How To Choose The Best Flea Shampoo For Dogs
Fleas are such a nuisance to deal with. I hate to see my dog constantly scratching and crying out in pain. That is why today we will discuss how to choose the best flea shampoo for dogs.
Focusing simply on the flea aspect of these shampoos would be a waste though. If you can get multiple benefits from your shampoo, you should. Your dog also may find themselves dealing with more than just fleas.
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For that reason, we will go over dog shampoo altogether. The main focus will be on flea shampoo, however. Let’s get started by discussing how flea shampoo works.
How Does Flea Shampoo Work?

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Flea shampoo uses different medicines and oils that work to not only clean your pet’s coat but also kill fleas. It is also helpful with keeping fleas away. Choosing a high-quality flea shampoo will kill the adult flea that is causing your dog discomfort.
It is important to continue to use flea shampoo on a regular basis. This way, you can prevent fleas from coming back. Other than its medical benefits, flea shampoo works similar to regular dog shampoo.
Difference Between Shampoo and Conditioner
Some Shampoos work both as a shampoo and a conditioner. For certain people, you might want to invest in these two-in-one-shampoos. For that reason, knowing the difference between shampoo and conditioner is important.
First off, you should know that overly using conditioner is not a good thing. Conditioner is used to bring back moisture to dry hair. Most of the conditioner mixed shampoo is safe to use often though.
Shampoo is like the soap for hair. Its only purpose is to clean and make your hair smell better. Now that you know the difference between the two, you can decide if you need your dog’s shampoo to have conditioner in it or not.
How to Give Your Dog a Good Bath for Best Results

To ensure the best results when using flea shampoo, you should be thorough with your bath. Start at the head and behind the ears and try to focus on any areas your dog excessively is scratching. Work your way down to the tail and let the shampoo sit for around five minutes.
It is also important to understand that every dog is different. Some shampoo works well with one dog, and might not work well for another. Don’t be discouraged, however!
If you do a good job of cleaning your dog with any flea shampoo, you should be all right. It all boils down to personal preference. This is based off shampoo smell and the results you experience.
If you need more guidance, here is a good video guide on how to properly clean your dog:
Why You Should Be Using Flea Shampoo
Fleas can be very hard to deal with. Not using flea shampoo when you bathe your dog can lead to a series of problems.
If untreated, fleas will only spread and become worse. If you have multiple animals in your home, you can expect to be looking at an epidemic. Once fleas have infested your home and your dogs, they can be difficult to get rid of.
Other than reproducing quickly, fleas also cause a lot of troubles for your dog and their health. Excessive scratching is only one symptom of exposure to fleas. This can lead to infection and other skin related issues.
In the end, if you truly love your dog, you should be using flea shampoo. Keeping them clean and flea-free will make you both happy.
What About Shampoo with Additional Health Benefits?
Some shampoo also comes with other medical ingredients. For instance, if your dog has a lot of allergies, shampoo can easily remedy this. Most shampoo with these additional benefits also includes flea removal.
Alongside that extra benefit, some even help reduce shedding. If you have a dog who sheds a lot, then you will want to look for a shampoo that offers this. Be careful as using some shampoo can cause an allergic reaction in your dog.
Choosing the Right Flea Shampoo for You and Your Dog
Many different factors can play into whether you choose to purchase a certain dog shampoo. Let’s discuss them.
Scent
Dog shampoo is soap, so of course, you will want to keep scent in mind. Some dog shampoo lasts for multiple weeks. Others only last a few days, which means you will need to give your dog a bath every few days.
The strength of the scent differs for each shampoo. Some shampoo has a smell that is like perfume. If you are sensitive to smells, you will want to avoid these types of shampoo.
Bubbles
We all love bubbles in our baths. Thus, you should consider how well your shampoo lathers. More suds typically are a good thing.
You want to be purchasing a shampoo that focuses on helping your dog. The more bubbles you have, the less amount of liquid shampoo you must use. This will make your bottle last longer and keep you bathing your dog longer.
Allergies & Skin Conditions
Excessive scratching can come from anything. That is why it is important to understand why your dog is scratching. Sometimes, it can be fleas.
Other times, your dog may be scratching due to fleas and a skin condition. In this case, flea shampoo can help, but you might want to invest in something stronger. Below we discuss a few shampoo that offers more than flea control.
Top 5 Best Flea Shampoo For Dogs
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Choose a Shampoo That Suits Your Needs
Now that you have a little more information on the different types of shampoo on the market, let’s discuss which is best for you. Going back to the different features to look for in a dog shampoo, we should be able to make a valid choice.
Starting with OxGord’s shampoo, I believe that you should only consider it if you need a shampoo and conditioner mix. You can always buy the two separate, but this way you can save some money. It contains sulfates however that are not natural and may cause issues for you and your dog.
If you are sensitive to smells, you should stay away from Wahl’s shampoo. It is a very good shampoo that also has a little shed control to it. However, it has a perfume smell to it that some may not be able to deal with.
Is your dog suffering from any serious skin conditions? You should definitely look into getting something a bit strong than other flea shampoo. That is why we added SynergyLab’s Clinical Care Shampoo.
Although not very good against certain chronic skin conditions, it works well for seborrhea. It helps with a number of skin issues your dog may run into. If you have time to give your dog a bath every 2 to 3 days, then you should go with SynergyLab’s shampoo.
The Best Flea Shampoo for Dogs (From Our List)
The best and most versatile shampoo on our list today though is Earthbath’s All-Natural shampoo. Other shampoo offers a longer lasting scent, but with multiple scent options, you can choose exactly the smell you want for your dog. It does a wonderful job of keeping your dog’s coat clean and healthy while also providing lathering well.
To end, always remember that each shampoo works differently for each dog. If you find a shampoo not working as intended for your issue, do not worry, it happens. After choosing a shampoo on our list though, expect the fleas to be gone for sure!