Two important concepts in this “how long after flea treatment can I bathe my dog?” issue are flea treatment and bathing.
Now, we won’t go into details of either concept because they are things we have properly exhausted. So, refer to this to understand how often to bathe your dog in general and this to understand everything about flea and tick treatment.
However, what we can say here is that bathing a dog is not something that needs to be done every day in the first place. So, it shouldn’t be that much of an issue to have to wait for some time after treating your dog for fleas to give them a bath.
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It Depends On The Flea Treatment
If you read the article we recommended on dog flea and tick control, you’d know that there are different kinds of flea treatments.
Generally, the oral kind doesn’t need any sort of waiting period because it doesn’t really have anything to do with the skin.
A good number of flea control collars are waterproof which means your dog can wear them when they have their bath. However, a 2-day waiting period is usually recommended to allow the treatment properly kick in.
Of course, you’ll have to pay attention to the instructions on the flea collar before you allow your dog wear it in water.
Now, there are a number of different topical treatments. Topical treatments are basically any treatment that will be applied to the skin and could include shampoos, powders and spot-on treatments.
It is pretty obvious that shampoos don’t need a waiting period. Especially considering that its effects are not expected to last longer than one day.
Spot-on creams are expected to last the longest for topical treatment (about one month) and so need a two-day waiting period before your dog has a bath.
Can I Touch My Dog During This Period?
Well generally, the treatment you give your dog shouldn’t have any effect on humans. So, after the 2-day waiting, you should be able to touch and cuddle with your dog without any adverse effects to either of you.
Now, whether or not you can touch them before this waiting period is over is dependent on the kind of treatment you use. So, you’ll have to get in touch with your vet to know whether there are restrictions as a result of the specific treatment.
Before The Treatment
While the question is “how long after flea treatment can I bathe my dog?”, you must be aware of the fact that a waiting period is also necessary before your dog gets administered the treatment.
The same two-day waiting period should do after a bath before you administer any flea treatment. Well, except the oral kind.
Combo Treatment
In a bid to get rid of fleas from our dogs, it is possible for us to want to try many things to make things faster and more effective. However, you want to be careful with mixing and matching.
Rule of thumb with these things is to stick with just one treatment method. Trying to combine a lot of different things might not make things more effective. It could actually make things dangerous.
Your Veterinarian Is Your Friend
The person in the best place to answer this “how long after flea treatment can I bathe my dog?” question is your vet.
Whatever you do with your dog, your veterinarian must always be in the loop. Talk to them if your dog has a flea infestation and they should walk you through what will be most effective and how long it needs to be before you can give your dog a bath.
