My dog got wet after topical flea & tick meds. Reapply or switch?

The medication will ideally dry for 12 hours. It's pretty close so likely the medication will work fine. Be checking Booker (especially around his tail and groin area) to be sure. Don't reapply medication with out a vet's ok. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would refrain from reapplying this topical product, because you cannot be sure how much of it was rinsed off and it is best to not overdose him. Also the biting and scratching can be normal for any pet that has just received flea preventative if there was a large infestation of fleas. The "itch cascade" as we call it can last even after the parasites are gone, and often pets require a short course of steroids or a steroid shot to stop the itch completely. Your best option at this point, if you still see evidence of fleas or ticks, is to follow up with a medication called Capstar. This is the only flea ridding product that can be used in conjunction with topical flea preventatives, because it does not last in the pets system very long. You can safely redose the Pet armour in 2 weeks time. However I will say I am not a fan of this product and find there are better, more effective ones on the market. For instance, Bravecto, Nexgard, Advantage Multi, just to name a few.

Topical products can take a few hours to absorb into the skin. If applied more to the fur than skin it may take a bit longer. Ideally I would leash walk them until the area appears dry to look and touch to prevent them from rubbing it off, or getting dirt caked in the application spot. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Dogs are not supposed to get wet for at least 24 hours after application of a topical flea medication, and more than likely it was washed off during the bath. You can reapply the flea treatment, and I would give them Capstar given you have seen fleas. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes, and it's safe to be given at the same time as the spot on treatment. Just as a note, I would not recommend using Frontline. In my experience (and from the experience of many colleagues), there is a resistance to Frontline, and you may not get the best results from it. I recommend using Advantage or Revolution instead. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash their bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.

You can apply a different topical or oral flea medication but not the same one. bear in mind advantage and advantix are the same as Petlock so you cannot use these either. other options you can use: Spot ons: Revoulution (stronghold in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Tablets: Trifexis/comfortis Bravecto (ticks as well) - Collar: Seresto ( (ticks as well) House spary: Indoorex

Hi there. I should have absorbed before he went swimming. I wouldn't apply another dose at this point because overdose can make them sick. Monitor for any fleas and ticks closely and apply the next dose when he's due. I hope that helps, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Since a bath wets the skin significantly and also softens it, I suggest you wait a few hours until your dog is completely dry , ie has a dry hair coat as well as completely dry skin. Once the skin is dry there should be no problem with application of the tick and flea treatment.