How do flea/tick collars work?
My dog had a 90 day flea and tick collar on that was only about a month old but a week ago we discovered a tick on her. Are the collars supposed to be 100% effective? Should we switch brands?
My dog had a 90 day flea and tick collar on that was only about a month old but a week ago we discovered a tick on her. Are the collars supposed to be 100% effective? Should we switch brands?
Orla
Favorite Answer
Get Brevecto..one pill lasts three months. Doggie will still have ticks jumping on him but they die fast. The ticks, not the dogs.
Ana
You need to do more than just use the collar. You need to kill the fleas and their eggs in the surrounding home environment, so that they can’t jump back onto the dog later.
You need to do the following, in this order:
1) Give dog a permethrin shampoo bath, following the instructions, letting it sit on the dog for about 10 minutes- however long it says- before washing it off
2) immediately upon your dog getting out of the shower, keep him in the bathroom, and then do the next step
3) throw away any trash in the home, and bag it outside, in case any bugs/fleas were resting or nesting in it
4) Throw all of the clothes on floor or any sheets or fabric the dog uses, and throw it into the washer, ON HOT, with detergent, to kill any fleas. Do multiple loads of laundry, wash EVERYTHING that even MIGHT contain fleas or infestive bugs
5) immediately, also clean all of the floors and hard surfaces with appropriate cleaners. Clean your couch with permethrin spray + wipes. Spray permethrin underneath the cushions and wipe down every inch of the couch, visible and not visible.
Do the same with any beds in the home. And any hard furniture surfaces in the home.
6) do not let the dog go outside to where fleas might be acquired, such as very tall grass or wooded areas. Keep them to properly maintained lawns or sidewalks or maintained parks
7) Approximately 7 days later, use the permethrin shampoo on the dog again, keeping it on their skin for 10 minutes (or however long it says on the label). This is important to kill any eggs
I did this when our dog got bedbugs from hunting, and they’re all gone now
Elaine M
The collars hold pesticides. Getting them wet leaches the pesticides out and dumps the load onto the dog's skin which can cause liver damage.
Maxi
OTC flea medication ( collars or anything else) is either useless or toxic........... yours is useless ( thankfully) so if you wish to use chemical flea treatments then go to the vets at least they are tested medications and not toxic
David K
Talk to your vet. Generally, the ones they sell are superior to the ones you find in grocery stores - and theirs usually cost a bit more.