My dog has fleas. What's the safest shampoo or pill to use?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | unspayed | 5 years and 1 month old | 13 lbs
i think this is from fleas. I tried salt water, but i think they've been there too longnow? I dont want to poison my dog. Its hard for me to get to a vets office. Is there an effective shampoo? Or does she need a pill? i want this gone. thankyou.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 23rd, 2022
Hello! My name is Dr. Elizabeth and I am happy to help. Ugh! Fleas are the worst but the good news is that you can effectively get rid of them if you use a good product and are diligent in the treatment. Here is a link about the flea life cycle: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/flea-control-in-dogs The flea life cycle can last as long as 6 months. The key to getting rid of fleas is to make sure EVERY dog and cat in the house is treated with a good flea prevention AND that this treatment lasts an entire 6 months. Your vet can give you access to the best flea products on the market. Oral flea products like Simparica, Nexgard and Bravecto are the best products out there because they kill fleas so quickly. This decreased to potential for the female fleas to lay eggs which breaks the life cycle. Since the product is in the bloodstream, it also can't be washed off. Lastly, because they are new, there is not a resistance issue in the flea population. They are also cost competitive with a name brand product like Frontline. I recommend to get Smallie on one of these oral flea products and use it for 6 months. If you use a topical flea prevention, only wash Smallie just before the next application of flea prevention is due. Topical flea products like the one you applied can be washed off which means they won't work as well. Also know you will likely continue to see fleas for at least 6 weeks (assuming your product is working correctly) because of the newly emerging adult fleas. Lastly, know there is great variation in the effectiveness of topical flea products. As far as they go, for over the counter options, Seresto, name brand Frontline and Advantage/Advantix are your best options. Use them as directed. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 22nd, 2018
Hi there! My favorite flea control product is currently nexgard. It is given once per month. There is bravecto, which is administered every 12 weeks for flea control. Any of the two are great. However, I always recommend at least 3-4 months of flea control to get rid of an infestation, because we do not currently have a product that kills every single life stage of the flea. I know it's gross, but you'll have to wait for some of them to develop into adult fleas fully before they will be affected by the product you are using. Since the dog is the preferred host of the flea, and they need the dog to survive, you need to treat your dog for 3-4 months. (I also recommend treating every single animal in the house - dogs of course, but even cats if the infestation is bad enough, as the fleas can become a real nuisance). If the infestation is really bad, then I recommend an exterminator service if that's something that owners can afford as you have to relocate everyone for a few days. However, nothing is more effective in eradicating a parasite, than to prevent them from getting to their definitive host to procreate.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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