How To Get Rid of Fleas on Dogs

Despite their size, fleas are a big problem, particularly when they invade your home. These tiny, wingless insects feed on the blood of their hosts, causing irritation and itching. Fleas also carry dangerous diseases that can be transmitted to animals and humans.

The most effective way to get rid of fleas on dogs is a multi-step approach: use a vet-recommended parasite treatment that works fast on fleas, bathe your pet and use a flea comb to remove fleas, and thoroughly clean your home to eliminate all flea life stages.

Acting fast and treating both your dog and their environment is key to helping stop a flea infestation.

How To Know If Your Dog Has Fleas

Fleas are small, fast-moving insects, so you may not always see them right away. Therefore, you should also look for signs of irritation or evidence they’ve left behind.

The most common signs of fleas on dogs are:

• Itchy skin—The base of the tail, hind legs, and groin are most common, but can be anywhere on the body.
• Redness, irritation to the skin—This can be minor or more significant, like hot spots.
• Your dog is biting at their skin or rear end—This biting can be enough to cause self-harm.
• Hair loss
• Excessive grooming
• Flea dirt
• Reddish brown insects (fleas) present in the fur
• Flea bites—Small red bumps on skin, neck, back, and legs are the most common spots.
• Scooting
• Restlessness
• Rice grains around the anus—This indicates tapeworms in dogs, which can come from fleas.

Dogs with severe flea infestations can become anemic (have a low red blood cell count) and develop additional signs like pale gums and lethargy.

How To Get Rid of Fleas on Dogs

There are several ways to get rid of fleas on dogs. Let’s look at the most common methods for how to kill fleas.

Use a Vet-Recommended Flea Treatment

To effectively eliminate dog fleas, start with a vet-approved flea treatment. Many of these products not only kill existing fleas but also help prevent future infestations (when used per label indications). Some formulas provide additional protection against other parasites, such as ticks, heartworm disease, or even tapeworms.

Flea treatments for dogs come in several forms: 

• Oral flea treatments: These treatments are taken orally, often in chewable form, such as Credelio Quattro/Credelio Quattro-CA1 (lotilaner, moxidectin, praziquantel, and pyrantel chewable tablets). Formulated for dogs at least 8 weeks old and weighing at least 3.3 pounds, Credelio Quattro starts to kill adult fleas in four hours, kills more than 99% of fleas within eight hours of administration, and remains effective for the month.¹ It’s considered highly palatable, making it easy to give, and with a meat-free formulation, it’s safe for dogs with meat allergies.²

• Topical flea treatments: Spot-on flea control products are applied directly to your dog’s skin. For example, K9 Advantix II is an easy-to-apply topical treatment for dogs that kills existing fleas within 12 hours of application. Further, it works all month long to protect against fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, biting flies, and lice through contact. Do not use K9 Advantix II on cats.
• Flea collars: These are medicated collars that your dog wears to repel and/or kill fleas. For example, Seresto is the No. 1 vet-recommended3 flea and tick collar that offers eight continuous months of flea and tick protection.

Do not use any flea and tick product formulated for dogs on cats as they can be toxic to cats and may cause serious or even life-threatening reactions. 

Speak with your veterinarian about which flea and tick preventive is best for your pup and their lifestyle.

Use a Dog Flea Comb

To physically get rid of fleas on dogs, you can use a fine-toothed metal flea comb.

This isn’t a regular brushing—the goal of using a flea comb is to pull the parasites off your dog.

Use the flea comb in the bathtub, where fleas, flea eggs, and flea dirt can be washed down the drain. After every few strokes, dip the comb into soapy water to drown any fleas and help get rid of any eggs you’ve removed.

Most infestations will require continued sessions with the flea comb to deal with newly hatched fleas. Set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself when it’s time for your pup’s daily flea check.

Ask your veterinarian if you have questions about how to use a flea comb or how often you should perform flea checks once your dog is on a regular flea control schedule.

Give Your Dog a Flea Bath

Along with a prescription medicine and flea combs, a flea bath can help get an active flea problem under control and bring your dog quick relief.

Many flea shampoos and sprays, such as Advantage Flea and Tick Shampoo for Dogs and Puppies, are available for you to choose from. It is important to read and follow the label directions for these products.

As you bathe your dog, use a flea comb in the bath to help remove fleas, flea dirt, or eggs from their coat.

Active ingredients in medicated flea shampoos are designed to kill dog fleas quickly, but they won’t necessarily provide lasting protection against reinfestation later. Combining a prescription-strength oral flea medication with a medicated shampoo or spray will achieve rapid relief, along with a long-term preventive power.

A soothing oatmeal dog shampoo may be just as effective as a flea shampoo (and less drying on the skin) at removing fleas that have been killed by an oral flea medication.

Treat Your Home for Fleas

Just as you carefully treat and remove fleas from your pet, you’ll also need to clean your home thoroughly and frequently. Getting rid of all of the fleas from your house requires repeated cleanings because new adult fleas will emerge from any eggs, larvae, and pupae that are left behind.

Follow these steps:

• Vacuuming at least every other day. Be sure to empty the vacuum after each use into a sealed bag and dispose of it in an outdoor trash bin.
• Clean all upholstered furniture (couch, chairs, mattress).
• Clean all floors, carpets, rugs, and baseboards.
• Frequently wash any pet bedding with hot water. Dry on high heat or in direct sunlight.
• Use room sprays and other pet-safe products to help eliminate adult and immature fleas in the places your dog hangs out.

How To Prevent Fleas on Dogs

The best way to deal with fleas is to prevent them before they take hold. Once fleas get into your home, infestations can be difficult and time-consuming to eliminate. To prevent fleas:

• Use consistent, year-round parasite protection: Even in cooler months, fleas and other parasites can survive indoors or in mild climates. Skipping doses can leave your dog unprotected.
• Maintain a clean environment: Routine cleaning and regular yard maintenance can help prevent infestations.

Why Flea Prevention Matters

Fleas are more than just a nuisance—they can cause health problems for dogs. In addition to itching and skin infections, fleas can lead to flea allergy dermatitis and transmit tapeworms when dogs ingest infected fleas during grooming.

But fleas aren’t the only parasites dogs are at risk for. Dogs can also be exposed to other parasites, including:

• Heartworm disease, spread by mosquito bites and potentially life-threatening
• Ticks, which can transmit diseases like Lyme disease
• Intestinal parasites, such as roundworms and hookworms, typically picked up from contaminated soil, feces, or from the mother.

Because dogs are exposed to parasites in different ways, veterinarians often recommend broad-spectrum parasite coverage, such as Credelio Quattro/Credelio Quattro-CA1, which uses four ingredients to provide the broadest parasite coverage of its kind*, targeting seven types of parasites.^§

Credelio Quattro/Credelio Quattro-CA1 is the first and only chewable* for dogs that covers ticks, fleas, heartworm disease, New World screwworm larvae, and three intestinal worms^‡ that can be passed to humans—including hookworms, roundworms, and three species of tapeworms.**    

Talk to your vet to determine what type of parasite coverage is best for your dog—they’ll be able to make a recommendation that’s right for your pup's needs.