We have been invited to participate in the largest ever UK flea research project to advance understanding and treatment of the parasite.

The Big Flea Project, from MSD Animal Health, is the largest piece of academic research in the UK to examine fleas:-

To take the fight to fleas, we want to know:

1) How common each flea species is in the UK?

2) Which diseases are carried by these fleas?

3) How many fleas are carrying disease?

The study is being conducted in partnership with the University of Bristol; it is anticipated the project will revolutionise the way such parasites are understood and treated by vets and pet owners.

The undertaking follows on from the success of the Big Tick Project in 2015, which examined more than 6,000 tick samples in the UK, contributing to the largest study of ticks on cats and dogs in Britain.

How it works
We're picking five random dogs and cats a week over the next four weeks.  The pets will be examined for fleas. Anything found will be sent to the University of Bristol to analyse and record.  The research will then be published in 2019.