Fleas and ticks left uncontrolled can infest not only your pets, put your entire house as well. 

Common household fleas don't usually transmit diseases, but are mainly a nuisance.  In addition to causing a lot of itching and scratching, they can also cause discomfort due to possible allergic flea bite dermatitis.

It can take anywhere from 18 days to 20 months for a flea to complete its life cycle.  The adult female lays her eggs  (as many as 50 per day) on an animal, and these eggs fall into your rugs, furniture, the animal's bedding, etc.  The eggs hatch into larvae on your dogs, where they stay and feed until they fall off.  The larvae form a cocoon, where they grow to pupae and then adults.  The adult remains in the cocoon until vibrations indicate an animal is nearby.  This explains how they can show up in buildings that have been empty and then reoccupied.

Other problems caused by flea bites are anemia in young, older or ill pets, transmission of tapeworm to pets, and transmission by rodent fleas of plague to cats.

In addition, some pets are allergic to flea bites.  The fleas will cause a rash, inflamation, and hair loss.

Washing the dog's bedding regularly and vacuuming frequently can help to keep the flea population down, as long as you change the vacuum bag after each use and, if possible, have it burned to prevent it from serving as a flea incubator.  Or you can drop a flea collar into the bag to kill them.

Ticks pose a much greater risk, transmitting diseases to pets and people, such as Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and paralysis.

Depending of the species, an adult tick can lay anywhere from 100 to 6,000 eggs at a time.  The eggs hatch into six-legged larvae.  After at least one blood meal, the larvae molt into eight-legged nymphs.  The nymphs molt into adult males or females, also with eight legs.  A tick may take less than a year or up to several years to go through its life cycle.  Some species can survive years without feeding.

Tick season is early spring to midsummer.  They will attach themselves to your dog in areas that have no hair, such as the head, neck, ears, and feet.  From there, they move around your animal.

The tick has a one-piece body.  The barbs of its mouth attach to the dog for feeding.  Crablike legs and a sticky secretion help hold the tick to the dog.  When attempting to remove a tick, to prevent the mouth part from coming off and remaining embedded in the skin, grasp the mouth close to the skin with tweezers and pull gently.  Avoid squeezing or puncturing the tick to avoid the chance of releasing toxins or bacteria into your animal.  After you remove the tick, soak it in rubbing alcohol to make sure the toxins and bacteria are destroyed

Fortunately, there is a wide array of pest control products available to help control the flea and tick problem.  There are foggers, sprays, flea dips, powders, flea collars, oral medication, and a liquid topical treatment.  There are oral products that can interrupt the flea's life cycle,  a Lyme disease vacinnation (for dogs), and a pesticide product to reduce ticks outdoors.

The best thing to do is to consult your veterinarian before you do anything that might harm you or your pet.