Dog Flea Treatment Buyer's Guide
Apart from knowing the individual products and their respective strengths and weaknesses, there is also some general info which you should be aware of when it comes to buying flea repellents and treatments for dogs. We will now go through some of that info and tell you what you need to know.
Consider Your Budget
It is more than understandable that we all wish to give our pets the best care possible. However, what that often makes us do is spend money we do not have on overpriced products which we may not necessarily need.
Do not get us wrong. A more high-end flea repellent will naturally cost more. If you wish to give your dog all-natural treatment which will not damage its health in any way, then expect to spend more than a few bucks on flea repellents. However, this does not mean that you have to buy the highest of the high end.
Very often you can be quite satisfied with the results a mid-range flea repellent will give you. Some of them can be real gems. Our budget conscious pick, especially, is unbelievably versatile and effective while being more affordable than a lot of the higher-end ones. This is something to watch out for: treatment options which are high quality but decently priced. This may sound like common sense, but advice like this is often forgotten in the heat of the moment.
Economizing is also much healthier in the long run both for you and your dog. If you spend too much money on expensive flea repellents and treatments, you might have to skimp out on other parts of your dog's life. No repellent is perfect, and a lot of them are good enough, and that is all you really need.
It is much wiser to buy a flea treatment you can afford then spend all of your money on some luxury product. This is because of consistency. By not spending all of your money in a short time, you can keep buying a mid-range, decent, even good repellent and consistently keep your dog happy and free of pests.
Of course, if you have the means, go right ahead and buy the best you can. This makes the most sense after all, that is if you want the products with the most natural ingredients and the longest list of pests which they kill, control, and repel.
What Are The Ingredients Used?
A lot of the treatment products on our list are "all-natural", meaning that they are made from non-synthetic ingredients and are free from aggressive chemicals. This is very much something to look out for, as an all-natural product can save you a lot of heartaches when it comes to your dog's health and even your own.
Although there are synthetic flea repellents and treatments which are not aggressive, a lot of them contain harsh chemicals which can irritate your dog's skin and do more harm than good. This is in sharp contrast to natural ingredients which are most often made from essential oils of plants such as lemongrass.
This is no accident. For millennia, people have been using these essential oils as natural repellents against unwanted critters both for their pets but also for themselves. I think you get the picture: if it is good enough for humans it is probably good enough for our pets.
So, the point is that these natural repellents and treatments are something which has been commonplace for a very long time. It is a tried and true treatmentformula.
Chemically-engineered flea repellents, on the other hand, while they can be devastatingly effective, can cause unwanted effects at your dog's skin if you are not careful.
If you are not that altruistic towards your dog, then consider that you yourself are in danger of exposure to harmful chemicals. Children, especially, can suffer from this as they are careless and may harm themselves if they come into contact with a synthetic flea repellent.
Using a natural flea repellent is a safer treatment choice, as it keeps you, your dog, and your entire home and family safer while keeping fleas away. However, we can't deny the effectiveness of a synthetic flea repellent over a natural flea repellent.
Does It Work On Other Pests?
Something that is easily noticed in the individual product reviews section of this article is that quite a number of these flea repellents and treatments will also work against other unwanted pests such as flies, ticks, or mosquitos. This makes a lot of sense. After all, why buy separate products to layer on your pet, when you can take care of several of these by using just one?
To decide whether or not you need a repellent which not only works on fleas but other critters as well, it is recommended to consider the climate and environment in which you and your pet live. If you live in an area which is not very tropical and is usually quite chilly, then you will find little use for a mosquito repellent. On the other hand, a lot of places have flies and ticks, so repellents which also kill these are probably more useful.
Most likely, a repellent which works against other organisms will also be a little more expensive than a product which does targets only fleas. This is why we are telling you that there is no need to spend more money than you need to. We all want the best for our pets, but they need not be protected against nonexistent threats.
Another thing is that the more generalized a treatment option is, the less particular it tends to be. This is common sense, but it is worth mentioning here. Although this by no means applies across all products, if you are somebody whose pet has a lot of problems with fleas especially, then you will most likely benefit more from a focused repellent which specifically targets fleas.
On the other hand, if you just want to give your dog the best all-around protection, then going broad is as good as anything, really.
Ease Of Use
Finally, we should take about ease of use. On top of that, we will also discuss other practical aspects of flea repellents and treatments here.
What constitutes "easy-to-use" will vary from person to person. Some people may like having a spray bottle so that they can apply the flea repellent with little to no fuss on their dog. Some, on the other hand, might prefer a powder which has to be rubbed into the skin.
There are several different forms in which flea repellents for dogs come, and which one you decide to buy depends on you. Keep in mind that the way a flea repellent is applied does influence the way it works to a certain extent. However, if you carefully observe the treatment instructions and use a selected treatment the way it is meant to be used, then it is safe to conclude that you will run into little trouble.
The final consideration here is hygiene. Try and find a flea repellent that is easy to clean if it gets on your furniture (unless you prefer cleaning stains). This usually means going natural rather than synthetic.
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