Bug FAQDog Flea
Ctenocephalides canis · Order: Siphonaptera · Family: Pulicidae
Also called: Flea
Source: Wikipedia
Dog fleas are external parasites that feed on dog blood and can survive months without food, but females need a blood meal to lay eggs. Their life cycle has four stages and can finish in two to three weeks depending on temperature.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The dog flea’s head is rounded at the front and its hind-leg tibiae have eight notches, unlike the cat flea’s six.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Dog fleas have relatively long hind legs that let them jump far.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Controlling a flea infestation requires several steps.
Source: Wikipedia
Does it bite or sting?
Fleas sometimes bite humans, causing an itchy rash with small bumps that may bleed.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
Flea-control options include monthly topicals, collars, sprays, dips, powders, shampoos, and oral or injectable products.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Dog fleas live by sucking the blood of dogs.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Their development includes embryo, larva, pupa, and adult stages. From egg to adult takes about two to three weeks, depending on temperature.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Historically they were the main flea on dogs worldwide and they remain the dominant species in many developing countries.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
The dog flea looks very similar to the cat flea, which lives on many animals and is more common worldwide.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 35 of 51 states and DC. Most records: District of Columbia, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Illinois, Florida, Iowa.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Do dog fleas bite humans?
Yes, they can bite people and cause an itchy, sometimes bleeding rash.
Source: Wikipedia
How long can a dog flea survive without a blood meal?
They can live for several months without food, but females need a blood meal to lay eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
How fast does a dog flea develop?
The complete life cycle from egg to adult takes about two to three weeks, depending on temperature.
Source: Wikipedia
What are common ways to control dog fleas?
Control products include monthly topicals, collars, sprays, dips, powders, shampoos, and oral or injectable treatments.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Pulicidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_flea
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.