If Your Dog Has Fleas

If your dog has fleas, it can make for an itchy, uncomfortable time for you, your pet, and those around you. There are many ways to remove fleas from your pup, not to mention prevent them in the first place with a good all-natural dog flea remedy.

If Your Dog Has Fleas

How do you know if fleas are causing all that itching (pruritus in veterinary terms)? Generally, unlike the burrowing, microscopic Demodex or Scabies mites, fleas can be seen scurrying along the surface of the skin.

Fleas are a dark copper color and about the size of the head of a pin. They dislike light, so your best chance of spotting fleas on a dog is to look within furry areas and on the belly and inner thighs.

“Flea dirt” can also signal that there are fleas on a dog. Flea dirt looks like dark specks of pepper scattered on the skin’s surface. If you see flea dirt—which is actually flea feces that is composed of digested blood—pick some off the pet and place on a wet paper towel. If the tiny specks spread out like a small bloodstain after a few minutes, it’s definitely flea dirt, and your pet has fleas.

What Is the Best Way to Get Rid of Fleas on a Dog?

If you’ve discovered that your dog has fleas, here are a few things you can do to provide your pet with relief.

Oral and Topical Flea Control

Fleas are annoying and persistent. However, dog flea and tick pills and other spot-on dog flea and tick treatments have proven to be some of the fastest ways to rid your pet of fleas.

Some only target adults, while others target flea eggs, larvae and adult fleas, so it’s important to buy the right one. Others will combine flea control and heartworm prevention in one treatment. You’ll notice that some require a prescription, while others do not.

So, what is the best oral flea treatment for dogs? It will depend on your individual dog’s needs. Talk to your vet about which option is the best for your pet.

Prescription Flea Medications

There are a wide variety of flea products on the market today, but the newer prescription flea and tick products are finally taking the frustration out of flea control with popular and highly effective brands.

Talk to your veterinarian about preventative flea and tick medicine for dogs, as many are prescription products. Prescription treatments present one of the best ways to kill fleas fast.

Bravecto (fluralaner) begins to kill fleas within two hours and lasts for three months, while products containing spinosad (Comfortis, Trifexis) begin to work within 30 minutes and last for one month.

Some of these flea products do not harm the adult flea but instead prevent her eggs from hatching, thus breaking the life cycle of the flea. With no reproduction, the flea population eventually dissipates as long as the pet isn’t coming in contact with new fleas continually.

In warm climates, prescription flea and tick treatment for dogs is typically a year-round endeavor, but in other climates, treatment should begin in early spring before the flea season starts.

For animals that are allergic to flea saliva (have flea bite hypersensitivity), choose a product that targets adult fleas as well, since they are still able to bite the animal. For dogs with flea hypersensitivity, products containing a flea repellent (Seresto collar, Vectra 3D) are the best choice so that the fleas never bite.

Nonprescription Medication to Treat Fleas on Dogs

There are also many other products which will kill fleas on the pet and for which no prescription is needed. The drawback, however, is that these products may be less effective than the prescription products.

These nonprescription flea products include flea shampoos, flea powders, flea sprays, flea collars, oral flea treatment and spot-on products. Many veterinarians are reporting that their patients still have fleas after use of these over-the-counter products, but there are also good reviews from pet parents for some of these products.

Capstar, for instance, is a tablet that kills adult fleas and is taken orally. It begins to work within 30 minutes, and kills more than 90 percent of all fleas within four hours. It is used to treat flea infestations.

If Your Dog Has Fleas

If your dog has fleas, you should know that there are things you can do to help prevent it from happening again.

Fleas are a common problem for dogs, but they can be treated easily. You can prevent them by following these steps:

1. You should wash your dog’s bedding at least once a week.

2. You should vacuum the house and then throw away the bag after each use. This will help prevent fleas from living inside the vacuum cleaner and then spreading throughout your home when it is turned on again later on down the line!

3. You should check any other items in your home that might contain flea eggs (such as couches or carpeting) for signs of infestation before using them again so that way no new eggs will hatch into adult fleas inside those items later on down the road!

List Of If Your Dog Has Fleas