Can Dog Fleas Live On Humans?
As a pet owner, you may believe that fleas are not a problem for a human being, that you only have to worry about making sure your pet stays flea free. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth and if you have an infestation in your house or on your pet, you need to know that dog fleas, while they may not be able to live on you, will still be happy to take a bite or two for good measure.
As repulsive as it sounds, dog fleas may prefer the blood of dogs, but the truth is, you will still taste fantastic to these nasty little vermin. Additionally, they can use you as a “carrier” and stay put on certain areas, legs, hair, inside clothing, until they know Fido is close by and then they can jump ship. They cannot live off of you long term because you don’t provide adequate heat, but they can also infest furniture and carpets, where they will lay their eggs which can then lay dormant for 180 days before hatching.
It is also important to know that they cannot breed on you, they will only breed when a dog is present, hence, if you are the only food source around, they can stay alive for quite some time, but they cannot complete the life cycle. However, if they have already laid their eggs, you need to figure out how to fix this problem, quickly.
First, start off by washing your hair and your body with an essential oil mix of citronella and rosemary oil or eucalyptus and lavender oil. Make sure you clean well behind your ears and in other warm, hidden places. The flea will find the same type of area on you that he normally prefers on Fido, keep that in mind.
Finally, after you know you have scrubbed yourself down, wash all removable linens in the same eucalyptus oil that you used on yourself. This includes blankets, clothes, bedding, linens, anything that the fleas could have laid eggs on or made a home in. It sounds like a lot of work to wash everything in your house, but if you have a serious infestation, you need to do it.
The next step is to make sure you kill any fleas or eggs living in the carpet or on furniture. Give your entire house a thorough vacuuming and then sprinkle flea powder throughout the house, on the carpet and the furniture. Allow it to sit for a few hours before vacuuming it up.
Follow these steps to de-flea yourself and your house and know that while you think fleas only prefer your pets, they are still more than happy to add you to their diet while they wait for Fido to come back from his walk.
