Getting rid of Fleas with Flea Shampoo

Thursday, December 06, 2007
I promised you more information on how to keep your dogs flea-free and here’s the continuation of my previous article. There are two steps to this process. The first one is recognizing the existence of fleas on your dog and killing existing fleas, the second one is using prevention products to keep the fleas away once you’ve killed the active population.

Part 1 : Killing the Fleas

Depending on how much attention you pay to your dog, you might notice right away your dog has picked up hitchhikers or, if your dog spends a lot of time outside by himself, you might only realize there’s a flea problem when the dog is completely covered with fleas. At this point, the tools you can use to destroy the fleas are: flea dips/shampoos, Capstar pills, and topical solutions such as Frontline or Advantage. I will focus the rest of this article on my favorite flea shampoo.

For immediate relief, the quickest acting products you can use are flea dips and shampoos, usually available from pet stores. As soon as you apply it to your pet, the fleas will start to die. The drawbacks of this solution are that you have to be careful not to put the shampoo in the dog’s eyes, and not allow the dog to lick it either, because it will upset his stomach. However, if you’re ok with bathing your own dog, this is definitely a very cheap, fast and efficient alternative. Please read all product labels carefully before you begin to ensure proper use of the shampoo.

I used to work in a kennel where the number one choice for a flea shampoo was Adam’s Flea & Tick Shampoo. Perhaps there are other good products out there, but I feel comfortable recommending this brand because I’ve used it myself, continue to use it, and I like the results I get. This product will not only kill fleas but also ticks, and lice found on dogs and cats which is great if your beloved pet is also a host to another one of those parasites.

The product is affordable and you get many uses out of it since it’s concentrated. All you have to do is apply the product on your dog’s coat, lather it in thoroughly, wait between 5 to 10 minutes for the fleas to die, and then rinse. Based on my experience, I suggest not putting water on the dog’s coat at first; in fact, you’ll want to take some shampoo and apply it on the ears/around the ears and below/under the dog’s tail. The reason for this is because fleas do not like water and they will run and hide in these places to avoid it, but you want them to touch the shampoo even when they’re trying to flee. If you have a flea problem right now and you want to try this product, I’ve included a link here for your convenience to a site where you can get cheap Adam’s Flea & Tick Shampoo. This site also has other wonderful Adam's products such a carpet powders, flea sprays, etc. which you can find here.

If you’re having difficulties bathing your dog, and if you can survive dealing/living with the fleas for another few hours, and up to a day, there are other products out there to use on your dog that are a little bit easier to apply. Generally speaking though, I think your dog will appreciate getting a bath because that’s the only way you’ll get rid of dead fleas and flea dirt lodged in your dog’s hair. I will discuss those other products in the near future.