How to get rid of fleas on dogs

Vet-recommended flea control products are the safest and most efficient way of getting rid of fleas on your pets and in your home. Flea control products target adult fleas to prevent them from breeding, and some also prevent flea eggs from hatching and larvae from maturing. To get rid of a flea infestation, all mammalian pets in the home need effective flea treatment for a minimum of three months. Read on to learn more about:

• How to get rid of fleas on dogs and in the home
• Signs and symptoms of flea bites and home infestations
• How flea prevention works and why it’s important
• How an online vet can help treat your dog’s fleas

Treating the home with a premise spray and a thorough cleaning may also help manage severe infestations. It’s best to work with a veterinarian to choose a safe and effective flea control product and create a tailored treatment plan to get an infestation under control.

If a pet has fleas, the home has fleas as well. Fleas rapidly breed and infest the host’s environment, allowing them to spread to other pets in the household. Ctenocephalides felis, also known as the cat flea, is the most common flea species found on dogs in North America and can infest multiple species of animals as well as the home and yard. Flea infestations can also affect people through flea bites and the potential spread of flea-borne disease.

The quickest way to get rid of a flea infestation is to tackle the different flea life cycle stages in the environment where they live. Adult fleas infest dogs and other pets. Flea eggs, larvae, and pupae are more likely to be found in the environment, such as on carpets, bedding, furniture, and protected outdoor locations frequented by host animals.

Fleas are more abundant in some regions of North America than others, but they’re capable of living nearly everywhere. You can help prevent your dog from bringing fleas home by keeping them on an effective flea prevention product.

Canine flea control products

Putting your dog on an effective, year-round flea-control product is the best way to get rid of fleas as well as prevent them. Any other mammalian pets in the household, such as cats, ferrets, and rabbits, need flea treatment as well. Fleas in the environment continue to find new hosts and grow their population. Always talk with a veterinarian to ensure the flea product is safe for each animal’s size and species.

“Many modern flea control products are so effective that environmental treatment isn’t always necessary if all animals in the home are on prevention,” states Dr. Jo Myers, a veterinarian on Vetster. “Some topicals treat the environment by remaining effective when they are shed into the environment along with skin cells that the larvae then feed on. Most oral medications kill adult fleas so quickly they prevent the fleas from breeding.”  Different ingredients in flea products target different parts of the flea life cycle, but flea eggs and pupae are usually highly resistant to treatments and difficult to kill. Since eggs and pupae make up 95% of the flea population, repeated treatment over several months is necessary to kill eggs and pupae when they hatch as larvae or emerge as adult fleas.

Flea prevention options come in the form of topical treatments, oral medications, and flea collars. The best way to choose something that’s safe, effective, and a good fit for your lifestyle and circumstance is to talk to a veterinarian. While it’s understandable that some pet owners are concerned about using pesticides with their dogs, many natural remedies and pesticide-free products that are sold over the counter are less effective and can be toxic for your pets. Vet-recommended flea prevention products are safe for the vast majority of dogs, and If you’re concerned, you can talk to an online veterinary professional for more information.

Baths and grooming

Bathing your dog and using a flea comb cannot effectively eliminate a flea infestation. Adult fleas only make up about 5% of the population, and if an infestation isn’t being controlled, new adult fleas can jump on a dog as soon as they get out of the tub or off the grooming table.

Bathing with warm, soapy water and using a fine-toothed flea comb may be the only option for puppies too young or small to use prevention. If this is the case, it’s important to return the puppy to a clean environment that’s isolated from other pets in the household after grooming.

Flea shampoo and dips can be risky for some dogs and toxic to cats. They generally aren’t recommended because other options are much safer and more effective. It’s important that you let your vet know that you’ve used a pesticide-based dip or shampoo before using any other pesticide-based product.

Medicated baths can help soothe irritated skin and itchy bites. However, you still need to eliminate the flea infestation with the long-term use of flea control products. Additionally, if your dog has an itchy skin rash due to flea allergy dermatitis, they may need additional veterinary treatment. Talk to a veterinarian before using a medicated bath, as bathing can make some rashes worse and sometimes remove topical flea treatment from a dog’s skin and fur, making the treatment less effective. Follow any product instructions closely and talk to a vet if you’re unsure.

Treating the home

When used alongside a vet-recommended flea product, treating and cleaning the home can help get a large infestation under control more quickly. If considering an indoor flea spray or treatment, consult a veterinarian and a pest control specialist to ensure the product is safe for pets and humans. Look for environmental or premise sprays that contain insect growth regulators to interfere with the development of eggs and larvae. Sprays are more effective than flea bombs because they can target specific areas. Use the product where eggs and larvae are likely to be, including:

• Areas where the dog rests, especially if there’s carpeting, curtains that touch the floor, or upholstery
• Protected, dark, low-traffic areas such as under furniture near where pets pass

In addition to environmental treatments, owners can help reduce the number of adult fleas, eggs, larvae, and pupae in the home by:

• Frequently vacuuming carpets and upholstery
• Regularly washing dog beds, cloth toys, and human bedding
• Cleaning furniture, carpeting, curtains, and surfaces with steam

After vacuuming, immediately empty the vacuum cleaner outside to prevent fleas from escaping indoors. If your dog frequently rides in the car, vacuum and clean your car’s interior as well.

Yard management

Yard management strategies can help limit a dog’s exposure to fleas outside the home. Owners can limit flea habitat in their yard by:

• Cutting back long grass, brush, and bushes
• Cleaning up leaf litter
• Limiting wildlife access to the yard with fencing and other deterrents
• Using a pet-safe outdoor pesticide

Always talk to a professional before using pesticides in your yard. Some are not pet or child-safe, and some regions have limitations on yard pesticide use.

A dog with fleas can be heavily infested and have no symptoms. If there are enough fleas, you may be able to see them when you part your dog’s fur, but a dog that isn’t allergic to flea saliva can host a large flea population and remain completely rash- and itch-free. Adult fleas look like fast-moving black specks on a dog’s skin. Flea dirt, or feces, may also be visible and look like dark, grainy debris on the skin surface. Flea feces are primarily digested blood, so when it’s moistened and smeared on a white paper towel, it has a dark rusty red color. Not finding adult fleas or flea dirt on a dog does not rule out a flea infestation.

It’s common for dogs to be allergic to flea saliva and develop flea allergy dermatitis. It only takes a small number of fleas to trigger flea allergy symptoms, such as:

• Itching and scratching
• Excessively licking or chewing at the skin
• Rash, hair loss, or hot spots

Damaged skin from excessive scratching is prone to secondary bacterial infections and requires veterinary treatment. Dogs may also contract tapeworms by ingesting adult fleas as they groom. Tapeworm segments can sometimes be seen in a dog’s stool and look like small grains of rice.

If a dog is infested with fleas, the home also has fleas, even if there are no obvious signs. Signs of fleas in the home can include:

• Seeing adult fleas, flea larvae, and flea dirt in the carpet, bedding, and furniture
• Finding small, red, itchy bites around the feet and calves of humans in the home

Vet-recommended flea control products are used to prevent fleas and treat active infestations. When treating an active infestation, flea control products must be used for at least three months to break the flea life cycle and eliminate the entire population. When used as a preventative, flea control products are best used year round, as sporadic or seasonal application does not effectively prevent flea infestation.

Despite popular belief, dogs can get fleas in the winter. It takes several days of below freezing temperatures for adult fleas to die or become dormant, and they become active again as soon as it warms up. As winters become shorter and milder, flea season is a year-round concern across much of North America. Additionally, your dog may visit potentially infested indoor locations year round, such as daycares, boarding facilities, groomers, and vet clinics.

Many flea control products are broad-spectrum and also protect dogs against heartworms, ticks, and other parasites. Pet flea prevention also helps limit flea exposure to humans.

Are fleas dangerous?

Flea bites are generally not dangerous but can cause severe itching and discomfort. Potentially life-threatening flea-borne illnesses can be spread to dogs and humans through bites, and tapeworms can be contracted if an infected flea is ingested. Heavy infestations in small dogs can cause anemia due to blood loss as large numbers of fleas feed.

Online veterinarians are an excellent source of information about safe and effective flea treatment and can help you find the best option for you and your dog’s circumstance and lifestyle. A vet considers:

• Number and type of pets in the household
• Size, age, and health of the pets
• Environment that the dog lives in and their overall lifestyle
• If there are cats or young children in the home
• A dog’s tolerance to medication
• Owner preference and budget

Many flea prevention products available over the counter are unsafe or ineffective. Getting reliable information from a professional is the best way to avoid wasting time and money on treatment strategies that won’t work and might be dangerous for you or your pets. In some cases, online vets can prescribe* effective flea control and have the prescription flea products sent directly to you.

Virtual vet appointments are available through the Vetster platform to help you tackle your dog’s flea problem as efficiently as possible.

• Vets can prescribe medications or therapeutic diets for your pet if your state or province permits a veterinarian–client–patient relationship (VCPR) to be established remotely. Please note that vets are not obligated to write a prescription—this is done at their sole discretion. Controlled Substances cannot be prescribed via telemedicine under any circumstances.

How do I know if my dog has fleas?

Some dogs have no symptoms of fleas even if they have a severe infestation. Many dogs are allergic to flea saliva and develop flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) after exposure to only a few fleas. FAD is one of the most common causes of excessive scratching, biting or licking at the skin, hair loss, and hot spots in dogs. Dogs with fleas may also have tapeworms in their stool due to ingesting infected fleas while grooming.

Do I need to treat my house if my dog has fleas?

Many modern, vet-recommended flea control products are so effective that additional treatment for the environment is not necessary.  Some topicals remain active in skin cells shed onto carpet or bedding, and most oral medications work so quickly fleas don’t have time to breed. Environmental treatment may not be necessary with an effective flea control product, but cleaning and treating the home may help get severe infestations under control more quickly.

What do I do if my dog has fleas?

If your dog has fleas, talk to a vet about a safe and effective flea preventative. If they receive treatment and still have fleas, talk to a vet to ensure the preventative is effective and being used properly. You may find a couple of fleas on a dog if they have recently been in an infested environment, but these fleas die quickly when an effective flea preventative is used.