Well, folks, we are in the dog days of summer here in Ohio, and unfortunately, fleas flourish in a warm humid climate like this. So even if you have a brand-new Boxer Puppy who up until now has never had so much as an itch that needs scratching, the chances of her getting fleas are much higher in the spring and summer. Fleas are nondiscriminatory! They do not care if you have an AKC Boxer or a mutt you found as a stray. They just want a warm body to reside on, and since they can jump up to 6 feet away your sweet boxer can get fleas from the pet store, or even the park! Now you have two choices, 1. Become a hermit and don’t allow your dog to leave your home. Or 2. Come up with a battle plan so that you and your Boxer can enjoy life. We highly recommend the second option, and we want to help you with that plan!

First, identify the symptoms: Not all dogs react the same, some are allergic to the flea saliva and this can really cause intense itching. However, almost all dogs will become more active in scratching , especially to the nose, face, and ears, and chewing other itchy areas. Also, your Boxer may start rubbing their backs and other hard to reach areas on furniture and carpet. Another sign fur loss and irritated skin, since fleas can reproduce so quickly (a typical infestation is about 4000 fleas on one dog!) this can drive your Boxer to chew/scratch until their fur is gone. The third symptom is actually seeing the flea itself. If you inspect your Boxer’s face, or the tail area and see black specks (about the size of a pepper flake) then you have spotted a flea or fleas. They do not fly but are incredible jumpers!

Fleas have 4 life cycles:

1. The Adult Flea - These feed off the blood of the animal they reside on
2. Eggs - One female flea can lay up to 59 eggs a day, some of these will fall off your dog and onto the furniture, or carpet.
3. Larvae - these emerge when the eggs hatch and within the next 5-20 days they spin cocoons
4. Pupae - this is what a flea is called when it is inside the cocoon, they will spend anywhere from 3 days up to 1 year inside the cocoon, they will emerge only when it is warm and humid out.

One of these four will always be residing on your Boxer. This is why you need a good plan of attack, and here it is;

1. Remove them from all animals within the house- we recommend you use topical as well as oral applications for this
2. Thoroughly eradicate all four stages of fleas from your home-wash everything that is washable, and spray the house down, we recommend non-chemical applications like peppermint oil and clove, if necessary you can bomb the house this will get into the cracks and crevices that you can’t reach.
3. Attack them in your lawn, garden and car- you can hire a professional or do this yourself, Diatomaceous Earth is a food grade drying agent (powder) that works well and won’t harm your Boxer puppy if she comes in contact with it.

If you do not completely battle all areas, you will be caught in a viscous cycle that just won’t end. If in doubt seek the advice of your veterinarian. We try to ensure that all the Boxer Puppy’s we have for sale are happy and healthy and flea free. We hope this information is helpful for keeping them that way!