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Best Dog Flea & Tick Control You Need to Know Right Now

You want the best for your dog. You need to know this list of the best dog flea & tick control products available.

Your best furry friend needs to be protected. Blood sucking parasites are no joke and can cause severe health issues to your dog. You need to get a handle on it and prevent it at all cost with one of these products I’m going to talk about in this episode.

I’m going to be including around 7 conventional best dog flea & tick control products that you can go to the store or go to your vet or shop online and purchase for your dog right away.

I am also going to be giving you some natural options that you can use that you might have on hand, some like give or take home remedies or natural solutions for you that people swear by. I’m not saying that they work, but I’m saying that you can try them if you’d like. I believe in trying anything and these would be safe methods to just try if you have these certain items on hand.

You should always go through your vets and consider their recommendations as well for your pets and understand that some of these natural control methods may or may not be preventable, prevent fleas and ticks completely. It’s very important to keep their health and prime. So, I’m just saying that sometimes those, especially in areas where it’s hot and humid and ticks are on the rampage, sometimes these natural options just aren’t going to be enough, so just keep that in mind as well as I’m going through this list.

Listen to the Episode:

Best Dog Flea & Tick Control

My Dog History

I’ve used many of the products I’m about about to tell you about on my own dogs throughout the years. Here’s a little bit about my dogs that I have. I’ve always had dogs growing up. We had all breeds of dogs: Long haired Australian shepherds border collies, actually all the herding dogs. We had mutts or dumped dogs that had people had dumped on our place and we didn’t know their background and we still kept them on the place and loved them and took care of them.

You just have to do that for dogs that go through that. We had a Sheltie that had very long hair that we had to care for and check for ticks and fleas and all of that. Dogs with long hair tend to be a little bit worse just because they have all of that long hair to mess with. It’s harder to see the ticks and fleas unless you really look them over each day.

Currently I have a Great Pyrenees that has very long hair. The vet recommended that we not shave the dog or or do a haircut in the summer when it’s hot. So he has long hair all through the year, even during flea and tick season. And we also have a short haired beagle that’s indoors, but of course she goes outside to go to the bathroom. So she is outside in the elements too and she comes in to our home and just live in our home primarily.

So that’s a little bit of background about my dogs. I understand there’s all kinds of different dogs out there in the world and that’s why I’m giving you options here. I’m going to actually be leaving a link to each of these products for you to click and order as you see fit. I am hoping this saves you a little time and money as well. Chewy has a lot of sales online all the time so watch out for that. Let’s dive right in!

7+ Best Dog Flea & Tick Control

So, just keep in mind that I have not used all of the products recently, but most of them I have over the 34 years that we’ve had dogs. Over the years, these great products for fleas & tick control have been recommended by veterinarians that we trust and other Ruralites also who have been long time dog owners.

I’m going to briefly mention pricing. Pricing is different wherever you go to buy them. I’m linking up through Chewy, again, they generally have a lot of discounts, so that’s really nice. And sometimes even free shipping. So if you do go through my link, just know that there’s some really good deals on chewy that is really easy for you, convenient and there are really, really well trusted company.

Flea & Tick Collars

All right. So the first product is the one that I’m currently using now. It’s called Seresto. It’s a collar that you put on your dogs for 8 months.

I use a collar because of the fact that my beagle does not do well with chewable tablets. So any chewable tablets that I give her, she throws it up. She just can’t keep it down. I don’t like using the topical solution on her because you know, she’s on our furniture and the kids are always loving up on her and stuff. So I would much rather use collars. Keep in mind I’m a caller is going to have the stuff on it as well, but you can use like a Bandana or something to cover it up or kind of wrap around.

I also love using this color on my Great Pyrenees. He also does not do well with chewable tablets or topical solutions. If he sees me carrying a tablets of some sort or a little tube of the topical stuff, he runs away or I can’t hang on to him. But he will let me put a collar on him. He is kind of a weirdo.

So having the collar option really helps. Since the Seresto callers are good for eight months, they actually turn out to be a little bit cheaper than anything else you use. You can also get a $15 rebate off your color. You just have to remember to send it in after you get it. So also, Chewy is having a deal right now: if you buy two Seresto collars, you get 10% off. So that is a cool deal that they’re doing in honor of flea and tick season. The Seresto collars is one that I highly recommend.

Chewable Dog Flea and Tick Pills

The next three products I’m going to talk about are all chewables.

The first one is called NexGard. It’s a chewable. Pricewise, it’s a little less expensive than other pills. Bu it only works for one month – So you would give it every 30 days. It is a flavorful chewable.

I’ve tried putting them in treats and things like that on hiding them and they still find them. They’ll eat around the chewable and not eat it at all, but if you have a dog that loves chewables, the NexGard might be the one that you want to try as a flea & tick preventative.

The next product I’m going to talk about is Bravecto and it’s a little bit more expensive than NexGard. However, it’s good for three months, so month to month it may actually be a little cheaper than the NexGard. So, it’s one dose for all season, which is the three months. If you want to go longer, you’ll just have to do another chewable at the end of the three months.

There is a little bit of caution I’ve heard about with Bravecto and this is something you’re going to need to talk to your vet about. I have used Bravecto on other dogs who would consume chewables with no issues. However, there is a little caution for herding dogs that carry that MDR1 gene. Bravecto may be detrimental to them. It has been known to cause tumors or seizures and those types of dogs. So you’ll just have to talk to your vet, have your dog seen by the vet.

If you have a good vet, it’s kind of important to have them see the dog anyway before using any products like this that’s on the market.

All right, let’s move on to sentinel, which is another chewable. It is pretty comparable to the other two chewables I mentioned above.

And then Simparica which is another monthly chewable that you give once a month. I like the idea of the three months. With your order of chewables, you get a sticker that you can put it on your calendar. It’s easy to give one at the beginning of the season, get through the busy season of summer and then finally you have another, another round or another. Your sticker will remind you at the end to give another round of it.

Topical Flea & Tick Control

The 6th product I’ll talk about is Canine Advantage Plus. It’s a topical treatment that you can get just about anywhere. You can get it at Walmart, Tractor Supply, all the farm stores and you can get it from your vet as well. It just comes in a little tube and you just put a few drops on your dog at one time.

Finally, Ivermectin which is a cattle dewormer. I know a lot of people that use that for their dogs. I don’t want to say it’s okay to use on your own. You definitely want to consult an your veterinarian first. You don’t want to use too much of this on your dog.

Natural Flea & Tick Prevention Methods

All right, let’s talk about some natural options. Not only on your dogs but in your yard as well in your space. The first one is the use of birds. Guineas, chickens, I don’t know which other ones. I just know for sure guineas and chickens. Maybe Turkey’s might help, but again, I don’t have them so I know guineas and chickens do really well. We let our chickens run just the perimeter around our house and we really don’t have a tick problem until we get out of that space and go out into the pasture or into the trees. We don’t have a huge problem until we go in there and then ticks are everywhere. So that’s why we still have to use the preventative methods on our dogs because they do go out into the trees and hunt and do their thing out there.

Guineas and chickens will the parasites, but you have to have a lot of them for the space. You have to have quite a few guineas in one square foot to actually see a difference in the tick population and the fleas. So that is one thing to keep in mind. If you’re going to do this and you have a big area, you’re going to need a lot of those types of birds for flea and tick control.

All right, another recommendation I’ve seen, but I’ve not tried as dawn dish soap. Dawn dish soap is so cheap and it’s safe. They say if you wash your dog in dawn dish soap, then you can control the fleas and ticks. They don’t like the smell. I don’t know if I fully, fully believe that. I just wonder if these people don’t have as big of a problem where they’re at.

And it highly depends on where you are. Again, fleas can be anywhere, but ticks primarily love hot, humid weather. So if you’re in a hot, humid environment, you’re going to have mainly a tick problem. That is one thing to keep in mind. Again, you can try it and dish soap is safe. Also, it is very, very cheap. So you can definitely try it out. I am not telling you not to. I’m just saying, I’m not sure if I believe that it’s going to work by itself. I know your dog is going to smell good, but I don’t think it’s gonna work with fleas and ticks. But I could be wrong.

Another one is essential oils. Essential oils are the “cure all for everything”. So I’m told, I still haven’t jumped on to the essential oils bandwagon, but I know a lot of you have and use them. So I’ve decided to mention it here.

Which essential oils work best for fleas and ticks for fleas? Well, for fleas they say it’s lemongrass, peppermint and lavender. And for ticks, it’s lavender, lemongrass and thyme. So, 15 drops of each oil with a cup of water and a third cup of vinegar should do the trick on your fleas and ticks and it’s super, super safe. Again, you can try it and if it works, I would love it if you’d leave a comment on the show notes page saying that it worked for you. Also, I want to know where you are in the world and tell me if these essential oils worked.

The last is the Neem oil. Neem oil is an organic oil that helps with parasite control. Fleas, ticks, Mites, but insect control. Especially in gardens. Organic growers use Neem Oil for garden pest control. That is one way to use it. And so you can try it for fleas and ticks. See if it works.

Again, I am not a an avid user of neem oil for fleas and ticks. I’ve used it in other ways in the garden just to try it out. You have to use a lot of it, I’m just saying and it’s very expensive. That is one thing to keep in mind. Also, when you are choosing to go that route and use the neem oil, that is it for all of the conventional and natural ways for flea and tick control. Again, bottom line, I really, really want to stress on all of these products to consult with a veterinarian or to use the product as labeled for dogs. If it’s not labeled for dogs, you definitely want to work through your vet and use the labeled amount that they recommend.

As stated above, I am not a vet. I have a bachelor of science degree in animal science and industry. I have had many dogs and kept animals all my entire life. That is the extent of my experience, but I still highly recommend that you have your dog seen by a veterinarian and know that it’s very, very important that you understand that each dog is different. You may have more than one dog and please note that each dog is going to be different. Just like all of us are different, humans are different, dogs are different as well. God made us all different. So that is something that I really, really want to stress before I leave you today.

Best Dog Flea & Tick Control

Compare Flea and Tick Meds for Dogs

So those are a quick brief listing of all of the products that I recommend for fleas and ticks in your dog. And again, the one I’m using now is Seresto collars. The others, such as Bravecto, Sentinel, and Canine Advantage Plus we’ve used on our dogs over the many, many years we’ve had them and they’ve all done well.

Your next step is to compare and choose which option is right for you and your dog. Click on one of the above product links to go over to Chewy or Amazon and check out prices and all the info to make your own decision.

I will come up with a fact sheet for each of these that compares and contrasts each of them to help make your decision easier. But again, that’s going to be after I get my new computer, which I am getting Monday, June 3rd. After that, I’ll design the fact sheet and link it here – you can find that fact sheet right here. Its just going to be be a little while, be patient. Good things come to those who wait.

A Note About Jen

I also want to mention that Jen, who’s been my assistant for the podcast for the past year has decided that she loves working with photographers and so she is leaving the podcast and going out on her own. I’m so, so happy and excited for her. I truly believe that any of any of us, any of you that find your passion and are searching for it, you will find it and you should go for it.

And I am just so happy to have helped her out on this journey by giving her a little income and helping to inspire her along the way to live her passion and find what she is passionate about and wants to do. She is leaving us and I am going to be flying solo again, which is fine because she set me up with a whole system of work for the podcast that I’m going to be able to do on my own. In fact, this is the first episode I’m using this system and it’s working very well.

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I hope that you have enjoyed this post about the best dog flea & tick control and I hope that if you know of somebody who needs to hear this, that you will share it with them and help them out as well. Help inspire them to have healthy super the healthiest happiest pets as possible through the summer months and the peak flea and tick months. Hone your dreams, own your life, and I’ll see you down the road. BYE!

~ Much Love ~

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