My dog has fleas and ticks. Are injectable treatments safe for him?

Great question! If Diesel has sensitive skin, I recommend using an oral flea and tick medication. Simparica is an oral flea and tick medication, as is Bravecto and Nexgard. I recommend using one of them. I hope this helps!

Unfortunately we do not have "shots" that cover all these problems. The only injections I am aware of that offer some protection are the Program shot, which lasts 6 months and will prevent fleas from reproducing but doesn't kill fleas on your dog, and praziquantel which is an injection for tapeworms. There is also an injection to prevent heartworms called Proheart that is once every 6 months. Most people choose to do topical or oral products for flea/tick/intestinal parasites. My favorite product is Nexgaurd for fleas and ticks, which is a chewable once a month flea and tick preventative. There is a newer oral product called Bravecto which covers fleas and ticks, and lasts 3 months. I haven't used it but have heard great things. For heartworms and intestinal parasites I like the products iverheart, heartgard, sentinel, and interceptor. They prevent heartworms and the more common intestinal worms, and must be given monthly.

You should remove all the ticks with tweezers and then apply a flea and tick preventative spot on suitable for young puppies or Frontline spray (which is suitable for puppies). These are available at your veterinarian or in a pet shop.

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 )

I occasionally see toxicity issues with some of the over-the-counter topical flea products like Hartz, Sergeant's, etc. - this is more commonly a problem in cats, but can sometimes be an issue with small dogs as well, especially if they've been dosed above their weight range. All of the prescription flea/tick medications currently on the market (Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, etc.) are quite safe and effective.

You can just go and buy tick and flea treatment for your dog. Make sure it is the right size for his weight. You should think about heart worm treatment also. This will require a heart worm test to make sure he does not have heart worm and then the vet can prescribe the heart worm prevention. Here are some reputable flea and tick medications: Spot-ons: 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 Nexgard Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well)

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!