How do I know if the specks on my dog's fur are fleas or flea dirt?

Fleas live on the surface of the skin, and a live flea will definitely move if you try to touch it. A dead flea would be easy to pick up and remove from your dog's skin. It can be difficult to differentiate flea dirt from regular old dirt - if you comb some of the dirt and put it on a white paper towel and then wet it with water, flea dirt will turn red because it is digested blood. Flea eggs are too small to see without a microscope. A flea comb can make it easier to find both adult fleas and flea dirt - run the comb along your dog's back near the base of the tail since this is typically where fleas like to hang out. Also, if your dog is not on a flea preventative I'd recommend talking to your veterinarian about recommendations.

The best way to determine if the dark specs are 'dirt' versus 'flea dirt' is to collect the specs on a clean white paper towel and apply hydrogen peroxide. If it turns rusty colored, it likely flea dirt. Flea eggs are very small and you are not likely to see those with the naked eye. Also, the best place to look for fleas is on the lower back and between the hind legs on your dog. If you determine that you are seeing fleas or evidence of fleas, I would recommend talking to your veterinarian about switching flea products. Hope this helps.

The way to know if Jake has flea dirt is to comb some of these specs of dirt onto a paper towel. Put a drop of water on one of the flecks, and if the paper towel underneath has a reddish stain, then it is flea dirt (flea poop contains water). If you don't see a reddish stain, then it's just dirt. I hope this helps :-)

The way to tell if it is flea dirt is to put the specks on a wet paper towel and if it is flea dirt it will turn red. If it doesn't leave red on the paper towel than it is not flea dirt. Flea dirt is basically flea feces so it does not actually turn into a flea. The eggs that a female lays will develop into fleas and one flea can lay a lot of eggs. Use a monthly flea prevention, like Frontline, Revolution, Advantage, etc. Also treat your house with a product that has a growth regulator if you see any live fleas.

I think you are asking about the areas on the prepuce? If they are flea dirt you should be able to wipe them off easily. If they wipe off and the debris starts to make a wet paper towel turn reddish then likely flea dirt. If you can wipe them off but they do not discolor the white paper towel then likely just dirt/superficial skin secretions. If you can not wipe them off then likely just skin discoration. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Yes, it would have been an obviously color change, and you are correct that since your dog was already wet when you took the dirt off of him, it would have had a reddish tint then and not be stark black. Rest assured it was good old regular dirt.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Depending on how flea infested your dog might be, significant flea dirt can become apparent in in about a week. Usinf a very fine flea comb is the best way to find it. Comb your pet over some news paper, & gather any debris that falls. Take a damp cotton ball & press it into the dirt. If the debris on the cotton turns a red-rust brown, this is flea dirt, essentially flea poop.