Treatment FAQ

when to start flea tick treatment for puppy

by Margret Dooley Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Most flea and tick products are not safe to use on puppies until they have reached at least seven or eight weeks of age. At Plymouth Veterinary Hospital, we can recommend a flea and tick preventative to use that it is safe to begin administering to your puppy.

When can you give flea treatment to a puppy?

Most flea and tick products for puppies are not safe to use until they’ve reached at least seven or eight weeks of age (see chart below). Your veterinarian will be able to recommend a flea and tick preventative for puppies to safely use, and advise you on when it’s safe to begin administering it to your puppy.

Are Flea and tick preventive medications safe for new puppies?

Many flea and tick preventives contain internal parasite preventives, so this is an added benefit for new puppies and their human companions. If your new pup comes home to you already infested with fleas and/or ticks, a treatment medication may be prescribed to eliminate the pests before maintenance with a preventive is introduced.

How long does 3 months tick treatment last in dogs?

3-month topical treatment: This product should only be used in dogs over 6 months of age and over 4.4 pounds. This product is effective against fleas, deer ticks, American dog ticks, and brown ticks for 12 weeks. However, is only effective against the Lone Star tick for 8 weeks.

How do I get rid of fleas and ticks on my Puppy?

If your new pup comes home to you already infested with fleas and/or ticks, a treatment medication may be prescribed to eliminate the pests before maintenance with a preventive is introduced. Considerations to discuss with your vet when choosing flea and tick prevention include:

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When can I use flea treatment on my puppy?

7 weeksOnce your puppy is weaned, and is over 7 weeks of age, you can choose between several treatments to protect your puppy from fleas. Advantage, Advocate®, Advantix® and Seresto® are all options, depending on which other parasites you need to control at the same time.

Do puppies need flea and tick medicine?

But what if you're treating a young kitten or puppy? When it comes to tick and flea prevention, puppies and kittens require special care. Most of the products available are not recommended for use on animals younger than 8 weeks old, and that can leave new pet parents in a pickle.

Can an 8 week old puppy have flea medicine?

Puppies aged eight weeks and older can often be treated with standard flea control products. There are several different options including spot-ons, tablets and collars. Advantage spot-on is suitable for pets from eight weeks.

What is the safest flea and tick treatment for puppies?

Under many circumstances, newer dog flea collars are safe options for flea and tick control (unlike older collars, which were largely ineffective). The Seresto collar is a very popular option right now. It uses flumethrin and imidacloprid to kill fleas at multiple stages of development as well as ticks.

What to do if your puppy has fleas?

The main points to remember are that you need to: Treat all dogs and cats in the home with flea treatment.

How to tell if a puppy has fleas?

You may be able to see live fleas in your puppy's coat if you part the fur or stroke them backwards. Fleas are very fast though, and can be difficult to spot! Around the base of the tail and on the tummy are good areas to look. Hair loss and sores.

Why does my puppy have sores?

Hair loss and sores. If your puppy is itching a lot, they may damage their skin, leading to sores developing and hair loss. Anaemia. In young puppies, a flea infestation can cause so much blood loss that the puppy becomes anaemic. This can look like weakness, and pale gums.

Why does my puppy lick my skin?

Your puppy is licking or biting at their skin. If you have more than one dog, or any other furry pets in the home, you may see them also itching. You may even be itching yourself, and see red bumps on your skin where fleas have bitten. Flea dirt.

How to get rid of fleas in house?

The initial population of fleas can be reduced by: 1 Flea treatment for all pets. 2 Flea-killing house spray (make sure to read the safety label). 3 Carpet cleaning. 4 Regular hoovering and sweeping, including in the darkest and hardest to reach areas. Don't forget to throw away the dust bag from your vacuum cleaner after every use, else the flea larvae may escape back out! 5 Hot washing fabrics at over 60 degrees, as this will destroy any fleas.

What does it mean when a puppy has a tapeworm?

This can look like weakness, and pale gums. Tapeworms. If your puppy has a tapeworm, it may have come from a flea. Tapeworms can survive inside fleas, and get transmitted into your puppy if they accidentally consume the flea when licking their coat.

Can fleas die from flea treatment?

The flea treatment for your pets will turn them into walking ‘flea killers’ and means that adult fleas will die without producing any more eggs. By treating the house, you will kill or remove many of the eggs and pupae that can be found in the home.

What is the best flea and tick medicine for dogs?

For the best flea and tick medication for dogs, several spot on medicines that kill fleas also kill ticks, including K9 Advantix II, Frontline Plus, and PetArmor. In hot areas where there are large numbers of both fleas and ticks, these spot on treatments seem to be the best bet to protect your pet from all those pests out there.

How often should I apply K9 Advantix II to my dog?

Both need to be applied to your pet only once a month and kill existing fleas while also regulating flea growth. K9 Advantix II also kills and repels mosquitoes, which are found in high numbers in hot areas of the country as well.

What temperature should I use for fleas in the heat?

For instance, if you live in some parts of the Southern United States, you will be dealing with the ideal conditions for fleas: between 65 and 80 degrees and 70 to 85 percent humidity. In this case, it may be easiest to use spot on flea and tick treatments like K9 Advantix II, Advantage Multi for Cats, ...

How long does it take for fleas to die after a spot on?

Some of these treatments begin working within 30 minutes and render all fleas dead within four hours.

How long does a flea collar last?

Perhaps the easiest way to provide non-stop protection for your pet is to use a long-lasting flea collar, like Seresto, which releases flea and tick repelling chemicals for 8 months. You can place the collar on your pet, and they'll be protected for months.

What is a low flea alert?

Much like retiring grandparents, fleas are attracted to the warmer climates. If your area’s average temperature is below 40 degrees, we classify that as a “Low Flea Alert.”. If your area’s average temperature is between 40 and 64 degrees, that’s a “Moderate Flea Alert.”.

What are the different types of ticks?

For that you have to head to the South and the East Coast, where you will find four different types of ticks: the brown dog tick, American dog tick, deer tick, and the Lone Star tick.

When can puppies start taking flea medicine?

Six weeks. At the age of 6 weeks, puppies can start receiving the prescription topical flea preventive Revolution, containing selamectin. This once-a-month drug also prevents roundworms and hookworms in your pup, along with ear mites and ticks. It's also a heartworm preventive, but 6-week-old puppies are generally too young for heartworm exposure.

How old should a puppy be to get a flea bath?

Your vet might recommend a flea bath for puppies under the age of 6 weeks if the animal is heavily infested. Use only the product that your vet recommends, and use it only on your puppy. Some flea baths for puppies can be toxic to cats, and vice versa.

What is the best flea medicine for a puppy?

Frontline, containing (S)-methoprene and fipronil and available in topical or spray form, can be used on puppies of this age. It also controls ticks. The spray form can be used on puppies younger than 8 weeks, but check with your veterinarian before using it on a younger animal.

How old do puppies have to be to take Capstar?

Puppies at least 4 weeks of age and weighing 2 pounds or more can receive Capstar <ahref="https: www.drugs.com="" pro="" capstar.html"=""> </ahref="https:>for flea removal. This active ingredient in this over-the-counter product, nitenpyram, works in just a half hour after the puppy consumes the medication.

How to keep fleas from getting into my puppy's ears?

Once you've washed the puppy's neck, you can proceed to wash the rest of his body. After using the appropriate flea shampoo in a warm water bath, thoroughly towel dry the puppy.

How old can a puppy be to spray?

The spray form can be used on puppies younger than 8 weeks, but check with your veterinarian before using it on a younger animal. Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet, medication, or physical activity routines. This information is not a substitute for a vet’s opinion. Advertisement. references.

Can fleas kill puppies?

If a puppy is severely infested, take him to the vet for treatment. A flea infestation can prove fatal to puppies, as the parasites might deplete so much blood from your puppy that he becomes anemic.

When do ticks and fleas become active?

fleas. ticks. Although fleas and ticks pose a threat to pets year-round, these pests become most active during the warmer months, starting as early as March in some areas of the United States. Find your state on the map shown here to learn where and when your pets are most at risk for fleas and ticks.

How many species of fleas are there in dogs?

There are more than 200 species of fleas affecting dogs, and these can also transmit disease and cause tapeworm infections and anemia. Some dogs are very sensitive to fleabites and suffer from serious allergic reactions of itchy, red, and scabby skin and even hair loss.

What diseases do ticks transmit?

The Merck Veterinary Manual says, “Ticks are blood-sucking parasites that attach themselves to animals and people. Once attached to a host, ticks feed voraciously. As they feed, ticks can transmit a large number of diseases.” These include Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and ehrlichiosis (a bacterial infection.) Ticks also cause skin wounds that may lead to bacterial infections and can also cause anemia.

Why is my yard less attractive to ticks?

The Centers for Disease Control recommends clearing tall grass and brush from your yard to make it less attractive to ticks. The geographic distribution of ticks is broadening as a result of climate change, deforestation, and the changing migration patterns of deer, birds, and rodents.

Can ticks be found in woods?

Bottom Line on Flea & Tick Season. When temperatures rise, flea eggs are safe to hatch outside, and ticks can thrive in woods and tall grasses. This is also the time of year that you and your dog are more likely to spend hiking and walking and enjoying nature.

Can fleas fly on dogs?

Fleas require blood from an animal host to be able to live and reproduce. They don’t have wings, so they can’t fly. However, they are serious jumpers with the ability to jump 100 to 200 times their size.

Do blacklegged ticks live in dogs?

Since deer are the main host of the Blacklegged tick and are active in fall and early winter months, this type of tick survives on the warm body of its host – until it drops off and attaches itself to your dog.

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