What is the Best Flea Treatment for Dogs

Finding the best flea treatment for your dog will depend on whether you're treating and infestation or treating preventatively, how long you want the protection to last, and how well your dog tolerates medication being administered.

In this article, we're going to walk you through the best flea treatments for dogs without a vet prescription, so you can find the perfect fit your dog.

Should You Treat Your Dog for Fleas

Yes. Ensuring your dog is protected against fleas is an essential part of their routine healthcare. Fleas are a nuisance to our pets, but they also pose other risks, including tapeworm infestations, flea anemia, and other health issues.

When treating your dog for fleas, make sure you use an effective flea control treatment to eliminate fleas, as well as the flea eggs and larvae to break the flea life cycle and prevent other flea problems.

The Best Flea Treatment for Dogs

If you're looking for the best dog flea treatment for your pet, you need to consider your dog's lifestyle and behaviour. This will impact their risk of picking up fleas.

For example, dogs that spend a lot of time outdoors and exploring grass or woodlands are at higher risk of picking up parasites like fleas and ticks because they tend to fall off wild hosts, like foxes, hedgehogs, and squirrels.

Here are some of the most popular flea treatments to get rid of fleas on dogs:

Flea Spot-On for Dogs

Perhaps one of the most popular flea and tick treatments for dogs is spot-on flea treatments.

These easy-to-use and straightforward treatments come as pre-measured pipettes filled with liquid flea treatment. Each dose is calculated depending on your dog’s body weight, and typically offer up to four weeks* (or 30 days) of protection.

Dog flea spot-ons are quick and easy to apply, but you will need to hold your dog still while using them. This can be tricky with big or particularly energetic dogs since you may have to spread the dosage along multiple spots on your dog's back for optimal efficacy. 

Some of these treatments, like the Advantage Spot-On Flea Treatment, will only kill adult fleas on your pet, while other dog spot-ons like FRONTLINE PLUS® for Dogs contains an additional active ingredient that kills female female fleas before they can lay eggs while also intercepting egg and larvae development to help break the lifecycle of a flea.

You can browse our full range of the best dog flea spot-ons here, or checkout our pet owner favourites below:

Treatment 

Active IngredientKills FleasKills Eggs & LarvaeKills/ Repels TicksKills On ContactReapplyAdvantage™ Spot-OnImidaclopridYESYESNOYESEvery 4 weeks**FRONTLINE PLUS®Fipronil & (S)-methopreneYES YESKills Ticks YESEvery 4 weeksItch.Fipronil &(S)-methopreneYESYESKills TicksYESEvery 4 weeksEFFIPRO® DUOFipronil & PyriproxyfenYESYESKills TicksYESOnce a monthBeaphar FIPROtec® COMBOFipronil & (S)-methopreneYES YESKills TicksYESEvery 4 weeks

Dog Flea Collars

If you want a lasting flea and tick treatment, why not try a dog flea collar, like the Seresto Collar? These odourless and non-greasy collars provide your pet with up to 8 months of parasite protection in just one collar.

The flea treatment is contained in a matrix within the collar that is slowly released while worn, offering extended protection against fleas and ticks.

These collars are also water resistant and kill fleas on contact, meaning no more biting your dog, making it a great pick for dogs with allergies (unless they're allergies include the active ingredients in the collar) or skin conditions that may be irritated by flea bites. 

You can browse our full range of the best dog flea collars here or checkout our favourites below:

Flea Tablets for Dogs

Another good dog flea treatment is flea tablets, typically available in film-coated or chewable varieties for ease of administration.

Tablets like the Advantage™ Flea Tablets for dogs are formulated to get to work fast, killing all fleas on your dog within four hours, and ticks within eight hours.

Chewable flea tablets tend to be flavoured and should be given to your dog just after or with a meal. Many dogs will accept the tablet without much drama, making it easier to administer than film-coated flea tablets like the Capstar™ Flea Treatment Tablets.

Dog flea tablets are ideal for dogs that love water or those who suffer skin reactions since they work internally to kill and prevent fleas. This means you don't have to worry about your dog rinsing the solution off if they go puddle diving too soon after treatment.

Since the active ingredients in flea tablets never touch the skin, there shouldn't be any allergic flare-ups or itching after treatment.

Browse for the best dog's flea tablets here, or checkout our favourites below:

Flea & Tick Shampoo for Dogs

If your dog is already suffering from a flea infestation, the priority should be getting those fleas off and offering your dog relief from the bites. One of the best ways to do this is by giving your dog a thorough bath with a medicated flea shampoo, like the Animology® Flea & Tick Shampoo for Dogs. This dog flea shampoo is formulated to wash fleas and ticks out of your dog's fur while soothing sore or bitten skin and nourishing the coat with the built-in conditioner. 

This product will kill fleas on your dog and wash all the remnants of the infestation from their skin, such as flea eggs and flea dirt (digested blood fleas leave behind), leaving your dog feeling much better and with a lovely shiny coat to boot.

You may need to repeat the treatment if any fleas survive the initial treatment, or you can switch to another routine flea treatment once the infestation is gone. 

You can browse for the best dog flea shampoo here, or checkout our favourites below:

Flea Spray for Dogs

There are two kinds of flea sprays, those for pets and those for the home.

Flea sprays for the home are sold in aerosol cans and are formulated to kill adult fleas in the home, and those those that emerge from the pupae stage. These sprays should never be used on or around pets.

Flea spray for dogs, however, is a more diluted solution that is safe to spray directly onto your pet. Dog flea sprays like the FRONTLINE Flea & Tick Spray, kill fleas, ticks, and biting lice and can be used on puppies and kittens as young as 2 days old.

Flea and tick spray for dogs is a great alternative to topical treatments or tablets because it's easy to administer either by spraying directly onto your dog's coat, or by applying the spray to a gloved hand and rubbing it in to the skin.