Did you know that fleas have been in existence for at least 40 to 50 million years?
It would be admirable and exciting that something has been in existence for this long if it wasn’t for the fact that these miserable blood-sucking pests wreak havoc on our households and can spread disease to our pets and us — remember the Black Death?
Can you tell I'm not a fan of fleas?
Understanding how to prevent fleas and how to treat your pets if they become infested are the keys to keeping your pets (and everybody else in your home) happy.
Fortunately, there are several safe and effective products that can help keep fleas out of your home and help remove them if they're already there.
Flea Prevention Is Best
Flea prevention is the easiest and most cost-effective way to deal with fleas. The costs, between $75 and $400+, and the inconvenience of dealing with an infestation once it’s established are far worse than those associated with preventing such an infestation from taking hold in the first place.
As with most things, prevention is better, easier, and cheaper than treatment.
Why Flea Prevention Medication Should Be Year-Round
Generally, pets should be on flea prevention throughout the year. You might have heard that you don’t need to continue flea prevention when it’s cold outside, but I highly discourage this.
There are just too many ways for fleas to take hold and keep themselves going. And it often doesn't get cold enough in many parts of the world for an area to become truly flea-free.
For example, one stage of the flea life cycle is the pupal stage, a life stage that is protected from the environment by a cocoon. Pupal-stage fleas can remain dormant for several weeks while waiting for more favorable conditions.
Adult fleas can live in temperatures as low as 46°F. Also, in some areas, when the weather gets cooler, rodents start trying to seek shelter in homes. Those mice and rats could easily bring plenty of fleas into your home on their warm little bodies – then you have even more pests to contend with.
Don’t Forget Indoor-Only Pets!
For flea prevention to be effective, ALL dogs and cats in the household need to be on a monthly program.
Pets that live in apartments and have never gone outside have gotten fleas (and heartworm). Pests, like mosquitoes and fleas, can come into your home in many ways, and because you don't know if your neighbors' pets or pets that visit you are on flea preventatives, it's best to keep yours on one.
How to Treat Fleas On Your Dog
Of course, even with the best preventive measures, there are some rare instances where fleas can sneak in and take control. In these instances, it’s important to quickly and effectively treat the infestation to save you and your pets as much discomfort as possible.
Many of the steps necessary to treat a flea infestation are the same steps you take to prevent one:
Make sure all pets that live in your household are on a safe and effective flea medication. Speak with your veterinarian for recommended products. There are lots of options:
Warning: If you have cats, be sure to use a cat-only preventative and DO NOT use dog treatments on them. Also, be sure your cat doesn't groom your dog after applying their flea treatment.
Serious Safety Note Regarding Certain Preventatives: Some dogs and cats may carry a genetic mutation (MDR1) that makes them sensitive to common medications including some preventatives. If your pet has this mutation, standard doses (or any use) could cause severe adverse reactions.
An MDR1 test can help your veterinarian tailor safe and effective treatments. Click here for a list of medications for dogs to be cautious about, and to order tests.
Chewable Pills
- Bravecto: requires a prescription, 6 months of age and older and weighing 4.4 lbs. or greater, lasts 12 weeks, starts killing fleas within 2 hours, additionally protects against ticks, killing 100% of attached ticks in 12 hours, ideally should be given with food for better absorption, no adverse effects in MDR-1 gene-deficient collies at 3x the recommended dose.
Note: Bravecto 1-MONTH is for puppies 8 weeks of age and older, weighing at least 4.4 lbs. - Comfortis: requires a prescription, 14 weeks and older and weighing 5.0 lbs. or greater, lasts a month, starts killing fleas within 1 hour of ingestion, and kills 100% by 4 hours.
- Credelio: requires a prescription, 8 weeks and older and weighing 4.4 lbs. or greater, lasts a month, kills ticks as well as fleas and starts to kill in 4 hours from administration, must be administered with food or given within 30 minutes of a meal
- Credelio Plus: requires a prescription, 8 weeks and older and weighing 4.4 lbs. or greater, lasts a month, additionally protects against ticks, Demodex mites, heartworms, and intestinal parasites, must be administered with food or given within 30 minutes of a meal
- Nexgard: requires a prescription, 8 weeks and older and weighing 4 lbs. or greater, lasts a month, also protects against ticks, is approved by the FDA to prevent Lyme infections, and can be used with or without food.
- Nexgard Plus: requires a prescription, 8 weeks and older and weighing 4 lbs. or greater, lasts a month, also protects against ticks, heartworms, roundworms, and hookworms, can be administered with or without food.
- Sentinel Flavor Tabs: requires a prescription, 4 weeks and older and weighing 2 lbs. or greater, prevents flea eggs from hatching but does not kill adult fleas, also protects against heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms, must be administered with food or given within 30 minutes of a meal.
- Sentinel Spectrum: requires a prescription, 6 weeks and older and weighing 2 lbs. or greater, lasts a month, prevents flea eggs from hatching, also protects against heartworms, and is for the treatment and control of adult roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms, must be administered with food or given within 30 minutes of a meal.
- Simparica Trio: requires a prescription, 8 weeks and older and weighing at least 2.8 lbs. or greater, lasts a month, starts killing fleas within 4 hours, and achieved 100% effectiveness in 8 hours, also protects against heartworms, ticks, roundworms, and hookworms, FDA-approved to block infections that may cause Lyme disease.
- Trifexis: requires a prescription, 8 weeks and older and weighing 5 lbs., or greater, lasts a month, begins to kill fleas within 30 minutes of administration, and kills 100% after 4 hours, also protects against heartworms and treats and controls adult hookworms, roundworms, and whipworm infections, for maximum effectiveness give with food.
NOTE: Before starting any preventative that also protects against heartworm disease, dogs should be tested prior for existing heartworm infections.
Resource: Fact sheet about potential adverse effects for pet owners and what to do.
Topical Spot-ons
- Advantix II: no prescription required, 7 weeks and older, weighing greater than 3 lbs., lasts up to a month, starts killing fleas in 12 hours after application, waterproof after 24 hours, also protects against ticks, biting flies, lice, and mosquitoes.
- Advantage Multi: requires a prescription, 7 weeks and older, weighing 3 lbs. or greater, lasts up to a month, also protects against, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, and sarcoptic mange.
- Bravecto: requires a prescription, 6 months and older, weighing 4.4 lbs. or greater, lasts up to 12 weeks, water-resistant, and also protects against ticks.
- Revolution®: requires a prescription, 6 weeks and older, no minimum weight, lasts up to a month, also protects against ticks (only one species – American Dog Tick), ear mites, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, and sarcoptic mites, tested safe for pregnant and lactating dogs, avermectin-sensitive collies and heartworm-positive dogs.
- Vectra-3D®: no prescription required, 7 weeks and older, weighing greater than 3.3 lbs, lasts up to a month, within 5 minutes of application flea feeding is reduced and fleas are killed in 6 hours, also protects against ticks, mosquitoes, flies, mites, and lice (excluding mange mites), and is water-resistant.
NOTE: Do not attempt to split and apply a large dog topical spot-on to a small dog. This can risk over or underdosing your dog. Not only does this put your dog at risk, but in the long run, may cost you a lot more money in veterinary care.
NOTE: Do not allow other pets to lick the area where a topical has been applied, especially cats. Separate pets until it has completely dried.
Flea collars
- Seresto®: no prescription required, 7 weeks and older, lasts 8 months, also repels and kills ticks, odorless and water-resistant. Note: EPA confirms the safety of the Seresto collar.
Bathing Your Dog to Remove Fleas
Bathe your pets to remove ‘flea dirt’ and adult fleas, but bathing alone will not kill the fleas. Young fleas feed on flea dirt, so by removing it from their environment, you deprive them of food.
If using a topical flea treatment, wait at least 24 hours following application to bathe and use a gentle, soap-free pet shampoo (e.g., Dermalyte, Veterinary Formula Hypoallergenic Shampoo, or Vet’s Best Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo) to avoid stripping off the treatment.
How to Prevent Fleas In Your Home
Clean Regularly
While the routine use of flea preventative medications is the most effective tool for preventing an infestation, cleaning is also a big help. You should regularly (at least weekly) vacuum your carpets and wash any bedding on which your pets sleep – including your own.
This will help to remove adult fleas, eggs, larvae, pupae, and any flea ‘dirt’ (flea poop!) that may be in your home. Be sure to empty your vacuum canister or remove the bag after each session and drop the contents in a trash bag in an outside bin.
Pro Tip: Cutting up a cheap flea collar into the vacuum bag or canister will help kill any fleas that come into contact with it.
If You Moved – Prepare Your New Home
When moving into a new house or apartment, it’s always a good idea to get the carpets and floors thoroughly cleaned. Ideally, you should ‘flea bomb' the whole environment (including any accompanying outdoor space too) several days before you move in.
The flea ‘bombs’ or sprays are chemicals, however, once dry they are safe for pets to lick the surfaces and in the long run, it is better to have one ‘bomb’ than months of a miserable pet that will likely end up on antibiotics and steroids.
Next, steam clean the carpets and vacuum and mop any hardwood or laminate floors. This will help to truly ensure that you and your pets are starting with a fresh slate and no fleas.
Remember the flea life cycle I mentioned above? The pupal stage can hibernate for several weeks in the absence of an appropriate host (your pet!). An adult flea can survive without feeding for up to two weeks.
The flea larvae can feed on skin flakes, feces, and food debris trapped in the carpets and crevices. So even if the home hasn’t had pets in it for a while, a flea infestation can still be lying in wait. Taking a little extra time before you move into your new home will help you avoid an unfortunate experience later.
Treat your home at least two weeks prior to moving in and clean or vacuum daily to allow the spray to work as well as to remove as much residual product as possible. Do a deep clean after the 14 days as well.
Yard Maintenance
Even if you keep your pets on flea prevention year-round, your yard can become flea-infested to the point it can affect your pets.
Keep your grass short to expose the soil to the sun since fleas avoid the sun preferring dark environments. But don't cut your grass too short! Too short, and insects that eat fleas (like ants and spiders) won't want to show up there either.
Keep your yard dry and tidy. Fleas thrive in humid environments and will seek out shady places to hide, such as yard debris or piles of leaves or branches.
During peak flea season (the summer), it is recommended to have your yard professionally treated every six to eight weeks.
Check out this article for more tips on eradicating fleas in your home and yard.
Hopefully, you and your pets will never experience a flea infestation. It isn’t a fun time. Save yourself the frustration and costs and spare your pet the discomfort by using parasite prevention year-round.
