However, since puppies are much smaller, the dose of chemicals in the collar may be toxic, causing illness or severe itching. Most animal health specialists recommend not using a flea collar on puppies younger than 8 weeks old.

You can use Advantage® II for dogs on puppies and dogs 7 weeks of age and older.

eight weeks

Advantage II is also waterproof and lasts up to 30 days. The product never expires so long as you store it to package specifications and is safe for puppies seven weeks and older.

Do not apply to puppies or dogs weighing less than 3 lbs. Do not use on other animals. Do not apply more than one (1) tube per treatment. Do not have contact or allow children to have contact with treated area until completely dry.

If chemical products are necessary for additional flea or tick control, NRDC recommends s-methoprene or pyriproxyfen, which are less toxic ingredients—but read the labels carefully because some products use them with other, more harmful pesticides.

Our pick for best oral flea control product for dogs is Simparica TRIO, a chewable tablet that is fast-acting and kills more parasites than any other oral product. Simparica TRIO starts to work within four hours and kills 100% of adult fleas on dogs within eight hours.

Every pet in the home must be treated. Thoroughly bathe pets with soap and water, then comb them with a flea comb. Pay careful attention to face and neck regions, and the area in front of the tail. Soap will act as a gentle insecticide to kill adult fleas.

If there are no signs of fleas but your pet seems uncomfortable and itchy, make an appointment to see your vet. Your veterinarian can administer a skin test to check for flea allergies as well as other allergies that could be causing your pet’s discomfort.

As they can’t take a blood meal from people the fleas will eventually die off (as they need a blood meal to produce eggs), although it’s possible that your human family might get bitten frequently until that happens. Not many people are happy to wait until the cat and dog fleas in their home die off.

Once your vet diagnoses your pet with fleas, she’ll provide you with an overview of your treatment options. Your vet may recommend the use of one or multiple products in combination to rid your pet of the infection with the goals of killing any existing fleas on your pet and killing any larvae the fleas have laid.

Many dogs also groom themselves more often when they have fleas. In most cases, that’s OK. But if your pet is nipping, chewing, or scratching at itself enough that you notice hair loss or red, inflamed, or bloody skin, call your vet right away.

One flea typically feeds for eight hours a day or more and can live on a host for three to four months. While most adult fleas can only survive for up to 10 days without locating a host, some fleas have been known to live up to two years without feeding in low temperatures and high humidity.