Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Dogs

Flea Allergy Dermatitis in Dogs

By: Dr. Rosanna Marsalla

Section: Veterinary Care In-depth

Treatment In-depth

The type of treatment for fleas on your dog will depend on several factors:

  • The severity of the infestation

  • Whether you have only a dog or dogs, or both cats and dogs

  • Whether your pets spend all of their time indoors or some time indoors and some time outdoors

  • The time of the year the problem occurs

  • Area of exposure to fleas as the pet's yard or public park

  • Whether or not the animal is allergic to fleas

    Recommendations May Include

  • Many products that are available for the treatment of flea infestation. All products have advantages, disadvantages and may or may not be safe to use with other products.

  • Some "over-the-counter" products available without a prescription, such as flea powders, sprays and collars that contain pyrethrin, which is moderately effective. The most potent flea control products are prescription products available through your veterinarian.


    Prescription flea control products are most potent and include:

  • Capstar® (nitenpyram), an oral product that results in flea death within four hours after administration

  • Program® (lufenuron), a product that can be administered orally or by injection, and that inhibits the development of the flea

  • Frontline® (fipronil), Frontline Plus® and Advantage® (imidacloprid), topical products placed directly on the skin that prevent and kill fleas

  • Revolution® (selamectin), a topical product that prevents fleas, heartworms and some intestinal parasites

    If your pet already has fleas, they must be killed first with products such as Capstar® (nitenpyram), Frontline Plus® (fipronil) or Advantage® (imidacloprid).

    Recommendations for flea control will vary depending upon local and regional variations in climate. New flea control products are constantly being developed. Consult your veterinarian about the newest and most effective product for your particular area and circumstances.

  •  
    Printable Version
     
    Have a Pet Question?
    Review the Most Frequent Questions
    Answered by Dr. Jon and His Staff of Veterinarians
    Ask Dr. Jon
    Dr. Jon's Newsletter
    Yes! Send Me the Latest Health Information, Pet Tips, Pet Stories and more...
     
     

    Related Articles

    • 1 Food Allergy in Dogs

      Most pets develop allergies to food ingredients that they have been fed for a long time, usually more than two years. In fact, if your dog has an immediate adverse reaction to a new food, it is probably...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 2 Flea Infestation in Dogs

      The flea is a common problem for dogs as well as their owners. As if flea bites aren’t bad enough, some pets are “flea allergic” and develop severe itching and scratching with even trivial infestations...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 3 Acute Moist Dermatitis (Hot Spots)

      A hot spot starts because something irritates the skin, and the body either itches or becomes inflamed. The itching then causes the dog to lick or chew the area, which further damages the skin, creating...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 4 Pyoderma in Dogs (Bacterial Skin Infection, Pus in the Skin)

      Pyoderma is a bacterial infection of the skin. Pyoderma can be divided into surface pyodermas (infection on the skin surface), superficial pyoderma (infection within the skin) or deep pyoderma (infection...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 5 Flea Control and Prevention in Dogs

      The flea is a small, wingless insect that uses specialized mouth parts to pierce the skin and siphon blood. It may be small but it's big on driving you nuts. Here's how to curtail this blood-sucking, irritating...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 6 Pruritus (Itchiness) in Dogs

      How pruritus affects your dog’s health depends on the degree of the pruritus. Severe pruritus leads to intense scratching, which may result in painful skin lesions that may become infected.

      Read MoreRead More
    • 7 Alopecia (Hair loss) in Dogs

      Alopecia is the complete or partial lack of hair in any area of the skin where hair would normally be found. In dogs, it may be caused by self-trauma, hair follicle diseases or the failure of hair to grow...

      Read MoreRead More
    Related Articles
    • 1Acute Moist Dermatitis (Hot Spots)

      A hot spot starts because something irritates the skin, and the body either itches or becomes inflamed. The itching then causes the dog to lick or chew the area, which further damages the skin, creating...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 2Alopecia (Hair loss) in Dogs

      Alopecia is the complete or partial lack of hair in any area of the skin where hair would normally be found. In dogs, it may be caused by self-trauma, hair follicle diseases or the failure of hair to grow...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 3Flea Control and Prevention in Dogs

      The flea is a small, wingless insect that uses specialized mouth parts to pierce the skin and siphon blood. It may be small but it's big on driving you nuts. Here's how to curtail this blood-sucking, irritating...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 4Food Allergy in Dogs

      Most pets develop allergies to food ingredients that they have been fed for a long time, usually more than two years. In fact, if your dog has an immediate adverse reaction to a new food, it is probably...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 5Pruritus (Itchiness) in Dogs

      How pruritus affects your dog’s health depends on the degree of the pruritus. Severe pruritus leads to intense scratching, which may result in painful skin lesions that may become infected.

      Read MoreRead More
    • 6Pyoderma in Dogs (Bacterial Skin Infection, Pus in the Skin)

      Pyoderma is a bacterial infection of the skin. Pyoderma can be divided into surface pyodermas (infection on the skin surface), superficial pyoderma (infection within the skin) or deep pyoderma (infection...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 7Flea Infestation in Dogs

      The flea is a common problem for dogs as well as their owners. As if flea bites aren’t bad enough, some pets are “flea allergic” and develop severe itching and scratching with even trivial infestations...

      Read MoreRead More
     

    Over 10,000 Veterinarian Approved Articles

    Related Articles
    • 1Acute Moist Dermatitis (Hot Spots)

      A hot spot starts because something irritates the skin, and the body either itches or becomes inflamed. The itching then causes the dog to lick or chew the area, which further damages the skin, creating...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 2Alopecia (Hair loss) in Dogs

      Alopecia is the complete or partial lack of hair in any area of the skin where hair would normally be found. In dogs, it may be caused by self-trauma, hair follicle diseases or the failure of hair to grow...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 3Flea Control and Prevention in Dogs

      The flea is a small, wingless insect that uses specialized mouth parts to pierce the skin and siphon blood. It may be small but it's big on driving you nuts. Here's how to curtail this blood-sucking, irritating...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 4Food Allergy in Dogs

      Most pets develop allergies to food ingredients that they have been fed for a long time, usually more than two years. In fact, if your dog has an immediate adverse reaction to a new food, it is probably...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 5Pruritus (Itchiness) in Dogs

      How pruritus affects your dog’s health depends on the degree of the pruritus. Severe pruritus leads to intense scratching, which may result in painful skin lesions that may become infected.

      Read MoreRead More
    • 6Pyoderma in Dogs (Bacterial Skin Infection, Pus in the Skin)

      Pyoderma is a bacterial infection of the skin. Pyoderma can be divided into surface pyodermas (infection on the skin surface), superficial pyoderma (infection within the skin) or deep pyoderma (infection...

      Read MoreRead More
    • 7Flea Infestation in Dogs

      The flea is a common problem for dogs as well as their owners. As if flea bites aren’t bad enough, some pets are “flea allergic” and develop severe itching and scratching with even trivial infestations...

      Read MoreRead More