What Is the Best Flea Treatment for Dogs?

Protecting our four-legged best friends from fleas, ticks, internal parasites, and even mosquitoes that transmit serious diseases isn't a simple task. There are thousands of products aimed at this, but many of them aren't actually effective.

That's why at Soyunperro.com we wanted to put together the best methods for protecting our dog, which flea treatment is best, and why. Let's take a detailed look at our options.

The Best Flea Collars

There are dozens of brands of anti-parasite collars for dogs, including completely natural homemade ones made with rosemary and essential oils that repel fleas and ticks. The truth is, their effectiveness isn't as high as conventional collars.

After analyzing most of them and evaluating their active ingredients and protection against these parasites, we determined that the best flea collars for dogs are the following:

• Scalibor: Protection against fleas, ticks, and sand flies.
• Seresto: Protection against fleas, lice, and ticks for seven to eight months.

The Scalibor collar offers four months of protection against fleas, six months against ticks, and twelve months against sand flies (the mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as leishmaniasis).

Scalibor ensures a steady release of the active ingredient deltamethrin as the collar rubs against the dog's neck throughout its period of use. In addition, deltamethrin's lipid solubility allows it to spread evenly through the lipid layer of the dog's skin.

Deltamethrin is water-resistant thanks to the hydrophobic properties of its structure, which make it insoluble in water. It's also lipophilic, meaning that if the dog gets wet, the product stays both on the dog's skin and in the collar. However, it's toxic if our dog ingests it orally.

The Seresto collar offers seven to eight months of protection against lice, fleas, and ticks. But it doesn't protect against the dangerous mosquitoes (sand flies) that threaten dogs. So if you live in humid areas or regions where Leishmania is endemic and the mosquito population is higher…. we definitely recommend Scalibor.

The Best Flea Pills

The market for anti-parasite pills doesn't have as many products as the collar market, making it much easier to settle on an effective brand. The main active ingredient class used is isoxazoline, very effective against external parasites, which we'll look at below.

Some of the best flea pills we've found are Nexgard and Bravecto. Both can be used as part of a treatment strategy for controlling flea allergy dermatitis (FAD). Fleas and ticks need to attach to the host and start feeding to be exposed to the active substance.

1. Nexgard: offers reliable protection against fleas and ticks for five weeks.
2. Bravecto: offers reliable protection against fleas and ticks for twelve weeks.

Both use the same class of active ingredient (isoxazoline). The only difference between the two is how long the protection lasts and the price. You can buy them at veterinary clinics or specialty stores.

• Nexgard: (afoxolaner) works well as a treatment for flea infestations in dogs (Ctenocephalides felis and C. canis) for at least 5 weeks. It's also used to treat tick infestations (Dermacentor reticulatus, Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus). A single treatment kills ticks for at least a month.
• Bravecto: (fluralaner) has immediate and persistent activity for 12 weeks in killing fleas (Ctenocephalides felis), and immediate and persistent activity for 12 weeks in killing ticks for Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor reticulatus, and D. variabilis. It also has immediate and persistent activity for 8 weeks in killing ticks for Rhipicephalus sanguineus.

Fleas and ticks need to attach to the host and start feeding to be exposed to the active substance. The effect will start within 8 hours of attachment for fleas (C. felis) and 12 hours for ticks (I. ricinus).

The Best Flea Spot-On Treatments

In countries like Spain, these are colloquially known as "pipetas" (spot-ons). This is a liquid applied to the dog's skin (neck and back) that protects the dog against fleas and ticks.

If we pet our dog, the substance will end up on our hands, and we'll need to wash them, but if there are children at home, this can be dangerous for them. After applying it, the dog shouldn't be bathed or touched in that area for two days, so as not to remove the product.

• Frontline: kills fleas and repels and kills ticks and the mosquito that transmits leishmaniasis for 4 weeks.
• Advantix: Protection against fleas, lice, mosquitoes, and ticks for 4 weeks.

This type of spot-on treatment uses active ingredients such as imidacloprid, fipronil, and permethrin, which are potent chemicals. Their total duration is four weeks, but they lose quite a bit of effectiveness if the dog gets wet or is bathed. These products can be used on puppies from 8 weeks of age and with a minimum weight of 2 kg. They're intended for dogs only. Do not use on cats or rabbits.

Flea Shampoo

We won't count flea soaps or shampoos as a real option, since they don't provide lasting protection. They're products mainly used as a supplement in case of infestation, to help with quick deworming.

So no soap or shampoo can really be considered an effective method for keeping our dog protected.

So... What's the Best Preventive Method?

In our opinion, the best option is chewable tablets, not only for how easy they are to give, their high effectiveness, and how long they last, but also because they don't leave any chemical substance on the dog's skin.

We don't use affiliate links, and no one has paid for this information. Our recommendations are based on our own experience, which we share with all of you free of charge.