite — an early indicator of Lyme disease. If you notice any redness or swelling in the area of a tick bite, make an appointment to have it checked by the veterinarian.

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to keep ticks off your puppy if you spend any time outdoors with him. Your best bet, yet again, is preventive care: bathing your puppy with a flea and tick shampoo formulated for his needs; taking your veterinarian's advice about what products work best to keep ticks off your dog; and always checking your dog thoroughly when you return from an outdoors adventure.