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My dog has fleas again in 9 days. Can I reapply topical treatment?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rhodesian Ridgeback | Female | spayed | 43 lbs

I put Petlock on my dog and it worked well for a week. When I did see a flea or two on her they would appear to be dying. I washed and cleaned everything in the house. Now 9 days later I am seeing way too many fleas on her and they seem healthy. Can I apply more topical medication to her even if it's only been 9 days?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on August 19th, 2017

You can apply a different topical or oral flea medication but not the same one. bear in mind advantage and advantix are the same as Petlock so you cannot use these either. other options you can use: Spot ons: Revoulution (stronghold in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Tablets: Trifexis/comfortis Bravecto (ticks as well) - Collar: Seresto ( (ticks as well) House spary: Indoorex

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 10th, 2018

    I would recommend to apply a better quality flea product on prescription. Here is a list of good quality flea (and ticks) treatment. Spot ons: Revolution, Advantage, Advantage Multi, Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats. A good house spray would be Indoorex. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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