Flea treatment for dogs?

I get something from the vet as pill, taken every 3 months. No flea issues for past 5 years at least.

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I get something from the vet as pill, taken every 3 months. No flea issues for past 5 years at least.

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That would be a preventative, not a treatment. The OP needs treatment for active fleas.

Where do you live? Do you treat for Heartworm monthly?

I give mine Simparica Trio every month - prevents Heartworm, fleas, ticks, and other worms.

They make pills like that are are flea only like Comfortis, it kills the fleas as they bite so it can be used as a treatment too.

My advice would be to give them a flea pill, bathe them in dish soap, and use a smoke bomb for the room where they sleep.

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Only stuff that works is what you get prescribed by vet and it's expensive

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The topicals can be very good but it seems to be hit or miss by region. Those you can by OTA.

For a bad infestation I would get an oral like Credelio which will likely clear out the adult fleas on the dog in less than 48 hours. If the house infestation isn't bad they will jump on the dog and die also.




One thing to pay attention with topicals and orals is seizures, especially in dogs that have never had flea prevention. It is relatively rare but it does happen, the vet should mention it if you get an oral RX.

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That would be a preventative, not a treatment. The OP needs treatment for active fleas.

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It will kill the fleas on them and the others will leave the area without a host

Seresto. OTC and works great.

Flea shampoo for dogs (possibly multiple baths) and flea bombs for the house. Some bombs are gross and leave residue. Some are effective and less noticeable — I like the blue hotshot foggers. Basically need one for each room

Give them a bath with Dawn dish detergent. It’s extremely mild and kills fleas. Basically I would give them two baths with it back to back. Make sure they’re completely coated between their paws, between the pads on their feet, everywhere. Start at the head and work your way down. Rinse repeat.

A friend of ours rescued a cat and brought it to the vet. That’s what the vet used as the initial treatment. It’s very mild on the skin, unlike most flea soaps.

My yellow lab must’ve stepped on a pile of them or something in the woods, even though she’s on the treatment. She started it scratching, so I did this to her and could literally see the fleas dead on her surface coat as I’m washing her.

Bravecto will knock them out fast. It’s a 3 month pill. $$$ but worth it. We had fleas drop by for a visit one year and frontline topical that I tried first didn’t work. I hated buying the bravecto bc I try to avoid poisons and chemicals on my dogs. But it worked and flea free quickly.

Flea shampoo to kill fleas currently on the dog. If there is pet bedding remove it from the house or wash it.

Vacuum asap. Multiple times a day until fleas confirmed gone. This keeps the population under control and makes it much easier to knock them out. They reproduce amazingly fast and then the struggle becomes much longer and harder.

Buy PT Ultracide. It's sold on Amazon. Use it wherever you think they may be. Follow the instructions as you will need to vacate the house for awhile after using it and wear protective clothing/face wear.

I would do all this in conjunction with getting your dogs on oral anti-flea medication.

I have dealt with a few flea outbreaks in our house over the past several years with our dog and it was miserable but I have learned a bit from them. Fast action to keep them manageable is key and know that you need to monitor even after you think they are gone because they can come back strong if any survive. Be prepared to treat multiple times over a few weeks.