How often should I bathe my dog to prevent fleas?

Fleas can be picked up by dogs from the environment. The risk of getting fleas depends on how much time your dog spends in environments outside the home, and if they spend time with other animals who may carry fleas. Many dogs enjoy walks, but this creates a good opportunity to pick up fleas. Because of this, it may be better to use a good quality preventative treatment, as recommended by your vet. Dog flea treatment shampoos are not a long-term effective solution for combating fleas. This is because it will only kill the fleas on your dog at the time of bathing and does not prevent them from redeveloping. But spot on treatment and tablet medications are the only effective long-term methods of flea control. Spot on treatments are products whereby liquid is applied to the skin at the back of a pet’s neck, but they are not a good option if your dog swims or is bathed often. Flea medication administered in tablet form is also a good option, if you find it difficult to give your pet a spot on treatment or if they swim or are bathed often.

Bathing your dog with fleas If you discover your pet has fleas, giving them a bath is a great first step. This can be a really effective way of removing a large number of fleas that are on your pet, the water and soap can make an impact on killing the fleas, but the main benefit of a good bath is it reduces the fleas' ability to cling to your pets coat and skin making them much easier to remove. You’re able to continue to bathe your dog regularly whilst you get rid of your infestation to help keep their skin smoothed and continue to remove any live (or dead) fleas from their coat. Just be sure to check the instructions of the flea treatment you’ve administered as some advise not to bathe 2-3 days after administering. Giving your dog a bath will help remove adult fleas, but it will not take care of your flea problem alone. Once you’ve eliminated your infestation, it’s worth implementing a regular flea protection and prevention regime to ensure you don’t get hit with an infestation again.