How to Get Rid of Fleas and Ticks on Dogs

ByBNW Staff

Fleas and ticks are really annoying. They can affect your dog’s comfort and quality of life. Fleas can cause intense itching and, in severe cases, anemia and flea allergy dermatitis. On the other hand, ticks can transmit diseases that may affect both pets and people depending on the species and location. Don’t worry dog parents! These flea and tick infestations can be managed successfully with the right approach. In this blog, we will help you safely and effectively tackle fleas and ticks on dogs.

Keep reading to learn more!

5 Steps to Handle Flea and Tick Infestations in Dogs

Step 1: Inspect Your Dog Thoroughly

How to Check for Fleas:

You can use a fine-toothed flea comb to examine your dog’s coat. Always pay extra attention to your dog’s warm, hidden areas where fleas are commonly found. A good flea comb can help you remove adult fleas moving through the fur while making flea dirt, which resembles tiny blackish-brown specks, easier to note in the coat. Drop any fleas you remove into hot soapy water to kill them.

How to Check for Ticks:

Ticks often attach in areas with thinner skin or dense fur. Check carefully:

  • Around the ears
  • Around the eyelids
  • Under the collar
  • Between the toes
  • Front legs
  • Back legs
  • Tail
  • Armpits
  • Groin

Step 2: Remove an Attached Tick

An attached tick usually feels like a small bump. If you find one:

  1. Spread the fur around the tick, so you have a clear space to work with.
  2. Use clean, fine-tipped tweezers or a tick-removal tool.
  3. Grasp the tick at a point that is as close to your dog’s skin as possible.
  4. Pull upward with slow, steady pressure.
  5. Avoid twisting, crushing, or squeezing the tick.
  6. Don’t release the tick back into the environment.
  7. Drop the tick into a prepared solution of diluted disinfectant before disposing of it.
  8. Clean the bite area with a pet-safe antiseptic solution and wash your hands afterward.

Step 3: Use Veterinarian-Recommended Flea and Tick Treatments

The most effective way to treat these parasites is using flea and tick treatments recommended by your veterinarian. This option generally falls into three categories:

  • Oral Flea and Tick Treatments: These come in tasty chewable or tablet formats for easy oral administration. Many oral parasite products provide one-month protection, and there are also products that offer longer protection. Examples include NexGard chews and Bravecto for Dogs.
  • Topical Flea and Tick Treatments: Also known as spot-ons, these topical solutions are applied to the skin, usually at the back of the neck. Active ingredients spread evenly through the dog’s skin and coat and protect against targeted parasites. Examples include Revolution and Frontline Plus for Dogs.
  • Flea and Tick Collars: These wearable collars provide long-lasting flea and tick protection by continuously releasing active ingredients that repel parasites, such as the Seresto collar.

It’s worth knowing that these products contain active ingredients that work differently. Some kill fleas quickly after they come into contact with the ingredient, while others repel or kill ticks within hours of administration. This unique point is very important if you live in high tick-prone areas.

Your veterinarian can recommend the most suitable flea and tick treatment based on your dog’s age, weight, lifestyle, parasite risk, and any underlying health condition. Once you’ve selected the right product, sourcing it from a trusted pet retailer, such as PetCareSupplies, can help you maintain a consistent parasite prevention routine.

Step 4: Support Treatment with At-Home Care

Bathing Your Dog

A bath with vet-approved flea shampoo can help reduce the current flea population on your dog. Flea shampoo may kill adult fleas present during your dog’s bathing, but it generally does not provide long-lasting protection. It may work best with a veterinarian-recommended flea preventive.

Regular Grooming

When you groom your dog regularly, it helps you detect fleas and ticks earlier. Helpful habits you can include:

  • Brush your dog frequently.
  • Check your dog thoroughly after walks or outdoor activities.
  • Use a flea comb and tick tweezers for supportive care.
  • Keep your dog’s grooming tools clean.

Step 5: Treat Your Dog’s Surroundings

Treat Your Home

Here’s the part dog parents underestimate: Adult fleas on your dog only represent a small portion of the flea infestation. After feeding, a female flea can lay around 40 eggs per day on a pet’s skin, and these eggs may easily fall off on carpets, furniture, bedding, and other areas of the home. These eggs later develop through larval and pupa stages before emerging as adult fleas. That means treating your dog without treating your home often leads to a frustrating relapse. To break the flea life cycle:

  • Vacuum carpets, cushioned furniture, cracks, and crevices on floors, along baseboards, and in the basement frequently, and then dispose properly.
  • Wash all pet bedding and family bedding on which pets lie in hot, soapy water every two to three weeks.
  • Consider a flea-specific household spray for heavily affected areas.
  • If an infestation is severe, discard old pet bedding and replace it with fresh, clean material.

Plan on keeping up this routine for a few months, not a few days, as new fleas can continue developing from eggs that were already present in the environment before the treatment started.

Treat Your Yard

Reducing flea and tick exposure starts in the yard, since many people (and pets) pick up ticks close to home. These parasites thrive in shaded, humid environments. You can make your yard less hospitable to both by mowing regularly, removing leaf litter and debris, trimming overgrown vegetation, and stacking firewood neatly in a dry spot.

Keeping your dog’s outdoor space clear of wood piles and clutter also reduces wildlife encounters, like deer, raccoons, and stray animals, which often bring fleas and ticks onto your property in the first place.

Severe infestations may require professional pesticide management.

Year-Round Flea and Tick Prevention

Once the current problem is under control, staying ahead of it is much easier than treating another infestation. Many regions have flea and tick activity throughout the year, making year-round prevention the preferred approach. A year-round prevention plan should include:

  • Using veterinarian-recommended flea and tick preventatives consistently.
  • Doing routine tick checks after outdoor activities.
  • Maintaining regular grooming.
  • Scheduling routine veterinary check-ups.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to getting rid of fleas and ticks, it really involves more than removing parasites you can see on your dog. The most effective approach combines using vet-approved flea and tick treatments along with treating your dog’s surroundings. Make sure you do regular grooming along with a year-round prevention plan, which may help reduce the risk of future re-infestation.

If you are in doubt about which flea and tick product is appropriate for your dog, talk to your veterinarian. They will help you with a customized prevention plan to keep your dog healthy and comfortable all the time.