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Natural flea & tick help for my dog, avoiding meds & side effects?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Female | 5 years old | 8 lbs

What are some PROVEN TO WORK natural remedies for fleas & ticks, hopefully including the killing of flea eggs. Right now I bathe my dog with flea shampoo & apple cider vinegar rinse. However I saw a flea on her recently. I don’t want any oral meds or anything like frontline as my dog has had a seizure from Bravecto & I now want something natural w/ no major side effects. Frontline & similar products didn’t work for her in the past. Please help she’s scratching a lot & I don’t want an infestation

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 14th, 2019

I am really sorry but to answer your question, there are NO natural remedies that are proven to work for fleas and ticks. They just don't work. If your dog did not do well on Bravecto there are many other products available that don't have the same active ingredient as Bravecto. You could try Simparica or Nexgard. Are you 100% positive the Bravecto caused the seizure? I hear this a lot from owners. They say the dog had a seizure a week or so after the Bravecto administration and peg that as the cause. It is highly unlikely to have been the cause that many days after ingestion. When dogs have seizures the most likely cause is underlying epilepsy. It is rarely due to medication administration. The other option is to try a Seresto collar. Many of my clients love this option and it does work well. One collar works for up to 8 months so it is cost effective too! ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/seresto-flea-and-tick-collar-for-dogs ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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