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Are vanillin and citric acid safe for topical dog flea & tick control?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 3 months old | 11 lbs

Are vanillin and citric acid safe for my dog,when used topically,as flea tick prevention?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 4th, 2017

Both of those should be safe if applied to the outer coat. However, they will not effectively prevent fleas and ticks. The best way to prevent external parasites is by using a product from your vet. There are newer products like Bravecto and Nexgard that are oral tablets that prevent fleas/ticks for 30 days. This is the best way to keep your dog parasite free.

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