Do flea and tick shampoos and sprays work? What are affordable alternatives?

I actually don't care much for sprays, in general - there are much better options for flea/tick control in dogs. My favorites are oral medications like Nexgard or Bravecto, but a Seresto collar or topical medication like K9 Advantix can also work well. If you really want to use a spray, I would suggest Frontline spray - it isn't always terribly effective for fleas, in my experience, but works well for ticks and should be safe. Many of the other over-the-counter sprays contain very harsh chemicals that can be dangerous, so I don't usually recommend them unless you have no other choices.

Flea shampoo is not effective and should be avoided. here is the list of the best flea products on the market. Spot ons: Revoulution Advantage Advantage Multi Frontline (ticks as well) Tablets: Trifexis/comfortis Bravecto (ticks as well) Collar: Seresto ( (ticks as well) House spary: Indoorex

With oral prevention there are no issues with bathing/swimming interfering with the product's efficacy as well as they don't typically lose any effectiveness between doses compared to topical flea/tick medications. There are also more chances for errors in applying topical medications compared to oral medications. Topical medications also rely on the skin absorbing them appropriately which rarely doesn't happen. I can't comment on the cheapest effective brand as prices can vary among areas as well as certain products can be discounted as part of a promotion depending on a veterinary clinic, online pharmacy and store. However ineffective products in my experience include Hartz and most collars.

I do not recommend any flea or tick shampoos, these are usually not safe products and not as long lasting as more modern preventive treatment for fleas and ticks. here is the list of the best flea products on the market. Spot ons: Revoulution Advantage Advantage Multi Frontline (ticks as well) Tablets: Trifexis/comfortis Bravecto (ticks as well) - for dogs Collar: Seresto ( (ticks as well) House spary: Indoorex

The Seresto flea/tick collar is the only one on the market that is safe and effective - the others, including Adams, are often dangerously toxic for the dog and not effective at all for fleas in my experience. Advantix is definitely a better choice than PetArmor, but the most effective option available for fleas and ticks currently would be an oral medication like Nexgard or Bravecto. I would recommend getting a prescription from your veterinarian for one of these medications, if possible - this will eliminate the need for any topical medication or flea collars, and will also work much better.

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.

In my opinion systemic (oral) and spot on prescription products are the best and most effective ones. Liquid dish soap and collars are not that effective. I usually suggest collars only as repellents against certain type of insects as sand flies (Leishmania vectors).