Train the Dog Blog

Dog flea medicines today are a far cry from the harsh chemical dips and messy powders pet owners used to use to combat fleas. The easy to use topical spot on products such as Frontline Plus are popular with pet owners as they are inexpensive and they kill fleas for up to 30 days. For owners of multiple pets, Frontline also offers a flea killing spray that will treat several dogs.

The price of flea killing pet meds goes higher when other parasites are also killed by the product. You may choose to provide wide ranging protection or may only be focused on killing fleas. No matter which product you choose for your dog, you can find significant savings by purchasing online from a site dedicated to discount pet medicines.

Another factor is the number of pests that are common where you live. In humid, warm climates heartworms and mosquitoes that spread heartworm disease are prevalent and may be active year round. Areas that are heavily forested may have high tick populations that threaten the health of pets. When Advantage flea medication was released, it was the first topical spot on flea treatment for dogs that was effective for a full month. Pet owners happily accepted this product that promised to rid their dogs of nasty, blood sucking fleas. A new addition to the Advantage line is Advantage Multi for dogs which kills parasites such as heartworm, roundworm, whipworm and hookworm but does not control ticks.

If ticks are problem in your area, Frontline Plus flea drops kills brown dog ticks, American dog ticks and lone start ticks. Frontline Plus also helps protect dogs over eight weeks of age from sarcoptic mange and chewing lice. K9 Advantix adds tick killing properties and repels mosquitoes but should never be used on dogs that come into close contact with cats in a household. K9 Advantix cannot be used on nursing or pregnant dogs and it is advised to consult with your vet before using this product on older or sick dogs.

Revolution is aptly named. Available with prescription, Revolution offers a wide ranging protection for your pet. The topical treatment kills fleas and their eggs, kills the American dog tick, treats ear mites and controls sarcoptic mites in dogs.In addition, Revolution is a heartworm preventative and appears safe to use on pregnant or lactating dogs and on puppies six weeks or older.

Capstar offers a single dose pill that kills all adult fleas present on your dog within hours. There is no long term flea killing medication in Capstar but this one dose pet med can be followed 24 hours later with one of the spot on products that will break the flea life cycle. If your dog is boarded, shown or you’ve just brought him home from the shelter, Capstar will kill any fleas travelling with him. A recent addition to dog flea meds is Comfortis which is administered with a tasty wafer given once each month. Comfortis is fast acting and begins killing fleas on your pet within 30 minutes with protection that lasts for 30 days.

Before buying flea medicine for your dog, decide what level of protection you need. What parasites does your dog need protection from in your area and which method of administering the medication do you prefer. Most flea prevention products (except Revolution) are available without prescription and can be purchased online directly from a veterinarian at discount pet med sites.

Fleas are adaptive little critters and can quickly become immune to flea killing products. Pet owners who live in states where flea protection is a year round task should change the brand of topical product every 6-12 months. By rotating the flea medicine treatments pet owners will hinder the ability of fleas to develop immunity to flea killers.

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Getting rid of fleas is a burden of pet ownership. Unless you are extraordinarily careful and extraordinarily lucky, all pet owners will be faced with some degree of flea issues. Flea infestations can be minor or can quickly develop into something major. The treatment of the problem differs depending upon on quickly you catch the problem.

The best way to deal with dog fleas is to prevent dog fleas. However, even with the best of intentions and discipline, our pets will at some time come into contact with fleas. The most effective way to deal with fleas is to take a multi-pronged approach. First, you must get rid of the fleas on your pet, Secondly, you must rid the immediate environment of fleas to prevent immediate re-infestation. Lastly, you must re-double your efforts towards flea prevention.

Thankfully, ridding your pet of fleas has gotten easier. There are now readily available products that can be applied to your pet’s coat. These products, including Frontline and Advantage, can rid your pet of fleas within 2-3 days. You simply apply a small amount of the solution to the back base of the animal’s neck. With natural scratching and licking your animal will spread this solution around their entire body. The solutions are non-toxic and very effective.

There are also ways to get rid of fleas naturally. More common methods include rubbing olive oil on to your pet’s skin. Working from the head to the tail, the olive oil drowns the fleas. Of course, this method can prove to be expensive for larger animals. A similar method uses baby powder or talcum powder.

Pay close attention to the areas in your house in which your pet sleeps or passes his day. These areas will, most definitely, have fleas. Vacuum every surface your pet may have come into contact with. If feasible try to steam clean your furniture and carpets using the hottest water possible. Make sure you wash all of the bedding, throw blankets, pillow covers etc. Once you have vacuumed, make sure you seal the vacuum bag and take it out of your house.

Once your pet and home are free of fleas you can take some steps to prevent future infestations. There are a number of ways to avoid future infestations. Some people add small amounts of garlic to their pet food. Other people like to douse a bandanna in citronella oil and tie it around the animal’s neck. There are also commercially available flea prevention medications that your pets can ingest once every few months. For more information on getting rid of fleas or flea prevention speak to your vet.

Keep reading on my-dog-has-fleas.com to find out more about getting rid of fleas.

categories: dog fleas,fleas,dog health,pet health,dogs,pets