Best flea control and flea prevention medicines for dogs

Many medicines control and help prevent fleas in dogs.

With so many flea control and flea prevention medicines available, pet owners frequently find it difficult to make a decision as to which product is the best one for their pet. Below is a review of several of the most effective and most popular flea control and prevention medications.

Frontline Plus flea and tick preventive medicine

Frontline Plus is the most commonly used veterinary recommended flea control product. Though there are other Frontline products available, Frontline Plus is the most effective because it contains two different active ingredients, one which kills adult fleas and a second which kills flea eggs and larvae.

Frontline Plus is a topically used liquid medication which should be used monthly. Frontline Plus is also labeled to control ticks on dogs.

Promeris flea and tick control medication

Like Frontline Plus, Promeris is a topically applied liquid medicine which should be used monthly. Promeris controls and prevents both fleas and ticks. It is effective in treating demodectic mange (a skin disease caused by a mite).

Some dog owners using Promeris have complained about the eucalyptus odor which is associated with Promeris. Generally, the odor lingers for a only a few hours before disappearing. And though some dog owners have found the odor offensive, others are not bothered by it.

It should be noted that most of the topical spot-on flea medications have recently come under investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who is investigating whether additional dispensing regulations are needed. This investigation includes Frontline Plus and Promeris. However, this action should be not be interpreted as a declaration that Frontline Plus and Promeris are unsafe. Rather, the EPA is simply trying to make certain that medications are used by pet owners in a manner which is safe for pets.

K9 Advantix flea and tick control product

As with Frontline Plus and Promeris, K9 Advantix is a monthly topical medication which treats fleas and ticks. Unlike Frontline Plus and Promeris, K9 Advantix also repels these parasites along with repelling mosquitoes and biting flies as well. In addition, K9 Advantix kills chewing lice.

Revolution flea and heartworm preventive medicine for dogs

Revolution is a topically applied monthly spot-on medication used to control fleas in dogs. However, unlike Frontline Plus, Promeris and K9 Advantix, Revolution also prevents heartworms in dogs as well as preventing roundworms and hookworms (intestinal parasites). In addition, Revolution kills the mites which cause sarcoptic mange.

Even though Revolution is a broader spectrum parasiticide than previously mentioned products, Revolution is not generally considered to be effective against most ticks on dogs. Revolution is labeled only to prevent only one specific type of tick out of many which can infect dogs and spread disease. Therefore, Revolution may not be the best medication for dogs which are likely to be infested with ticks.

Advantage Multi for controlling and preventing fleas in dogs

Advantage Multi is similar to Revolution in that it is a monthly topical medication effective in preventing and controlling flea infestations and preventing heartworm infection in dogs. Like Revolution, Advantage Multi also prevents roundworms and hookworms and prevents whipworms as well (another type of intestinal parasite). Advantage Multi does not treat sarcoptic mange and does not prevent ticks.

Sentinel flea preventive tablets

Sentinel is a tablet which should be administered monthly to prevent flea infestation. Sentinel kills flea eggs and larvae but has no effect against adult fleas, which means it may not be the best product to use alone in an existing flea infestation as it will take months to control the infestation by itself. However, when used as part of a flea preventive program, Sentinel is extremely effective.

Comfortis flea control medication

Comfortis is a tablet which is administered monthly to control and prevent fleas. It is known for killing adult fleas very quickly, making it useful in dogs which are suffering from flea allergy dermatitis (an allergy to fleas causing skin disease).

Comfortis and Sentinel are effective only against fleas and do not treat or prevent ticks, heartworms or other parasites of dogs.

The best medication to prevent and/or control fleas in dogs will vary from one dog to another and will depend on what other parasites the dog is most likely to be exposed to as well as the dog owner's individual preferences for method of usage (i.e. topical medications as opposed to tablets).

Our slideshow provides more information about popular flea control and flea prevention medicines for dogs.