Although K9 Advantix® II kills fleas on your dog, there may still be fleas in your dogs environment that have since jumped on after treatment. Luckily, with K9 Advantix® II, new fleas are killed within 2 hours with protection against further infestation for at least 4 weeks. As fleas die they are no longer able to stay hidden against your dogs skin, and therefore you may also be seeing dying fleas coming to the surface of your dogs fur coat. Do not use K9 Advantix® II on cats.
A single application of K9 Advantix® II remains effective for four weeks. However, if the dog has a severe infestation, retreatment within a month may be necessary. Do not retreat more than once every seven days not to exceed weekly treatments. After flea control is attained, return to a monthly treatment schedule. Do not use K9 Advantix® II on cats.
Can I bathe my dog after applying K9 Advantix® II? Yes! However, we suggest bathing your dog before applying K9 Advantix® II. Just make sure your dog is thoroughly towel dried. If you choose to bathe your dog in between treatments, we recommend use of a general grooming shampoo for pets. Do not use K9 Advantix® II on cats.
How Soon Can I Bathe My Dog After Applying K9 Advantix?
Once K9 Advantix has been applied, it is safe to bathe your dog as long as you wait a couple of days. It takes approximately 48 hours for the medication to be completely absorbed into your pup’s skin. So try to wait 2 to three days before giving them a bath.
If your dog’s paws or face get dirty shortly after application, carefully spot clean them with a damp cloth. Do not use any shampoo or soap on the area where you applied K9 Advantix as this could cause the medication to be less effective.
Make sure that you don’t get any of the K9 Advantix solution in your pup’s mouth or eyes when spot cleaning. You’ll need to contact poison control or take your dog to an emergency veterinarian if they ingest the product.
Why Do I Still See Fleas After Using k9 Advantix?
Despite the fact that K9 Advantix kills fleas on your dog, there may still be fleas in his environment that have gotten on since treatment. Thankfully, K9 Advantix kills new fleas within two hours and protects against further infestation for four weeks. In addition, dying fleas may also be coming up to the surface of your dog’s fur coat as they are no longer able to remain hidden.
If you have groomed or bathed your dog very close to the application time, this may have lessened the potency of the product. This is why it’s best to let the product sit for 48 hours before any washing.
Should I bathe my dog before or after flea treatment?
Everyone in the family, including your dog, appreciates the benefit of an effective flea preventive. However, dogs will be dogs, and sometimes an unplanned bath is necessary. If your pup got into something right after receiving his monthly flea preventive, youll have to wait a bit before you bathe him. It could be as short as a couple of hours or as long as a day, depending on the treatment.
Theres a wide variety of flea preventives on the market for dogs. Since they use different ingredients, they offer different protection. Some kill adult fleas, others add flea larvae to the mix, while others kill ticks as well. Applying the medication to the dogs skin, ideally at the base of the skull, allows it to be absorbed into his skin, hair follicles or bloodstream to come in contact with the fleas. Usually the insecticides work by destroying the fleas nervous system. The rate at which the insecticide is absorbed into your dogs system determines how quickly youll be able to bathe your dog after administering his monthly dose.
If youre using Frontline Plus on your dog, youll need to wait 24 hours before giving him a bath or allowing him to swim. The companys website notes the preventive will be effective for 30 days, even if the dog gets wet. Bio Spot also requires a 24-hour waiting period before bathing or swimming.
Revolution, which kills fleas, flea eggs and their larvae, as well as other parasites, lasts 30 days. The companys website states the product will be completely effective if you bathe your dog two hours after applying the insecticide. A dog using Bayers Advantage Multi can be bathed 90 minutes after applying the medication. Pet Armour Plus recommends waiting 12 hours after administration before you give your dog a bath.
Keep in mind that if youre using a flea collar or an oral flea preventive, it doesnt matter when you bathe your dog. The wait time for a topical depends on how long it takes for the product to begin to do its work so it wont be disrupted by water. If youre unsure about the wait time for your dogs flea treatment and you must bathe your dog, call your vet or contact the manufacturer. When it is time to give your pup his bath, remember to use a mild shampoo formulated for dogs so his skin wont be stripped of its essential oils.