How do I safely treat a bad flea problem on my 7-month-old puppy?

Yes, I can give you a flea treatment program for Gracie. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her 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. Best of luck.

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.

The only flea collar that appears to work well is the Seresto collar. And even then, I can have a slower rate of kill for the fleas. The top products on the market our oral products such as some Perica and next guard. For most pets, these are good options that I recommend to call your veterinarian first and doublecheck. Also, you will need to treat all the pets in the household for six months to make sure you get through the entire fleet lifecycle. Best of luck.

Poor girl. I would recommend contacting a mobile vet to see if they can lure her away from the puppies to get them taken care of. A topical vet approved product may be able to be used on the puppies, off label, to help remove the fleas. Either that or a quick dawn detergent bath (if they are old enough to maintain their body temperature) and making sure not to get it in their eyes. Mama dog also needs to be treated for fleas with a product from your vet, as over the counters are typically topical and not recommended. The vet also may need to give her a mild oral sedative (i.e. trazodone) to help calm Emily enough to be able to treat everyone safely. It's important to get this done quickly to prevent severe blood loss anemia that can happen if the fleas are continued to have their blood meal on them. I hope this helps and best of luck with your flea issues. Take care. http://www.vetlocator.com/

I recommend to see your veterinarian for medication called Revolution. While any pecan have a reaction to anything, Revolution seems to be very safe for very small and very young pets. You will need to treat her for 6 months. I hope this helps.

Great question! Flea collars are not very effective, as you are seeing unfortunately. I can give you an effective flea treatment program for Indy. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment, as it will be a continuing source of fleas if you don't. Wash her 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. I hope this helps!

I would recommend Frontline Plus for Bella, unless she is really 1 lbs. If that is the case, I would recommend taking her to the vet to get something called capstar. This is a prescription and will require a vet visit.