Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

What age can my puppy safely start taking flea and tick pills?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 month and 7 days old | 10 lbs

What age can a puppy start taking a flea and tick pill?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 7th, 2018

It depends on the medication. Revolution can be given to puppies as young as six weeks of age, Advantage seven weeks of age, and Frontline Plus eight weeks of age. Frontline spray can be used in puppies as young as two days old. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

59Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 27th, 2018

    This depends on the flea preventative you intend to use. You can use Frontline Spray in very young puppies as well as the mother. Spot-ons are very concentrated and should not be used in puppies younger than three months old and these puppies need to have an appropriate weight depending on the medication. There are puppy spot ons available. Your vet should have all these available.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What to use on a 7 week old puppy for fleas? Will be 8 weeks old in 3 days.
Revolution can be used on puppies 6 weeks of age and older, and there is no minimum weight requirement. At 7 weeks old, he can use Advantage II if the puppy weighs at least 3 pounds, or K9 Advantix II if he weighs at least 4 pounds. If you prefer a flea collar, the Seresto collar can be used on puppies at least 7 weeks of age or older. After he is eight weeks old, you can use Activyl, or Frontline Plus, as well as some of the newer oral flea control medications such as NexGard and Trifexis.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Is it safe to start giving my puppy flea and tick treatments he’s 7 weeks
You can use Advantage II. It is labeled for use on puppies 7 weeks of age and older. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/advantage-ii-once-a-month-topical-flea-treatment-for-dogs-and-puppies-3-to-10-lbs )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
How old does a puppy have to be for fea prevention?
This depends on the flea preventative you intend to use. You can use Frontline Spray in very young puppies as well as the mother. Spot-ons are very concentrated and should not be used in puppies younger than three months old and these puppies need to have an appropriate weight depending on the medication. There are puppy spot ons available. Your vet should have all these available.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 7 week old goldendoodle and was wondering if I could get a flea and tick medicine for her at such a young age?
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Harley. I typically prescribe Vectra 3D once a puppy is 8 weeks of age. It is a flea and tick prevention, but also repels mosquitoes which aids in heartworm prevention. It provides protection against certain types of biting flies, lice and mites. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I would like to know a good flea and tick medication for my dog she's only 1 month and 2 day
Most flea and tick medications should not be used until 6-8 weeks of age and will say the age on the package. If you are having a flea problem I recommend using a flea comb to comb out any fleas. I dip it into a bowl of water with a drop or two of Dawn dishwashing soap. This will kill the fleas. As far as ticks go again I would just check Princess over daily and remove any you see with tweezers. When you go in for her first vaccinations at six weeks your veterinarian can help you decide on a flea and tick product that works well in your area and is safe for small dogs such as Princess. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
We have a litter of 10 pitbull puppies that all have fleas and i have found one tick. They are only 10 days old and I've heard that Adams flea and tick is safe to use at this early of an age. I'm am really skeptical about the chemicals and smell for
Oh no, how frustrating! I would not recommend using Adams flea and tick products for dogs of any age, as they tend not to be terribly effective and can lead to some serious reactions. Your puppies are currently too young to be treated with any oral or topical flea and tick preventatives. However, one method of managing fleas at this young age is to bathe the puppies in original Dawn dish soap weekly. The original (blue) Dawn will kill adult fleas, but it will not kill eggs or treat the recently hatched larvae. Be sure to dry them well and keep them warm after their baths since young puppies are not able to regulate their body temperatures as well as adult dogs. By 6 weeks of age, your vet can prescribe Revolution to be used topically, or you can purchase K9 Advantix II OTC when the puppies are 7 weeks old. Also be sure to wash their bedding and any soft materials they contact in hot soapy water. Assure that the puppies' mom and any other dogs in the house are also receiving flea and ti
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What can I do for flea prevention for a 8 week old shih tzu puppy?
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Frontline a topical flea medication and is safe for puppies 8 weeks or older and comes in a 0-22 lb size. Revolution, also a topical, is safe for puppies 6 weeks or older and has a size for under 5 lbs. Personally for a puppy Max's size I would bath in Dawn and manually remove the fleas. If that doesn't solve the problem then I would use Revolution until he weighs more. Also make sure you treat ALL other pets in the house. Once Max gets over 5 lbs there are a lot more option. Hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, I am looking for recommendations for flea and tick prevention for a 8week old bully puppy. I’ve used the collar on an older dog but I am wandering if that is too harsh for a puppy. Also I was looking at heart guard chews And I was wondering if
Vii can be given Heartgard (8 weeks is an appropriate age to start) but make sure you have the appropriate sized dose for Vii's weight. For fleas and ticks I recommend a monthly chewable product such as Nexgard, which is labeled for young puppies like Vii. This is a prescription product and is available from your veterinarian. Hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
i have 4 puppies that are 3 weeks old and they have fleas.. i went to the pet store and got frontline spray as recommended by the guys at the pet store and i sprayed one spray on one puppy and i immediately brought wet paper and tried to wipe it off.
Frontline spray is safe to use on puppies as young as two days old. Because it dries rapidly, it's safe to handle the puppies as soon as their coat is dry. It has a very high safety margin, so as long as the puppies are dry, there should be no problem with them licking each other. I would not wipe off the flea treatment, as it will not work. If you are too concerned to use it, then you can give each one a warm bath, and use a flea comb to comb out the fleas. Make sure to dry them thoroughly after the bath. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash their bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
How old do the puppies have to be to be able to be given flea meds and be dewormed? And when can I take them to the vet to get their shots?
Typically vaccinations are started at 6 weeks old. Pups can be dewormed with some medications starting at 2-3 weeks of age. If you plan to take them to your vet for vaccinations, I would call and ask what deworming protocol they recommend. Most flea medications are labeled for pups starting at 6-8 weeks or later if they are too small. The best thing for fleas is to treat Mom with frontline or advantage and manually remove fleas with a flea comb for now. Also keeping environment clean of fleas will help. Hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored