My dog has fleas and won't stop scratching. What's the best treatment?

Treat the environment, both inside and out for fleas. then you can do a seresto collar that will last about 6 months to help repell the fleas from getting on him and give a bravecto tablet that will last for 3 months and kill an fleas that get on him. It is proven that good flea control must be utilized for at least 3 months straight to break the life cycle of the eggs to eliminate the problem. His skin does seem inflamed and infected so your vet may need to see him to give him antibiotics and possibily steriods to contorl the itching and clear the infection until the fleas get under control.

Unfortunately fleas do not live on the dog, but only hop on to feed and then they hop off and stay in his environment (your apartment!) until it is time to feed again. So you need to treat all pets in the household as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). Flea treatment:  1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian and apply monthly (which you have done already) 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas. Flea products: Spot-ons: Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Nexgard Revolution Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well) House spray: Indoorex

Hi there. I would recommend getting all pets in the home started on a good quality prescription flea control medication like Nexgard or Bravecto for Ollie, and Revolution or Bravecto for the cats. Once you've done this and had your home treated to get rid of any fleas or flea eggs still remaining in the environment, you should be in good shape as long as you keep everyone current on their flea treatments going forward.

Unfortunately fleas only hop on the body of your pet when they want to feed, then they hop off again and stay in your pet's environment. So you need to treat all pets in the household as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). Flea treatment:  1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian and apply monthly 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas. Flea products: Some of these are prescription, best call your veet and ask if you need to bring in the dog in order to buy those from him or get a prescription from him. Spot-ons and/or chews Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Simparica, Nexgard Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well)

If you’re noticing increased itching in that area and you found a flea, you may try switching the flea prevention to see if that helps. Fleas can become immune to products. The top products on the market are oral products such as Nexgard and Simparica. Most pets can use these products but you should talk with your veterinarian before switching. They are administered once a month and at this point appear to work very well. If the itching goes away, then you know it was related to flea bites. Best of luck.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds as if Blitz is becoming re-infested with fleas even after applying appropriate flea preventative measures (i.e. Seresto collar). I would suspect that the environmental control has not yet been adequate to appropriate kill the fleas. I would recommend to my clients to hire a professional parasite control company to perform a treatment for the area (inside and outside). It can take as long as 3 months to adequately control all life stages of the flea life cycle. It is also possible that even though the fleas have been controlled (if you are no longer seeing live adult fleas), that Blitz suffers from a flea allergy. In these cases the itch can last long after the flea is gone. You can continue to bathe Blitz in a soothing shampoo, but if the itch does not resolve it is best to have him seen by his veterinarian to determine what additional anti-pruritic (anti-itch) medication may be needed. It is not uncommon for us to also see secondary bacterial infections (pyoderma) happen due to chronic itching, and a topical medicated shampoo may also be required from his veterinarian.

Capstar is effective for killing adult fleas that are on Max. You will need a topical or oral treatment to continue killing adults and eggs both on and off him. Frontline, K9 Advantix and Vectra are just a few topical preventatives. NexGard and Bravecto are newer oral medications. Your veterinarian should examine Max to rule out other causes for the hair loss and to dispense antibiotics or antihistamines if indicated. Topicals are very effective when used properly. Use the appropriate dose based on Max's weight. Do not split doses between pets. It must be applied at least 3 days before or after a bath or grooming. It must be applied directly to the skin. This is accomplished by parting the fur with the applicator tip down to the skin. Treat ALL pets in the house for at least 3 consecutive months, preferably year round. Vacuum all areas and dispose of the bag outdoors. Wash all fabrics and beddings that have had contact with any pet in the hottest water temp allowable. The environment must also be treated. Knockout ES area treatment (by Virbac) is just one very effective product that can be used to prevent reinfestation. Lastly, treat all pets for tapeworm since fleas carry the risk of tapeworm infection.