How to Get Rid of Fleas on Your Shih Tzu Dog

(Get Rid of Fleas)     by  Richard Clayton      |Last Updated 07-24, 2023

As surprising as it may seem, parasites form part of your pet’s life. Among other things, these parasites can make your dog scratch or even lead to more serious issues like infection. In fact, in severe conditions, parasites can kill your furry friend.

Ideally, the parasitic effects on your dog largely depend on the type of parasites, the level of infestation, and how your dog reacts to parasitic infestations.

So, how do you prevent these parasites from attacking your canine friend? Well, there are many ways you can prevent heartworm and kill fleas, including using Revolution for dogs.

Revolution is among the commonly used and effective products used to prevent a flea infestation in dogs. To that end, you can control flea infestations with Revolution for dogs. To use it, you will need to apply it on your dog’s neck once a month using a spot-on applicator. Ideally, the Revolution for dogs provides 30-day protection against both internal and external parasites. For more information and pet product guides check out PetCareRx.com.

Continue reading to learn what to do if your pets are infested with fleas. But before that,

What Are Fleas?

Flea refers to external parasites that feed on animals, including dogs and cats. Fleas are small insects that hide in the coat and beddings of pets and other animals as well. The female adult flea can lay up to 500 eggs per day, making fleas multiple into hundreds when the eggs hatch.

Since adult fleas can jump for up to 6 inches, they can easily get into a passing dog or even humans. Your dog can acquire fleas from various places, including kennels, groomers, outdoors, among other places. If your dog spends a lot of time outdoors or interacts with other dogs, then they are more likely to have a flea infestation.

Unlike young fleas, adult fleas spend most of their time on their host. As such, treating your dog for ticks will go a long way in helping control a flea infestation.

How to Get Rid of Fleas on Your Dog?

Discovering that your dog has a flea infestation can be overwhelming. However, you need not worry. There are things you can do to control a flea infestation in your pets. Traditionally, the treatment of pets needed to be done concurrently with treating the surrounding environment. However, this is no longer necessary, thanks to the discovery of new and effective flea control products. Flea control measures have changed dramatically in recent years.  The most effective methods are often sold by veterinarians so it is best to consult your vet first.

Flea control products come in the form of topical and oral and injectable medications, sprays, "foggers, "shampoos, and collars.

Whichever the product you decide to use, ensure to follow all the instructions provided. Your veterinary doctor will advise on the right flea control for your dog as well as the right dose to use. Among other things, this is because some products should not be used on puppies or even lactating dogs.

What’s more, some flea control medications may interact with other medications, leading to other adverse health effects. Also, some flea treatment for dogs will only work in specific areas. Even products that were effective in the past may not work anymore. As such, consulting your vet will go a long way in ensuring you choose the right flea products for your pet.

Topical Flea Preventives for Dogs

Remember, we stated earlier that you could use topical solutions such as Revolution to protect your dog against fleas. Well, tropical solutions is a kind of flea treatment that is applied to the pet’s skin, specifically along the neck and the shoulder blades.

The best thing is that this form of treatment can help control both adult fleas and their eggs as well. Apart from Revolution, other spot-on flea treatments include Frontline Plus and Vectra 3-D, etc. All these treatments are applied once a month and offer 30-day protection against fleas.

Oral/Chewable Tablets

If you prefer not to use a spot-on treatment, there are other options available to you.

Oral/chewable tablets are among the most effective flea preventives for your dog. These products will work by killing fleas. In most cases, these will start within one hour of administering these chewable tablets to your dog.  One popular product that does not require a prescription is Capstar, with the active ingredient, Nitenpyram 

Can You Use Nonprescription Flea Preventives for Dogs?

Apart from prescription-only flea preventives for dogs, pet parents can also use nonprescription products to control fleas on dogs. Even so, compared to prescription flea medications, some of these products may be less effective.

As with their prescription counterparts, nonprescription flea products include flea powders, shampoos, collars, spot-on, and oral flea treatment products. Pet parents have reported mixed results after using over the counter products to control fleas on dogs. While some say that they were able to eliminate fleas with nonprescription products, others say that their dogs still have fleas after using these products.

Protecting the Outside of Your Home

If your dog goes outside, there's a good chance that there will be fleas and ticks in the area so treating the area where dogs play may be necessary.  Although somewhat costly, there are services that come and spray for fleas, ticks, mosquitos and other insects. 

Another option is to purchase an over-the-counter flea and tick spray that you apply yourself.  Before purchasing, you will want to estimate the size of the area to be treated.  It doesn't need to be exact, but you can get a good idea by measuring the length and width of the yard by walking and approximating each stride as one foot.  Once you have the length and width, multiple and you will come up with the square footage.  Here are a few choices for DIY pest control for you to check out.

Follow the directions carefully and pay particular attention to how long dogs should stay off the treated lawn.

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Author Bio

About Janice

Janice is the voice behind Miracle Shih Tzu. Having lived with dogs and cats most of her life, she served as a veterinary technician for ten years in Maryland and twelve years as a Shih Tzu dog breeder in Ohio.

Her education includes undergraduate degrees in Psychology with a minor in biology, Early Childhood Education, and Nursing, and a master's in Mental Health Counseling.

She is a lifelong learner, a dog lover, and passionate about the welfare of animals. Her favorite breed for over 50 years has been the Shih Tzu.

When not writing, reading, or researching dog-related topics, she likes to spend time with her eight Shih Tzu dogs, her husband, and her family, as well as knitting and crocheting. She is also the voice behind Small Dog Place and smart knit crocheting.