Flea infestations can be a nightmare for pet owners. These small, prolific parasites can take over your home in a matter of days, leaving your pup itchy and uncomfortable. The good news is that you can take action to get them under control quickly. Flea shampoos are a great way to start. They kill adult fleas, flea eggs, flea larvae, and ticks on contact, and many also contain soothing ingredients to help relieve itchy skin. But it’s important to choose the right shampoo for your pet, as some products may be too strong or contain unsafe ingredients.
When it comes to choosing a flea shampoo for your pup, it’s important to consider the ingredients, effectiveness, reputation, customer feedback, and pricing. The most popular flea killer shampoo for dogs on the market is Adams Plus Flea & Tick Shampoo With Precor. This shampoo is medicated with methoprene, pyrethrins, and piperonyl butoxide, but it contains very low levels that are considered safe for both dogs and cats. Adams Plus is also formulated with soothing aloe, lanolin, coconut extract, and oatmeal to be easy on sensitive skin. Many pet parents say it’s a fantastic flea killer, has a pleasant scent, and leaves their dogs’ coats super soft and shiny. Safe for dogs 12 weeks and older.
If you’re not a fan of chemicals, Vet’s Best Flea and Tick Advanced Strength shampoo uses a blend of essential oils to get the job done. It’s vet-formulated to kill fleas, flea eggs, flea larvae, and ticks on contact. While some customers raise concerns over essential-oil toxicity in dogs, this shampoo contains heavily-diluted amounts of thyme, peppermint, clove, rosemary, and cedarwood oils. These essential oil concentrations are generally considered safe for dogs, but cats are particularly sensitive to essential oils. So, this product isn’t recommended for cats. Some users said the shampoo’s odor is too strong, but others like the scent. Safe for dogs 12 weeks and older.
Another popular dog flea shampoo is TropiClean Natural Flea & Tick Shampoo For Dogs. This shampoo uses a blend of essential oils (clove, lemongrass, cedarwood, cinnamon, and sesame) as active ingredients. It’s formulated to kill adult fleas, flea eggs, flea larvae, and ticks, but it only provides seven days of flea control. One thing to note about this shampoo is that it contains the anionic detergent and surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a chemical compound commonly used in shampoos and cleaning products to create a lather. While SLS can be naturally-derived or synthetic, the plant-derived SLS in TropiClean is all-natural. While SLS may cause mild eye irritation in pets, scientists consider it safe in small concentrations in pet shampoo. We wanted to address this issue because there’s a lot of misinformation out there about SLS causing cataracts or permanent eye damage in dogs. This product isn’t recommended for cats due to heightened essential oil sensitivity. Safe for dogs 12 weeks and older.
If you have multiple dogs in your home and are facing an unfortunate outbreak of fleas, you may be looking for the best bang for your buck in a flea shampoo. If so, Sentry Oatmeal Flea And Tick Shampoo could be a good solution. Permethrin, a synthetic insecticide of the pyrethroid class, is the active ingredient in this shampoo. It’s safe for dogs but toxic in cats until it dries, so avoid using this product on cats. It also contains oatmeal to soothe itchy and dry skin and is great at conditioning your pup’s coat. The downside is that it only kills adult fleas and ticks but not flea eggs or larvae. And it only provides 10 days of flea control. Safe for dogs 12 weeks and older.
Unfortunately, you should avoid shampoos formulated to treat fleas on puppies under 12 weeks of age because they’re too strong for their young bodies. While it won’t kill or deter fleas, Biosilk Tearless Puppy Shampoo features soothing ingredients like milk protein, aloe vera, honey, chamomile, and vitamin E that can help relieve your youngin’s itchy skin from flea bites. This shampoo is safe for puppies eight weeks and older. Some tips on managing fleas on little ones include: Bathe your puppy frequently to help control flea infestations. If you’ve spotted a few fleas on your puppy, use a metal, fine-toothed flea comb to remove them from your pup after bathing. Swish your comb into soapy water to drown the fleas you’ve removed on your comb. You may need to repeat this process several times over your puppy’s entire body to find all of them. If your young puppy has a major flea infestation, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible for expert treatment.
If you’d rather tackle fleas on your dog and in your home entirely naturally, check out our article on home remedies for fleas. We recommend several all-natural products, homemade “recipes,” flea soap for dogs, and more. We also give you extensive advice on how to get rid of fleas in your home and your yard using entirely natural methods and products. Once you’ve treated your furry friend, it’s time to act fast to kill the fleas lurking in your home. This video has some excellent advice to make sure you cover all your bases.
Topical flea-preventative treatments are considered the gold standard of flea control in conventional veterinary medicine. And many vets agree that they’re much more effective than flea shampoos and collars. See our ultimate guide on the best flea and tick prevention for dogs, which includes our top picks for topicals and sprays. You’ll also want to check out our guide on how to get rid of fleas to prevent re-infestation.
The best way to rid your home of fleas is to take proactive steps to prevent them from taking over. Start by choosing the right flea shampoo for your pup. There are many products on the market, from medicated shampoos to all-natural options. Make sure to read the label and pick a product that’s safe for your pet and effective in killing fleas, flea eggs, flea larvae, and ticks. Consider using a long-lasting flea preventative to help keep your pup flea-free. And if you’d rather go the natural route, there are many home remedies for fleas that you can try.
No matter which approach you take, it’s important to act quickly to get rid of fleas in your home. Fleas can reproduce quickly and cause your pup a lot of discomfort if left untreated. With the right flea shampoo and preventative measures, you can keep your home flea-free and your pup happy and healthy.
