My Dog Has Fleas! – The Best Flea Treatment for Dogs

Dogs and fleas go hand-in-hand.

Even if your dog never goes outside, he can end up with fleas.  People seem to think if the dog stays indoors and uses pee pads or a litter box, they don’t need to use a dog flea control product.  Unfortunately, fleas can find your pet indoors.  They can come in through the screens or on your shoes!

If you have a cat that likes to sit in an open window, fleas can jump onto the cat and then end up on the dog.  A flea can jump onto your shoe and take a ride on your shoelace into the house and onto the dog.

Fleas are certainly a nuisance, but even more importantly, they can cause health problems in your dog.  Preventing fleas from biting your dog in the first place can prevent flea bite allergies and an infestation in your home.  It’s better to be safe than itchy!  Once fleas are in your home, they can be very tough to eradicate.  Stop them before they take over your house!

Fleas can cause health problems in dogs.

• When a very young/small or ill dog is infested with fleas, the amount of blood they’re removing from his body cannot be replenished fast enough.  This causes a condition called anemia.
• Fleas are also carriers in the lifecycle of the Tapeworm.  When a dog ingests a flea carrying a tapeworm, it completes its lifecycle and ends up inside your pet.
• Some dogs are allergic to the flea’s saliva.  When bitten by a flea, they develop severely itchy skin, scabs and hair loss.  This type of allergy is as common as dog food allergies.  The products available today kill fleas before they have a chance to bite, thus preventing the vicious cycle of flea bite allergies.

What is the best flea treatment for dogs?

Advantage and Frontline are two products that are very safe and effective.  They are available through your veterinarian and are highly recommended.  People tend to look down upon flea treatments that are applied topically, but the newer products are much safer than those of the past.

The sprays and dips that were used prior to these products didn’t know the difference between the fleas and your dog.  This made them more apt to cause health issues for the dog.  Some owners have tried applying dog flea treatments to their cats and this is VERY DANGEROUS!

Over the counter flea medication is NOT as safe as Advantage or Frontline and can end up killing a cat if too much is applied.

How do these products work?

Both products remain just above the top layer of skin.  They spread over your dog’s body using the natural oils of the skin and aren’t absorbed into the bloodstream.  This makes them much safer for the dog.  They kill the fleas before they have a chance to bite.

This is very important for a dog that has a flea bite allergy!  Applying the product will kill all fleas on the pet within 8 hours.  It continues to work for up to a month.   If you have a severe infestation in your home, I recommend using an Area Treatment Spray.

These sprays are very effective and don’t require you or your pets to evacuate the home for any amount of time.  You can spray carpeting, furniture, bedding and curtains.  If you haven’t noticed any fleas jumping or biting the humans in the household, chances are the infestation isn’t severe and simply using a good quality flea treatment will be enough to take care of the fleas in the home.

How?  Any hair or dander that falls from your treated dog will kill fleas in the carpet or bedding.  Any remaining fleas will jump on the dog and die.