15 Mar Flea and Tick Prevention for Dogs [A Complete Guide]

As soon as spring comes around, many pet owners can’t wait to feel the sun’s warmth and get outside with their furry friends. Sadly, fleas and ticks enjoy the sunshine and warmth just as much. This can make the outdoors a little less appealing for dog owners if the right preventative steps aren’t taken. Thankfully, there are solutions to protect your pup from these parasites.

Preventative vet care is the best way to keep your pup safe from fleas and ticks. Not only will preventative measures shield you, your dog, and your home from those pesky parasites, but it will help you avoid costs and more serious health problems that can result from fleas and ticks.

How Important is Flea and Tick Prevention for Dogs?

Flea and tick prevention is crucial for dogs. Ticks and fleas can cause a myriad of issues and lead to worse conditions.

These include:

• Infection
• Itching
• Hair Loss
• Abscesses
• Disease
• Paralysis
• Anemia
• Death

Fleas can lead to serious issues such as anemia, or even death. Ticks can carry various diseases that adversely affect your dog. Furthermore, treatment of tick-borne illnesses can be tricky, which is why preventative care is always the best option.

Diagnosing which disease a dog caught from a tick is difficult due to the ambiguous symptoms. Even if the disease is diagnosed, treatment can be expensive and time-consuming. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caution dog owners that vaccines aren’t available for most of the diseases that come from ticks. Luckily, there are steps you can take beforehand to prevent fleas and ticks from ever affecting your furry best friend.

How Much is Flea and Tick Prevention for Dogs?

Here is the good news. There are many preventative options to minimize the risk of parasites and they come in various forms and varying prices depending on what’s best for your pet’s needs and your lifestyle.

Treatment can come in the form of:

• Ointments
• Shampoos
• Sprays
• Pills
• Chews
• Collars

Flea preventative treatment can cost anywhere from $15 to $180. You may be thinking, “that’s a big price gap,” and you’d be right. The price changes based on where you purchase the product, the type of treatment, how long it lasts, and the size of your dog. 

Shampoos & Ointments

Shampoos tend to be the most economical option. But these are often used for treating a dog who has already contracted fleas or ticks. This form of treatment can range between $13-40. 

Topical treatments such as ointments are also relatively economical, but if your dog gets wet, the ointment becomes ineffective. So make sure your pup doesn’t take any spontaneous dives in the lake.

Chews & Pills

Oral medications like chews or pills tend to be more expensive because they’re easier in that you don’t have to reapply them. Your dog can get wet without worrying about the effectiveness of the treatment. It’s also more convenient for you, as it doesn’t require re-applications every month like topical prevention. Chews and pills cost around $40-200 depending on the size of your dog and which treatment option you choose. 

Collars

Although oral and topical treatments tend to be the most effective, flea collars provide additional preventative protection. Flea collars typically cost $7 to $54 depending on the quality of the collar and the size of your dog. They work by releasing medication over the span of several weeks. 

Flea and tick prevention isn’t one-size-fits-all. The bigger the dog, the more expensive the treatment is because they’ll need more medication. If you have a dog and cat in the family, some treatments used for your dog won’t be safe for your cat. It’s best to consult your vet to decide which option is right for your dog!

Where to Get Flea and Tick Medicine for Dogs

Flea and tick medication is available at your local PetWellClinic. We carry various prevention products. The great thing about our prevention medication is that it treats more than ticks and fleas. Many of the treatments also protect your dog from heartworm, mosquitos, and other problematic parasites. 

Most of our options are oral medications since they are waterproof, but we also offer a topical solution called Revolution that prevents and controls flea infestations as well as prevents heartworm diseases.

Click here to find the PetWellClinic nearest to you!

What is the Best Flea and Tick Prevention for Dogs?

The best flea and tick prevention all depends on your pup! We will walk you through the options we recommend based on what you’re looking for in flea and tick prevention. One thing to keep in mind is that flea and tick prevention doesn’t repel parasites. After all, a pill doesn’t give your pup a forcefield from critters, but it does kill the parasite when your dog first comes into contact with them.

PetWellClinic offers Bravecto, Trifexis, Simparica, Revolution, and Credelio as flea and tick preventative options!

Bravecto

Bravecto is an FDA-approved, chewable tablet that lasts up to 12 weeks. It requires a prescription from your PetWellClinic vet and takes up to two hours to kill fleas and 12 hours to kill ticks.

Bravecto protects dogs by:

• Killing fleas, their eggs, and larvae
• Killing ticks

Bravecto doesn’t repel:

• Fleas
• Ticks
• Mosquitos
• Heartworm

Trifexis

Trifexis is a beef-flavored chewable tablet that must be administered monthly for protection. The oral medication takes four hours to kill 100% of fleas. It is only available through a prescription from your vet.

Trifexis protects dogs by:

• Killing fleas
• Preventing heartworm
• Killing roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm

Trifexis doesn’t:

• Repel fleas
• Repel mosquitos
• Kill flea eggs or their larvae
• Kill ticks

Simparica

Simparica is also a chewable tablet given monthly. It kills fleas within three hours and ticks within eight hours. The medication is available with a prescription from your vet.

Simparica protects dogs by:

• Killing fleas
• Killing ticks

Simparica doesn’t:

• Repel fleas
• Repel ticks
• Repel mosquitos
• Prevent heartworm
• Kill flea eggs or their larvae

Revolution

Revolution is an FDA-approved, topical solution applied once a month. This treatment requires a prescription from your vet, as well.

Revolution protects dogs by:

• Killing fleas and their eggs
• Killing ticks
• Treating and controlling ear mites
• Treating and controlling sarcoptic mites
• Preventing heartworm disease

Revolution doesn’t:

• Repel mosquitos
• Prevent heartworm

Credelio

Credelio is an FDA-approved, beef-flavored chewable tablet that should be given monthly. The medication kills fleas in 12 hours and ticks in eight hours. The medication is available through a prescription from your veterinarian.

Credelio protects dogs by:

• Killing fleas, their eggs, and larvae
• Killing ticks

Credelio doesn’t:

• Repel fleas
• Repel ticks
• Repel mosquitos
• Prevent heartworm

All of the aforementioned flea and tick treatments require a vet prescription. While researching treatment options are helpful, it’s always best to consult your vet on which option is right for your dog.

Click here to see the prevention products PetWellClinic carries!

There are various ways to protect your dog from fleas and ticks, including topical solutions, oral medications, and even collars! PetWellClinic offers several of these preventative products to protect your dog from pesky parasites. Many of these measures provide added benefits such as heartworm and mosquito prevention, which helps avoid costs from future health problems. Bring your pooch into PetWellClinic to find which option is best for you!

PetWellClinic is dedicated to being here for pet owners. Our hours of operation extend into the evenings and weekends, and our clinic environment is built with your pet’s comfort in mind. Talk to your PetWellClinic veterinarian about the right flea and tick prevention for your dog today. 

PetWellClinic provides convenient, affordable veterinary care for pet owners. PetWellClinic has locations and services built with convenience in mind. Stop by with your pet any time! No appointment necessary.