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A New Hampshire home with a lawn and shrub line — prime flea and tick habitat
Daniel Brady · NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664
Reviewed by Daniel Brady

How Can I Tell If My Pet Has Fleas or Ticks?

Easy — two different checks
Use two complementary checks, because fleas and ticks behave differently. For fleas: comb with a fine-toothed flea comb and look for fast, reddish-brown insects and black flea dirt that turns reddish-brown on a damp paper towel — it's digested blood. For ticks: because they attach and feed rather than moving around, run your fingers slowly over your pet's whole body, especially the head, ears, neck, armpits, groin, and between the toes, feeling for small bumps. Fleas cluster on the belly, tail base, and neck; ticks attach anywhere but favor the head and forequarters. If you find fleas, flea dirt, ticks, or irritated skin, contact your vet about treatment and prevention.

At a Glance

  • Short answer: Comb for live fleas and pepper-like flea dirt (which smears red when wet); for ticks, run your hands over the whole body and feel for attached bumps, checking ears, neck, and between toes.
  • This is about: Fleas
  • What you can see: only ~5% — the rest is hidden
How it is done

The short of it

The verdict on fleas
Easy — two different checks

Comb for live fleas and pepper-like flea dirt (which smears red when wet); for ticks, run your hands over the whole body and feel for attached bumps, checking ears, neck, and between toes.

The part you can't see

The flea iceberg

What you notice on a pet is the tip. The problem that actually reinfests you is the mass below the waterline — eggs, larvae, and pupae in the environment.

The whole flea problem, to scale

You see ~5%. The other ~95% is hidden.

The tip you see

~5% adults

waterline

~95% hidden below

Eggs~50%
Larvae~35%
Pupae~10%
Where the hidden mass actually is
  • AdultsVisible

    On the pet — flea adults cluster and leave flea dirt; a tick, by contrast, sits alone and embedded

  • Eggs

    Rolling off the pet into carpet and bedding — a flea-only behavior, since ticks lay eggs outdoors, not in the home

  • Larvae

    Developing in carpet and floor fibers indoors — another flea signature; tick larvae stay in yard leaf litter

  • Pupae

    Cocooned indoors as a hidden flea reservoir — ticks have no equivalent indoor stage, which helps tell the two apart

Why it matters

Confirming fleas on your pet only tells you about the visible ~5% of a flea population; the other ~95% (eggs, larvae, pupae) is already in your carpet, bedding, and yard. Ticks work differently — they don't build an indoor population, so a confirmed tick is a per-bite risk, not a home infestation.

Calibrated from: CDC flea life cycle; CAPC Fleas guideline; University of Georgia Extension

The honest read

What to do about it

Where to turn

For pets

Signs to watch
  • fleas: live fleas, black flea dirt, scratching, hair loss, pale gums (possible anemia)
  • ticks: an attached bump or engorged tick, redness at the attachment site
  • in New Hampshire: watch for signs of tick-borne illness such as lethargy, lameness, or fever after a tick bite
Do not
  • don't bathe your pet right before checking — it hides fleas and flea dirt
  • don't crush an embedded tick with bare fingers — use a tick-removal tool or fine-tipped tweezers
  • don't assume the absence of scratching means the absence of parasites
When to seek care

See a vet to start prevention if you find fleas or ticks, promptly if the skin is infected, and urgently for pale gums or weakness in a young pet; ask your vet about tick-borne disease testing given New Hampshire's high Lyme burden.

The full answer

The full picture

Comb for live fleas and pepper-like flea dirt (which smears red when wet); for ticks, run your hands over the whole body and feel for attached bumps, checking ears, neck, and between toes.

Flea signs

Per VCA Hospitals, look for live fleas and flea dirt (flea feces) that turns black to brown to red on a wet paper towel. Check the pet's bedding too, since eggs, larvae, and flea dirt collect wherever the pet spends the most resting time, not just on the animal itself.

Where fleas hide on the body

Per Banfield Pet Hospital, check the neck, ears, hindquarters, armpits, groin, and tail base, and part the fur to see the skin underneath rather than just scanning the coat's surface.

Ticks are found by feel, not by watching for movement

Because ticks attach and then stay put while feeding, a slow, methodical hands-on sweep of the whole body works better than visual scanning — focus on the ears, neck, armpits, groin, and between the toes, and use good lighting plus a comb to part thick fur.

New Hampshire context

Per NH DHHS, New Hampshire currently has the highest rate of Lyme disease in the United States, with over 1,300 reported cases per year, and a large share of the state's blacklegged ticks carry the Lyme bacteria. Those same deer ticks also transmit anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus, and Borrelia miyamotoi — so tick checks matter considerably more in NH than flea-borne disease does. For species identification, see /pests.

Prevention beats detection

A year-round, vet-prescribed flea and tick preventive, combined with Anchor's home and yard treatment, is the most reliable protection against both parasites — checks catch problems, but prevention is what stops them from starting.

Remember this

Key takeaways

  • Fleas: flea comb + wet-paper-towel flea-dirt test; check neck, tail base, belly, and behind the ears.
  • Ticks: slow hands-on sweep of the whole body, feeling for attached bumps, especially ears, neck, and toes.
  • Ticks don't infest the home the way fleas do — a found tick is a per-bite risk, not an indoor breeding problem.
  • NH's high Lyme burden makes tick checks especially important here — ask your vet about tick-borne disease testing.

Found something on your pet?

Whether it's fleas, flea dirt, or a tick, a vet visit plus home and yard treatment is the reliable next step.

Get a Free Inspection(603) 785-0118
Common Questions

Frequently asked questions

Sources(4)
  1. [1]
    VCA Hospitals — How to Check Your Pet for Fleas

    Wet-paper-towel flea-dirt color test

    veterinaryverified 2026-07-14
  2. [2]
    Banfield Pet Hospital — How to Check Your Pets for Fleas

    Where fleas concentrate on the body

    veterinaryverified 2026-07-14
  3. [3]
    Cornell Riney Canine Health Center — Flea and Tick Prevention

    Combined flea/tick prevention guidance

    veterinaryverified 2026-07-14
  4. [4]
    NH DHHS — Tickborne Diseases

    NH's high Lyme incidence; NH tick-borne disease list

    govverified 2026-07-14

Written & reviewed by

Verified

Daniel Brady

NH-Licensed Pesticide Applicator · License #782664 (NHDAMF, RSA 430)

Daniel Brady is the New Hampshire–licensed applicator behind Anchor Pest Services, a family-owned pest control company serving the Manchester area since 2017.

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Last updated 2026-07-14

Integrated Flea & Tick Control

Routine Checks + Year-Round Protection

Catching fleas or ticks early makes treatment easier. Anchor Pest Services treats the home and yard with life-cycle-breaking methods, paired with your vet's prescribed pet prevention, across southern and central New Hampshire. Family-owned since 2017, NH license #782664.

Get a Free Inspection(603) 785-0118
  • IGR-based treatment that breaks the flea life cycle
  • Home + yard coverage against fleas and ticks together
  • NH-licensed applicators (#782664) — free inspection
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