Keep Your Loyal Friends Safe with The Best Flea and Tick Prevention for Dogs
Dogs live a simple life. All they want is to go on a walk, play fetch, eat their favorite treats and just be happy. Unfortunately, a flea or tick attack can turn your puppy's life into an irritating, itchy nightmare. Yes, it is treatable, but avoid it altogether with the best flea and tick prevention for dogs in 2022.
Fleas and ticks are a bigger problem than you might initially think. The first issue caused by them is the itchiness and discomfort for your innocent companion. A large number of fleas and ticks constantly biting your dog can cause anemia and a reduction in red blood cells. If left untreated, things will get a lot worse.
So, after welcoming a puppy (or even a full-grown dog) into your home, it is your duty to ensure its safety. Luckily, there are plenty of flea and tick prevention products out there. We checked out a handful of the most popular options and curated a list of the best ones.
Top Flea And Tick Prevention For Dogs – A Review Of The Ultimate Five
Beloved Pets Flea and Tick Control Treats
– Best Overall
Beloved Pets’ Flea and Tick Control Treats are a quick and easy method that gets the job done flawlessly. Give a few of these bacon-flavored treats to your dog every day, and you’ll never have to worry about fleas or ticks.
These pills are created from the ground up to offer tick prevention while also providing health benefits for your dog. They are also made from all-natural non-GMO ingredients to ensure the wellbeing of your loyal friend. However, keep in mind that the number of treats per day is heavily dependent on your dog’s weight. Your dog might want more, but do not exceed the safe limit under any circumstances.
- A flavor that most dogs love
- Immediately effective
- Healthy for your dog in more than one way
- Not a long-term solution
Hartz Ultragurad Flea and Tick Prevention
– Runner Up
Are you looking for something similar to the K9 Advantix II but for smaller dogs? If yes, then the Hartz Ultragurad is for you. The recommended weight for this particular treatment is between five and fourteen pounds. Larger dogs might not get the best results from this. Keep in mind, though, that you should not use this treatment on puppies under 12 months of age, regardless of their weight.
As for the performance of Hartz Ultragurad, it is excellent. The formula starts working in as little as twelve hours and keeps your dog’s smile intact for an entire month. Even when you have to reapply, the easy to open tubes make the entire process completely hassle-free.
- Perfect for smaller dog breeds
- Protects against all kinds of fleas and ticks
- Kills flea eggs and larvae
- Completely safe for dogs
- Poor performance on larger dogs
PetArmor Plus for Dogs
– Honorable Mention
While most topical formulas suppress flea infestation, PetArmor Plus aims to eradicate them completely. The last topical formula on our list is also aimed at smaller dogs, between 5 and 22 pounds, to be exact. However, what makes PetArmor’s solution the best flea and tick prevention for dogs is its unmatched performance. It goes after fleas and tick eggs and kills them before they even have a chance to hurt your dog.
PetArmor Plus goes a step further than fleas and ticks and shields your puppy from lice as well. The crazy thing is that all this performance doesn’t come at a premium as PetArmor Plus is still priced competitively.
- Waterproof topical application
- Vet-approved ingredients
- Breaks the flea cycle
- It takes almost an entire day to get started after application
Seresto Flea and Tick Collar
– Also Consider
The last item on our list is the Seresto Flea and Tick Collar. It is not a treat or a topical formula. Instead, it’s a collar that wraps around your dog’s neck and completely shields them from all flea and tick attacks. Someone unfamiliar with these collars might think they do not work, but the tens of thousands of positive reviews on Amazon say otherwise.
Implementation is easy: just put it around your dog’s neck and cut the rest. Your dog is now protected for eight months.
- Best value for your money
- Complete protection for eight whole months
- Starts working immediately after application
- High initial cost
Favored Flea And Tick Prevention For Dogs: A Complete Buying Guide
Ask any dog parent, and they will tell you how dogs are the most precious thing on this planet. They approach everything with their unfiltered innocence and curiosity. They offer unadulterated love without expecting anything in return.
It is our responsibility to take care of them and do everything in our power to give them happy, painless lives. So, choosing the best flea and tick prevention for your dog is extremely important.
These are the things you should consider when buying flea prevention products.
Types of Flea and Tick Prevention
There are three main types of tick and flea prevention products on the market.
Chewable prevention
Chewable or edible prevention methods are the easiest and usually the cheapest solution. They come in the form of treats that your dog will love. Bacon is the most popular flavor, but you can find other ones as well.
Anything that bites your dog will get paralyzed and die soon after. These treats work by weaponizing your dog's biology against the biting bugs. This even works on mosquitos depending on which treats you're using.
Chewable treats are also extremely fast, with results showing in only a couple of hours.
Having said that, the issue with treat-based tick prevention is that it is not a long-term solution. Your dog is protected against the bugs as long as you're giving them the treats. As soon as you stop, the flea infestation will come back.
Luckily, these treats are designed to be taken for a long time, with some even offering additional health benefits for your adorable goofball.
Topical treatments
Topical treatments involve applying a tube of semi-liquid material between your dog's shoulder blades. The treatment takes between twelve and twenty-four hours to get started, but your dog is safe for the next thirty days once it does.
Unlike chewable treatments that work when something bites your dog, topical methods are effective directly on contact. So, your dog doesn't have to endure a single bite in its fight against these pesky bugs.
The only issue with these topical treatments is their setup time. While you can apply the formula in seconds, it takes many hours to see some results.
Flea prevention collar
Flea and tick prevention collars are the fanciest methods in the market, and they work like a charm. All you have to do is attach the collar and then forget about fleas for the next eight to twelve months. It honestly feels like magic.
There are two subtypes of flea prevention collars.
Repellent
First are the ones that just repel fleas and ticks. They emit a gas that deters any fleas from attacking your dog. However, these are only effective if your dog does not have an infestation already.
Repellent and treatment
On the other hand, if your dog is already suffering from fleas and ticks, the second type is what you need. It emits the deterrent gas while spreading treatment chemicals via the sebaceous glands. These chemicals are then spread across the entire skin of your dog, thanks to its natural oils.
Weight of Your Dog
Almost all of the best flea and tick prevention solutions for dogs are meant for a very specific weight class. Some are optimized for smaller dogs, while others are meant for larger, heavier dogs.
Weigh your dog, and keep their weight in mind when shopping for a solution, as not paying attention can lead to disaster.
For example, let's say you buy something intended for smaller dogs and apply it to your 80-pound dog. There is a high likelihood that you will not see any noticeable improvement in their tick infestation.
On the other hand, if you buy something intended for larger dogs and apply it to your tiny dog, you could see some unintended side effects. The dose could be too much for your small dog to handle, putting your dog's wellbeing and safety on the line.
How Do You Treat a Flea or Tick Infestation?
Fleas attack your dog. What can you do now? There are plenty of treatments and solutions out there. Here's what you have to do.
Consult your vet
The first step is to contact the dog's regular vet. Let them assess the situation and present a solution. They will most likely provide a list of suitable treatments for your dog based on its weight, skin condition, and other medical factors.
Do not buy any treatment that is not on this list.
Utilize flea killing shampoos
You can easily find flea and tick exterminating shampoos on the market. They might not eliminate the infestation completely, but they can get you very close.
However, make sure to follow the instructions when washing your dog with these shampoos.
Combs and tweezers
So, you're using a vet-approved oral or topical treatment, alongside washing your dog with flea and tick-killing shampoo. Now it's time to get manual.
Take out your flea comb and precision tweezers; start removing as many bugs as you can by hand. If done properly, this manual method should result in a dramatic reduction in the number of fleas troubling your poor puppy.
Flea and Tick Preventions for Dog FAQ
A: Avoid any product with synthetic neonicotinoids like dinotefuran in it. These chemicals are harmful to bees and other similar insects.
A: Yes, they are safe as long as they stay on the neck. However, they include some strong pesticides that can be dangerous if ingested. So, make sure that your dog cannot chew on the collar and properly dispose of any extra collar material or anything else that came in the package.
A: Fleas can survive in human hair. Luckily, dog fleas cannot breed in human hair under any circumstances. So, you might get fleas in your hair when cleaning your dog, but you will not be spreading them further.
A: Yes, fleas alongside bed bugs can be classified as nocturnal, and they definitely show more activity at night.
A: Completely getting rid of fleas and ticks from your home is tricky. Your best option is to power vacuum your entire house, clean all of the bedsheets (including your dog's) in hot water, and employ a steam cleaner for carpets. If all else fails, you might have to look into chemical options.
