Flea Spray for Dogs

If you've found fleas on your pooch, it's time to take action. Fleas not only cause your pet discomfort, but they can infest your entire home before you know it. With a wide variety of flea sprays available at your local pet supply store, it can be difficult to select the right one. Understanding how flea sprays work and how they differ from one another can help make the choice easier for you.

  1. Definition

    • Flea sprays work like other flea products, by depositing a certain type and amount of pesticide on your pooch. The levels are low enough that normally no adverse reaction occurs. Different chemicals work in different ways. For instance, some may attack the central nervous system of fleas, while others also inhibit development of flea larvae into mature fleas.

    Types

    • There are basically two types of flea sprays for dogs: those that come in pump bottles and those that come in aerosols. Both work pretty much the same way. If your pet has a short coat, the fine mist of an aerosol spray may work best, whereas if he has along coat, a pump spray may be the better choice because the aerosol mist may not penetrate layers of dense fur.

    Availability

    • Many flea sprays are available at most pet supply stores, including the large chains like PetCo and PetSmart. Additionally, a dizzying number of online vendors provide flea sprays, and your veterinarian may sell a specific line of products, including flea sprays, in his office. Placerville Veterinary Clinic, for instance, recommends the Frontline flea spray. Frontline is perhaps best known for making a flea topical available only through vets.

    Effectiveness

    • Sprays are generally considered less effective than other types of treatments, such as spot topical and ingestibles. However, sprays are also usually less expensive, so if you have only found a couple of fleas on Fido, a spray may be enough to do the trick.

    Usage

    • Different sprays have different instructions for use. However, generally, you want to spray your dog lightly, not get him drenched in flea spray. Remember that you're applying pesticides to your pet. You may want to wear latex gloves to avoid getting any spray on yourself. Ruffle your pet's coat while spraying it to make sure it penetrates beyond the outer layer.