Dog fleas are just one of several species of fleas that can feed on dog blood. The dog flea (Ctenocephalides canis) is quite rare, so the flea that actually bothers dogs the most is the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis). But dog fleas, cat fleas and human fleas feed on the same things, no matter what the species.
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Flea Larvae
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Immature fleas, or larvae, molt twice before they finally spin a cocoon to become an adult flea. They eat flea stool, dead insects and dead skin cells.
Flea Adults
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Adult dog fleas feed on the blood of animals and people. They prefer the blood of dogs, cats, cattle, rodents and birds.
Female Dog Fleas
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A blood meal is especially important to female dog fleas. She needs the blood to develop fertile eggs within 48 hours of mating. She can lay up to 2,000 eggs in her life.
Tasting Free Samples
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Even though dog fleas prefer the blood of animals and birds, they will instinctively bite any creature they land on and taste the blood. They will often give people painful bites in this way.
Considerations
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Because dog flea adults feed on blood, topical flea killers like Frontline and Advantage were developed to put a poison directly into the bloodstream to kill a flea after they feed. It is lethal to fleas but not to their hosts.
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