How often should you treat your pet for fleas, ticks, worms and other parasites? UK treatment frequency guide by product type and lifestyle.
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⚠️ Never use dog flea products on cats. Many dog spot-on treatments contain permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats and can be fatal. Always check the label and consult your vet if unsure.
🐛 Flea Control — Dogs
Prescription spot-on (Advocate, Stronghold)
Every 4 weeks
Also controls mange, lice, some worms. Most comprehensive option.
Worm every 2 weeks until 3 months old, then monthly until 6 months. Passed from mother via milk.
🦟 Tick Prevention
UK ticks are active April–November (peak May–June and August–October). They transmit Lyme disease, babesiosis and other serious illnesses. Prevention: prescription spot-ons (Frontline sometimes effective), oral chews (Bravecto, NexGard, Simparica), or tick collars (Seresto). Always remove ticks with a proper tick hook — never squeeze, burn, or use Vaseline. Check pets after walks in heathland, woodland and long grass.
🏠 Treating Your Home
95% of fleas live in the environment (carpet, soft furnishings, bedding), not on your pet. If your pet has fleas, treat your home simultaneously. Use a household flea spray containing permethrin + IGR (insect growth regulator). Wash all bedding at 60°C. Vacuum thoroughly and dispose of the bag. A single untreated infestation can take 3–6 months to clear without home treatment.
Treat your home alongside your pet. Indorex household flea spray is vet-recommended — it kills adult fleas and prevents egg hatching for 12 months.
Fleas cause itching and skin disease, transmit tapeworms, and can cause severe anaemia in small or young animals. Ticks transmit Lyme disease (Borrelia), which can cause serious joint, neurological and cardiac disease in both pets and humans. Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum) is potentially fatal in dogs and is increasingly prevalent across England and Wales — it's not covered by standard wormers.
Prescription-strength products from your vet are generally more effective than over-the-counter alternatives, particularly in areas where flea resistance to older products (like Frontline) has developed. If OTC products aren't working, discuss alternatives with your vet.
Ideally yes, even for fully indoor cats — humans and other pets can bring fleas in on clothing or fur. However, the risk is lower than for outdoor cats. Discuss with your vet: many recommend quarterly treatment for indoor-only cats vs monthly for outdoor cats. If you have dogs or other animals that go outside, treat all pets together.
Yes — centrally heated UK homes maintain temperatures warm enough for flea lifecycle year-round. Fleas in carpets and soft furnishings can remain dormant as pupae for months before hatching when conditions are right. Year-round treatment is recommended for most UK pets. Seasonal treatment risks a winter infestation from dormant pupae hatching in your warm home.