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How often should one bathe a dog with fleas?

This is a question that we often get from sitters and owners who work with Rover. Help the community out by answering them in our forum!

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Bathing with flea shampoo will only take care of the fleas on the dog at that time and only 10% of the flea population will be on your dog. The other 90% lives in the environment, like in your house and other areas you dog spends time. To treat fleas, you need to get rid of the ones in your house, car, etc as well as on your dog.

There are pills and topical products that are easier to use and more effective than shampoo. Get a recommendation from your vet.

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dawn dish soap works much better than flea soap. I'd wash them every day with dawn dish soap. put all the bedding and cloth toys in the washer with dawn dish soap or Borax. sprinkle borax all over your carpet and furniture. let it set for a few minutes or hours then vacuum it all up. clean your baseboards with a strong cleaner like bleach (fleas hide there.) mow the lawn and pick the weeds. you can use and insecticide on the yard or sprinkle cedar wood chips. I've also heard that flood your yard with water it will kill the fleas, but you have to actually flood it and not just get the grass wet because fleas like wet environments but flooding your yard will drown the eggs. make sure you double hit all your dog's favorite areas like a dog house or spot under the porch. Thorough consistency is the only thing that gets rid of fleas. If you just wash the dogs and not the house or just the dog beds and not the carpet the fleas will just multiply again.

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You shouldn't wash dogs with Dawn everyday! It strips their natural oils and it will damage their skin. They will scratch not from the fleas but from the dry skin!

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There are other -- and better -- means to treat fleas. I recommend consulting with your vet and deciding on an option that works best for your budget and philosophy for what you are and are not willing to give or put on your dog. Some digestible options also prevent heartworm and other issues.