Skip to Content

How Effective Is Flea Shampoo?

Dog being washed in a tub

Protecting Your Pup from Fleas

There are a lot of good anti-flea products on sale at your favorite stores today. One of those products is flea shampoo. It is easy to use, smells nice, and leaves your dog’s coat looking good.

But are the many flea shampoos effective? That is a good question as you do not want to spend money thinking you are protecting your pet when in reality you are doing nothing.

To find out how effective flea shampoo is against fleas, just continue reading our article It has the answer for you.

What is the best homemade flea shampoo? Click here to learn more.

Not Every Flea Shampoo Is Effective

Person pulling white dog fur apart to reveal fleas

Unfortunately, there are good flea shampoos that are very effective and kill fleas quickly. Then there are bad flea shampoos that do nothing to stop fleas or get rid of their eggs.

The difficulty is finding the ones that are bad and avoiding them. Many flea shampoos are very good at killing fleas on contact. Then some will stop the flea eggs and larvae from developing into adult fleas.

Those are the brands you want to buy if you are serious about protecting your pet from fleas. Some of the better flea shampoos will kill fleas within 48 hours of use and others will keep working for 28 days.

To get these great flea shampoos, you may have to spend a little extra money. But it is worth the expense as those flea shampoos are fully developed and ready to get those fleas.

Need to know “How To Give a Dog a Flea Bath”? Click here to learn more.

Why Are There Fleas Still on My Dog?

Brown puppy sitting outdoors in grass scratching

This may be a common sight when you use the cheaper flea shampoo brands. Not all flea shampoos are effective against fleas, nor do they kill those flea eggs or larvae. So, you may see fleas right after you gave your dog a bath.

Or you have not killed those fleas that have infested your home, your dog’s bedding, and other places. The nest shampoos will work for weeks but if you are using a cheaper brand, those fleas will be back unless you clean them out from those areas.

How Often Should You Use Flea Shampoo?

Grey and white shaggy dog sitting on hardwood floors wrapped in a pink towel with a yellow rubber ducky in its mouth

It may be tempting to use flea shampoo every time you bathe your dog. But this is not necessary and only a short-term option if your dog suffers from heavy flea infestation.

About once a month is all you will need to use this type of shampoo or less, depending on the instructions on the bottle. Make sure to follow all those instructions so you get the most out of using those top flea shampoos.

You can use regular dog shampoo the other times you bathe your pet. The combination of water and shampoo should kill the adult fleas already on your dog’s body.

Some Final Words

Close up of a flea attached to a hair on a humans body

Bathing your dog with the right flea shampoo is essential if you want to protect your dog. Flea collars and other anti-flea methods are great, but it doesn’t hurt to have another line of defense to back those efforts up.

Good flea shampoo is a great defensive and protective measure.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.