What are good, safe flea treatment options for my pet at Walmart?

The safest flea shampoo for a cat is actually Dawn dish soap or baby shampoo. It is very mild and gentle and does well for killing fleas. After a bath you can try frontline or advantage topical if old enough as those do no require prescriptions

Advantage spot on or frontline spray would be your best option for now, Advantage is sold over the counter and is a very effective anti flea treatment. for the house i would recommend Indoorex spray.

Hello! My name is Dr. Elizabeth and I am happy to help. Ugh! Fleas are the worst but the good news is that you can effectively get rid of them if you use a good product and are diligent in the treatment. Here is a link about the flea life cycle: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/flea-control-in-dogs The flea life cycle can last as long as 6 months. The key to getting rid of fleas is to make sure EVERY dog and cat in the house is treated with a good flea prevention AND that this treatment lasts an entire 6 months. Your vet can give you access to the best flea products on the market. Oral flea products like Simparica, Nexgard and Bravecto are the best products out there because they kill fleas so quickly. This decreased to potential for the female fleas to lay eggs which breaks the life cycle. Since the product is in the bloodstream, it also can't be washed off. Lastly, because they are new, there is not a resistance issue in the flea population. They are also cost competitive with a name brand product like Frontline. I recommend to get Smallie on one of these oral flea products and use it for 6 months. If you use a topical flea prevention, only wash Smallie just before the next application of flea prevention is due. Topical flea products like the one you applied can be washed off which means they won't work as well. Also know you will likely continue to see fleas for at least 6 weeks (assuming your product is working correctly) because of the newly emerging adult fleas. Lastly, know there is great variation in the effectiveness of topical flea products. As far as they go, for over the counter options, Seresto, name brand Frontline and Advantage/Advantix are your best options. Use them as directed. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Sometimes the best place to get advise for fleas is from the locals or the local veterinarian. The reason for this is that fleas in certain geographic areas are more susceptible to certain products than others. For instance, when I lived in NY everyone used Frontline and loved it. When I went down to Virginia, everyone hated it and their animals would be crawling with fleas regardless of use. Here in Pennsylvania, it doesn't seem to work well either. I find that that the Seresto collar is the most effective product, and it is nice because it lasts or eight months. It can be purchased over the counter on websites such as amazon or at Walmart. Hope this helps.

Most veterinary approved flea products such as Frontline and Advantage are safe to use around children. If you do use a topical product, be sure to just wash your hands and your children's hands if they pet your dogs around the area that is affected to keep from ingesting any product. If you are concerned about the use of a topical coming into contact with your children, oral products are available direct through a veterinarian. Products such as Capstar are a pill given in oral form that can help kill fleas within 24 hours. For your household, keeping the house clean and vacuumed, washing any affected bedding and keeping your pets on a preventive medication will help to keep the flea population away. DIatomaceous Earth (food grade) can also be used to naturally kill fleas through dehydration, and is not harmful to humans or pets. It can be sprinkled around the environment to kill fleas and flea eggs in it. A simple shampoo of Dawn dish soap and a flea comb can also be used to kill fleas on the body and make them easier to remove without the use of harmful chemicals.

You can pick up flea medication from your vet's office. You don't need an appointment to get them. Flea treatment from your vet's office will be a better product than those you can buy from the supermarket. If your dog already has fleas, you can get Capstar. It's a single dose pill that works in 30 minutes to kill fleas. The next day, you can put a spot on treatment like Advantage. It has to be used once a month every month for effective protection against fleas.

Frontline doesn't always work unfortunately, but a flea shampoo is not likely to give you a better result. Instead I recommend using Advantage or Advocate spot on, Alternatively a comfortis tablet will do an excellent job as well. Do not bath her at least 3 days before and after you apply any spot on. As these flea treatment do not contain the same active ingredients as the frontline, they are safe to use at anytime you chose.