What Kills Fleas?
It's usually the first-time dog owner that gets particularly worked up when finding out that his or her dog has fleas. They feel incensed, and almost have a feeling like their pet's been violated. The more experienced dog owner will know that getting fleas is pretty much a given at some during ANY dog's life, and it usually comes sooner rather than later. Once the shock of it all subsides, the question then becomes 'how do I get rid of these parasites?', or more specifically 'what kills fleas?'
Buy Frontline Plus Buy Advantage Multi Buy Nexgard Buy RevolutionLong story short, fleas can be killed by any number of means, but the only one that is NOT terribly labour intensive and wholly inefficient is to find a good flea killing medication and use it exactly as directed. That’s what kills fleas, and kills them with the type of timeline you’ll want when it comes to your dog.
Best Prescription Flea Killing Medications
Flea shampoos and flea collars are only moderately effectively for eliminating fleas on dogs, and using a flea comb is a long and arduous process that usually only puts a dent in the flea population. Flea control medication is definitely your best bet when it comes to what kills fleas most effectively. With that understood, let’s now shift to looking at some of the best flea killer medications available today.
Nexgard (afoxolaner) is the number 1 choice of veterinarians in America for flea control medication, based on its affordable price and proven effectiveness. It works by killing fleas before they’re able to lay eggs. It also kills ticks, and with the medication contained in a beef-flavored soft chew tablet it’s never difficult to administer it to your dog – they’ll happily devour the treat! It is available in 4 – 10lb, 10 – 24lb, 24 – 60lb, and 60 – 120lb varieties.
Advantage Multi is the first of two flea meds here that have a dual-threat appeal to them with the way they kills fleas and defend against heartworm and other infestation diseases. Advantage Multi is applied topically as a spot-on treatment once a month and its two active ingredients, imidacloprid and moxidectin, kill fleas in both their adult and larval stages. Lice, roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms are also eliminated by Advantage Multi.
Like Nexgard, it is available in 4 varieties (green, teal, red, and blue) for dogs of all different body weights.
Revolution (selamectin) is our next dual threat, a broad-spectrum parasiticide that kills fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, and scabies. It also works to prevent heartworm infestation, and there’s a version of the medication for cats as well. Veterinarians like to prescribe Revolution as a maintenance dosage for prevention of fleas and other parasites and heartworm disease because it costs less than $200 per year to give your dog the pill once a month.
Frontline Plus (Fipronil and S-methoprene combo) is a monthly topical application that has been proven to kill the entirety of a flea or tick population with 12 hours of administering it. This medication also eliminates chewing lice and a big part of its appeal for dog owners is that it’s waterproof – your dog can swim or be bathed anytime during the month after applying it and the effectiveness of the medication will not be diminished. Do note however that your dog should NOT swim or be bathed for the first 48 hours after application.
Frontline Plus also breaks the flea life cycle to prevent future infestations. If you’re not asking about what kills fleas, but also what kills ALL ticks – brown dog tick, American dog tick, lone star tick, and deer tick – then Frontline Plus is a solid suggestion for you.
Excellent Flea Prevention Tip
We're going to expand on our explanation of what kills fleas in the most effective manner to include one easy-to-follow and excellent tip to cover preventing fleas too! It's this - have them drink some diluted apple cider vinegar. It's a very good natural flea and tick repellent.
Here's the guidelines for giving apple cider vinegar to your dog to prevent fleas; Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to your dog's drink water. That will make so that unpleasantly bitter taste of the ACV is indistinguishable in the water, but it will still be effective with the way it increases the acidity of a dog's skin, which generally is overly alkaline for most dogs. This is a natural repellent for the fleas - they don't find the skin to be particularly inviting the way they would for a dog with a very alkaline skin surface.
Pair one of the top-rated flea and tick medications for dogs listed above with added apple cider vinegar in your dog's drinking water and you'll be providing them with the best in relief.
