since its its almost summer and am a new dog owner i have been wondering about the fleas and ticks issues. ive posted a topic up b4 but it was for a flea n ticks repellent. so i was wondering i bought a small bottle of soap the brand is top paws from petsmart it says kills fleas n ticks but does that really work? and i heard that dawn dish soap also get rid of fleas is that true? and which soap would u recommend for getting rid of fleas n ticks just in case my dog get it?

i would not use Dawn dish soap on a dog - it will really strip the oils from his fur. Best flea prevention is one of the topical spot-ons - I use Revolution, is prescription (and one of the more expensive brands but it protects against heartworm, ear mites, fleas, mange (I use this one specifically because it protects from sarcoptic mange - we have large fox population, mange remains in soil forever, I've had fox babies born in my foundation, fox died in my compost pile etc). Check with your vet for which one is recommended in your area. Ticks are a different story - supposedly some of the spot on tx are protective against ticks but in my limited experience, not very expensive. I use preventix collar.

Other people on the forum have good ideas, also.

Dawn does kill fleas but I wouldn't particularly use it unless there was already an infestation.

I wouldn't say that topicals are the "best flea prevention" (quoting Amy here). There is no one "best" product but depending on what you are comparing, some things are better than others. I, for one, have used Revolution in the past and hated it, my dog still got fleas on it so what works for some may not necessarily work for others...that applies to almost everything in life though.

The show breeder that Prince comes from actually uses the Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap for her dogs once a month. Not for fleas but because she really likes the results she gets with her dogs' coats. She specializes in the long coat Chihuahua. She recommended what she uses to me but I prefer to use my own thing that I have used for my other dogs in the past. Although, anecdotally, I find that if my dog has a flea or two that any dog shampoo really scrubbed in and left on for a few minutes will kill fleas.

Prevention is the best medicine. But if your dog does end up with fleas I always recommend a bath in Dawn dish soap since most people have it on hand already. I would also pair it up with a dose of Capstar and maybe even use a 50/50 mix of vinegar/water on the dog to repel fleas. DE can also be paired up with that as well as essential oils. And lets not forget that the house/furniture would need to be thoroughly vacuumed, vacuum contents sealed and disposed of, and all bedding (human and dog) washed and dried to remove every last trace of fleas, flea dirt, flea eggs, larvae, etc.

We use oils as Val suggests, spread DE outside, and keep comfortis on hand should we need it.

thx u for the reply I will give him a bath this weekend so I just wanted a heads up and where can I get essential oils? I don't c one near me but I do have a Walmart target and Walgreen near do they sell it?