How to safely treat fleas, ticks, and worms on new puppies and mom?

The best way to treat puppies this young is with a warm bath and some dawn dish soap. You can't really use any flea treatments on them. However you should, and can treat the mother. You should also wash any bedding and make sure that you keep the puppies free of fleas at all times. After bathing make sure to dry them thoroughly. They are still too young to control their body temp.

Oh no, how frustrating! I would not recommend using Adams flea and tick products for dogs of any age, as they tend not to be terribly effective and can lead to some serious reactions. Your puppies are currently too young to be treated with any oral or topical flea and tick preventatives. However, one method of managing fleas at this young age is to bathe the puppies in original Dawn dish soap weekly. The original (blue) Dawn will kill adult fleas, but it will not kill eggs or treat the recently hatched larvae. Be sure to dry them well and keep them warm after their baths since young puppies are not able to regulate their body temperatures as well as adult dogs. By 6 weeks of age, your vet can prescribe Revolution to be used topically, or you can purchase K9 Advantix II OTC when the puppies are 7 weeks old. Also be sure to wash their bedding and any soft materials they contact in hot soapy water. Assure that the puppies' mom and any other dogs in the house are also receiving flea and tick preventatives regularly. K9 Advantix II is labeled as being safe for pregnant and lactating bitches. I hope that all goes well!

You can treat the mom now and there are some products you can use on the puppies now as well (like Revolution). Here is a chart of what products you can use. I suggest you consult with your vet about what products they have available. I would suggest treating everyone with Revolution. You do not need to isolate the mom. ( https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/puppy-health/flea-and-tick-medicine-for-puppies/ ) Don't forget to treat the environment - both the house and the yard. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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/

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! We don’t start heartworm and flea/tick prevention until around 8 week of age. Nexgard is the only oral flea and tick preventative approved in the US for 6 months or younger. I would continue the Nemex every 2 weeks until they start heartworm prevention. I hope this helps!

Great question! Yes, you can give the puppies a dawn dish soap bath, and use a flea comb to comb out the fleas. As for Harley, there are flea treatments that are safe to use on nursing dogs. Capstar is a one time pill that starts killing fleas in 30 minutes and is safe for her. I would follow that up with Revolution (you can use Capstar and Revolution together). Revolution is a monthly spot on treatment that is safe to use on nursing dogs. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. Wash their bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a flea spray such as Indorex, but make sure it is completely dried before allowing Harley and her puppies back into the treated area. I hope this helps!

Most flea and tick medications should not be used until 6-8 weeks of age and will say the age on the package. If you are having a flea problem I recommend using a flea comb to comb out any fleas. I dip it into a bowl of water with a drop or two of Dawn dishwashing soap. This will kill the fleas. As far as ticks go again I would just check Princess over daily and remove any you see with tweezers. When you go in for her first vaccinations at six weeks your veterinarian can help you decide on a flea and tick product that works well in your area and is safe for small dogs such as Princess. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.