• Your dog may have fleas if they scratch a lot, have small red bites, or have “flea dirt” on the skin.
  • Your best bet is to take a flea comb to the base of your dog’s tail and see if you can spot them.
  • If your dog does have fleas, you can get rid of them with topical products or flea collars.
Fleas are like vampires. They feed off the blood of our furry friends, which can lead to a variety of health problems if not treated quickly. They’re one of the most common pet healthcare concerns, and it’s crucial that as a pet parent you stay vigilant.

How to tell if your dog has fleas

If your dog has fleas, there will be a few telltale signs that your pup is getting bitten. Here’s what you should do to check for fleas:

1. Notice if your dog is scratching more often: One of the tell-tale signs that your dog has fleas isn’t the flea itself, it’s your dog. If you notice your dog regularly scratching, biting, or chewing at their skin it could mean he’s infected with fleas.

2. Take a close look at your dog’s fur: Fleas are dark brown and very tiny, about 0.1 to 0.3 centimeters big, the size of a small crumb, but they’re still able to be seen with the naked eye, says Alison Meindl, DVM, DABVP, assistant professor at the Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

You can spot fleas by parting the hair of the dog and looking for them on their skin. If you find something that resembles a flea but you’re not sure, a good indicator is that they will jump, not crawl, around.

Flea combs have very tightly spaced teeth, which are designed to pull fleas away from the hair to better identify them. Your best bet for finding fleas on an infested dog is to comb the hair at the base of your dog’s tail, Meindl says.

3. Look for flea dirt: You can identify fleas by the presence of “flea dirt,” says Gary Richter, DVM, veterinary health expert with Rover. This “dirt” is actually digested blood, and it looks like a dark, granular material, he says. If you put a little water on the substance, it will turn red. This is another surefire way to identify fleas.

4. Check for bites: You may also want to be on the lookout for flea bites, which look like small red bumps on your dog’s skin, says Richter.