How do I know if my pet has fleas?

A few relatively simple observations can help determine the extent of a flea problem. Keep an eye on your pet and watch for how much it scratches. Note if and when fleas attempt to bite people. Determine where fleas are active by walking through suspect areas wearing white socks (tuck in pant legs), which allows you to see the fleas as they try to bite.

Or, if you suspect fleas are present, place a shallow pan of water, containing a little dishwashing detergent or vegetable oil, on the floor, and place a gooseneck lamp with the light about 6 inches above the liquid surface. Adult fleas try to leap toward the light at night, and fall into the liquid and drown.

Use a flea comb to comb your pets regularly. The flea comb removes fleas from a pet, but doesn't kill them. Inspect the comb after each pass over the pet, and dip the comb into a bowl of warm soapy water (or a glass of water with a squirt of dish detergent), or pull captured fleas from the comb and drop them into the container of soapy water to drown them.

Remember, it just takes two fleas to create a huge flea problem, so if you see a flea, do something about it right away.