We hear this a lot from our clients. To be honest, there are several possible scenarios. Don’t take this personally, because it isn’t judgmental, just fact.
There are many flea products on the market.
Flea spray doesn’t last. It needs reapplication frequently. With the exception of Seresto, flea collars don’t work, and we see a lot of skin reactions, mostly to the plastics. Flea shampoos and dips aren’t much more effective than a basic bath with ANY shampoo. Many of the “monthly” OTC products, when you look at the ingredients, are basically a tiny amount of flea spray in a tube. Sorry, but this won’t work for even one day.
Then you have Advantage, FrontLine, and their generics. These products work well, but really seem to not be lasting a whole month for many pets. There is also the complication of actually remembering to apply it every month. Interesting how many people bought 6-packs of this regularly from us, every 8–12 months, or even have some left over from last year.
Generally, you are best protected by using prescription oral products. They are the safest products, and the most effective. Comfortis, Trifexis (includes Comfortis), NexGuard, Simparica, Credelio, and Bravecto (3 months for this one) are in your pet’s bloodstream, not on their skin. This won’t wash off and isn’t exposing you to pesticides. For cats, we recommend Revolution Plus or Nexgard Combo, which are applied topically, but absorb into the body and are systemic. If these don’t work, either you aren’t giving it to every pet at home regularly, or you have fleas in your house and yard to eliminate.
Now you need environmental control. Look carefully at your pet’s skin. See that salt & pepper? The “salt” is flea eggs, and the “pepper” is flea feces. If we see this, even without seeing a live flea, you have fleas. Period. Treat your pets today. If we see even one live flea, you have an infestation, and need to treat your entire apartment/house,,, twice.
Your veterinary office is the best source of safe and effective flea products, and the advice to use them appropriately. We aren’t judging you for this. Having fleas is not a reflection of your hygiene or housekeeping. It is a problem that we can help you with.