Flea Treatment For Dogs

If your dog has an active lifestyle like hiking and regular dog park visit and you happen to live in Southern California, I strongly recommend to give your dog flea treatments all year around.

FLEA TREATMENTS:
For city dogs I find that FRONTLINE PLUS and K9 ADVANTIX work pretty well when applied on a monthly basis.
When traveling to canyons, open fields and more rural areas I prefer to administer the more expensive REVOLUTION. It seems to be stronger and not only protects from fleas & ticks but also from heart worms and parasites.
A greener and probably healthier option for dogs is Bio Spot which smells really nice but did not work for my dogs. Results vary widely on Bio Spot treatments. It's cheap, best way to find out just try it on your dog ;)

WHO CAN GET FLEAS:
Basically everybody (dogs & humans).
However, fleas love to go on dogs with "sick skin". If your dog has dry, flaky skin he might be an ideal host for those little blood suckers. My dogs get 1 capsule of human grade fish oil/ day (capsule should not exceed 1000mg). It leaves their coat soft and shiny and moisturizes the skin. So far, combined with Frontline Plus we have not had any flea problems.
Some people swear of adding 1 teaspoon of apple vinegar (the real stuff not the "flavored apple vinegar") or fresh garlic to the dog's food every day. Don't have any statistics if it really works.

DOG HAS FLEAS! WHAT NOW?
Now, this is important if your dog has fleas make sure that at least one week lies in between treatments. Make sure you DO NOT mix different treatments, e.g. use either drops, flea collar or flea bath, DO NOT combine any of them! There is a serious chance of poising your dog. Be aware that flea treatments work differently, read the instructions carefully. It can take up to one week until all fleas are gone. Fleas hate water and tea tree oil, an additional option would be to bath your dog every two days and shampoo with a tea tree oil shampoo. Caution: Bathing can dry out your dog's skin.
If your dog is just infested with fleas (meaning millions of them) take him to the vet.

TREATING YOUR HOME:
Do not call the exterminator right away! There are great and cheap ways to get rid of fleas in your home.
Sprinkle Boric Acid (Borate Powder or Borax) over your light colored rug and leave it for a few days. The Borate will dry out the fleas.
Buy a simple flea collar, cut it in pieces and put in your vacuum bag. Vacuum your rug and furniture every day for 7 days. The flea collar in the vacuum bag will kill the fleas vacuumed off the furniture and rug.
Wash your sheets!

PREVENTION RECAP:
1) Make sure flea treatments are applied on a regular basis
2) Use a flea comb at least once a week and go through your dogs coat
3) Be aware of signs like scratching, itching, biting
4) Bath your dog on a regular basis
5) Healthy nutrition = healthy skin & coat