“Dogs do speak, but only to those who know how to listen.” Many pet lovers and dog owners would agree with Orhan Pamuk, the Turkish novelist on this. Humans are blessed with the unconditional love that dogs shower upon us. It only becomes the responsibility of the pet owners to return the love with the best possible care they can provide their dogs. One of the most important concerns most dog owners have is about the fleas on their dog’s fur. This concern is more apparent during summers as the insects prefer residing in a temperature of 65 – 80 degrees. Though dog owners should keep checking their dog’s fur for any sign of flea, they can become proactive in summers to assure that their dog’s fur remains clean and free from the flea.

In relation to fleas that dogs suffer from, there are three different types of flea medicines to treat them. Pet owners often compare the best flea pills for dogs, topical flea and tick medication, and flea and tick dog collars in order to get the best treatment and prevention for the flea. Dog owners who have recently adopted or bought a dog and will be taking care of them for the first time should learn about these three types of flea medicines for their dogs.

Topical flea medication
The topical flea and tick medication for your canine friend come in shampoos, spot-on treatments, powders. These different types of topical medication treatment succeed in removing the flea and ticks from the dog in different degrees. The effectiveness of shampoos in killing fleas lasts for one day, while flea powder keeps the fleas away for a week. Powder and shampoos only get rid of the adult fleas and give the best result when they are used in combination with pills or other treatment. The best flea medicine for dogs often comes in a combination. Powder and shampoos along with spot-on treatments show the best results by eliminating adult fleas, eggs, and larvae and any other parasite. The spot-on treatment alone is usually effective for about 30 days. Topical treatments are essentially for dogs and can harm cats unless they are medically advised.

Some of the best topical flea medicine for dogs include Advantage® II, FRONTLINE® Plus, K9 Advantix® II, and REVOLUTION®.

Flea pills
Other than the topical treatments, there are flea pills available for the dogs. These pills often guarantee success in fighting off parasites. Some pills for the dogs require a prescription form the vet and can come with side effects. Oral pills often target either one of the two problems, i.e., either the flea eggs or adult fleas, and not both. Therefore, taking a combination of medication for the purpose of eradicating the infestation is advised to pet or dog owners. Vets often prescribe flea pills as they are one of the fastest ways to eliminate the pests.

If the dogs refuse to swallow capsules, owners can give them oral medications that come in form of chewable tablets. Some of the best oral flea medicines for dogs include Capstar Flea Killer and Comfortis®.

Flea and tick dog collars
Another type of medication for the dogs apart from topical and oral medications is the flea and tick dog collars. These are essentially used to prevent the infestation of parasites in dogs. While all other treatments are taking place, flea and tick dog collars help with the prevention and recurrence of the parasites by eliminating pests and their eggs from the chemicals that are released into the dogs’ skin. While buying these collars, dog owners should look for the ones that have the word ‘kill’ mentioned on them as it ensures that the collar is meant to treat an infestation along with preventing it.

One of the popular dog collars one should use for eliminating fleas and ticks is the Seresto® 8 Month Flea & Tick Collar.

Dog owners can use a combination of different types of treatments for the desired result. It is advisable to consult a vet before using any flea medicine for dogs.