Wingless insects with specially adapted mouth parts that serve to suck blood from their prey, fleas are external parasites found normally in the fur of pets such as cats and dogs. However they do not restrain themselves only to biting the pets, and if transferred to your body can also bite you. They usually attack the feet, ankles and legs when they fall off the pet's fur and crawl up your limbs from the floor. If bitten by a flea, the skin around the bite will become hard, red and swollen and will itch a lot. Avoid scratching the affected area since this will only increase the itching and might even lead to a slight bleeding. If the flea is still stuck to your skin you might have to pull it out using a pair of tweezers or by scraping it away using your nail. Fleas are not easy to kill by merely squeezing them with between your nails so you should either burn them or flush them away.
It is important to keep the affected area clean by washing the skin with antiseptic soap and cold water. You should avoid using warm or hot water since that can aggravate the itching. You can also apply an ice pack or cold compress on the affected area. This is very efficient in reducing the redness and swelling and providing soothing relief from the itching. You can also rub some baking soda on the area around the bite. This will help to reduce the swelling and itching and speed the healing process. Sometimes the pain from the bite can be very intense and can lead to severe inflammation of the skin. Thus if you feel the need, you can even apply a mild antiseptic cream on the bite to reduce the inflammation and pain. If the redness, inflammation, itching and pain do not go away despite these simple measures you should consider visiting the doctor to get adequate treatment for the inflammation. Apart from this, it is important to get rid of all the fleas in your environment so that you are not bitten again. The most important thing is to ensure that your pet is free of fleas by using an anti-flea powder. You should also give your pet a regular bath and ensure that his feet are cleaned every time he goes out into the garden. You can also dip your pet's feet in a diluted solution of antiseptic liquid every time he comes back into the house from outside. This may seem tedious but it will prevent the pet from getting fleas and bringing them into the house. You should also do a thorough cleaning of the house, ensuring that all corners and spaces under beds, cupboards and other furniture are cleaned properly so that there are no fleas in the house.
answered by M W