It's possible that the fleas have already been eliminated through medication or other treatments, but the dirt is still present. Often times you will find flea dirt before you find fleas. This means the infestation is just beginning.
So even if you only find flea dirt on your pet but no fleas themselves, it could mean you've just caught the infestation early. You should still treat your pet immediately for fleas since flea dirt is an obvious sign of flea activity as the digested blood from the parasites feed on your pet.
Usually there's a concentration of it on bellies and near behinds, but it's often harder to spot on cats than dogs because kitties groom more regularly. Here are some photos of what flea dirt looks like. "Flea dirt means there are adult fleas living on your pet," Hall says.
To rid your home of flea dirt, you'll want to vacuum and wash everything that your dog may have spent time on. This means vacuuming and washing all floors, furniture, dog beds, pillows, and blankets. Detergents and surface disinfectants should be used as you normally would to clean these items.
If pets are scratching, overgrooming or have bits of flea dirt on them (this looks like normal dirt but goes reddish brown when on damp paper) these are signs they have an infestation, and a pet infestation inevitably leads to a home infestation.
People often mistake “flea dirt,” or flea feces, for flea eggs—though both are signs of a flea infestation. Unlike flea eggs, flea dirt is dark and crumbly. You can identify flea dirt by putting a few of the specks on a white piece of paper and adding a couple drops of water.
Thankfully, flea dirt isn't known to cause any human illnesses. Phew. However (uh, oh), fleas themselves can carry diseases like bartonellosis, tapeworms, anemia, and others. This can be passed on to cats, dogs, and humans if fleas are ingested or an infected flea bites.
If you have spotted flea dirt in your home or on your pets, I recommend treatment of all animals and areas in your home. This includes combing, shampooing, spraying, daily vacuuming and all the works, until all the fleas are gone.
Flea eggs are small and white and almost appear to look like grains of salt. Flea “dirt” can look like black pepper. These dark specks are the flea's feces from the digested blood. Fleas are small and dark in color and are very active.
First, if flea dirt is present on your dog or cat, it's a strong indication that your pet is hosting one or more live fleas that have laid eggs. One of the primary functions of flea dirt is to feed flea larvae, so they can develop into adult fleas that will reproduce and continue the life cycle.
Fleas produce about 0.77 mg of feces per day [5]. Two types of flea feces are produced: spherules and coils [6]. In order to detect flea dirt, it is generally recommended to use the wet blotting paper technique.
Fleas poop when they feed. This poop (also called flea dirt) contains the bacteria, which can be rubbed into the bite wound or other wounds and cause an infection. People can also breathe in infected flea dirt or rub it into their eyes. These bacteria do not spread from person to person.
Signs of fleas in your bedding include tiny black specks that are sometimes called "flea dirt." These are flea excrement; if you sprinkle them with a little water, they'll turn a dark-reddish brown.
Flea droppings, also known as flea dirt, are typically dark brown to black in color. This coloration is a result of the digested blood they contain. Fleas feed on the blood of their host animals, and the blood is processed through their digestive system before being excreted as flea droppings.
A flea comb is a handheld grooming tool that offers an affordable and nontoxic way to detect and remove fleas from your dog. A flea comb has very finely spaced teeth, and as you brush your dog with a flea comb, the comb collects fleas, flea eggs and flea dirt.
Flea dirt appears as small dark particles which can be confused for soil. If you wet this dirt on a damp wet white paper towel, and it turns browny red then it will be flea dirt... as it's actually digested blood.
It can take up to 24 hours for a topical monthly flea treatment to kill any fleas that have hopped on to your pet. Fleas that are dying often come to the coat surface and move around excessively – making them more visible.
Dead flea eggs closely resemble live flea eggs in terms of their physical appearance. They typically maintain their small size, oval shape, and white or off-white color even after they have died.
Remember: Adult fleas can live up to two weeks without attaching themselves to a host. So, although females can't reproduce during that time, they still have up to two weeks to find a host and reproduce. And since they reproduce rapidly, one pregnant female adult flea can lead to many fleas in a short time.
Starting with the white sock test, grab a pair and pull them up to your calves. Walk around on the carpet throughout your home and shuffle your feet. Because fleas are attracted to heat, if they are there, you will discover black or brown specks on your socks when completed.
Larvae feed on “flea dirt.” Once they're settled away from light, the larvae—which make up about one-third of the flea population in a home—spend one to two weeks developing and feeding on organic debris and flea “dirt,” the dried feces of adult fleas that is basically just dried blood.
Enquiries relating to suspected flea infestations have increased by 47% in a year, according to recent data from Rentokil Pest control, and the experts believe the unusual weather in 2023 could be the reason.
How long does it take for a flea to make flea dirt?
Within 5 minutes of jumping onto a pet, the flea will take a blood meal and pass stool (poop). Flea poop is visible on pets' fur as flea “dirt,” little black specks that look like pepper, that turn red or brown when exposed to water. The fleas will then mate and the females will lay their eggs on the pet.
