Best topical flea treatment for Basset Hounds

Switching from an oral tablet to a topical is a straightforward move, but with a Basset Hound there's one thing worth flagging upfront — their loose, heavy skin and low body shape means tick exposure is higher than average, so you want a topical that actually repels as well as kills. Before I point you to the best option, a couple of quick questions: how heavy is your dog roughly, and are you in an area with regular tick activity — countryside, woodland walks, that sort of thing?

That's exactly the right instinct, and it changes the recommendation significantly. Standard Frontline Plus kills fleas and ticks but doesn't repel — for woodland walks with a dog that's basically dragging his belly through undergrowth, you want something with a repellent action. Is he currently on any prescription product, or was the oral tablet an over-the-counter one like Bob Martin or Dronspot?

Good — that means he's had solid protection and your vet's already signed off on the change. For a 28kg Basset Hound doing regular woodland walks, I'd go with Frontline Tri-Act. It's the one I'd recommend here for a few clear reasons: it contains both fipronil and permethrin, so it kills fleas and ticks but also actively repels them before they attach — which is the gap NexGard leaves, since that only kills after a bite. It covers dogs 20–40kg so he fits squarely in the right band. Apply it to the back of the neck where he can't reach, and it lasts four weeks. One thing to be aware of: permethrin is toxic to cats, so if you have cats in the house, keep them separated for 24–48 hours after application until it's fully dry.

Advantix is a fair comparison — it also contains permethrin and has repellent action, and it's a solid product. For most dogs they're roughly equivalent. The reason I lean toward Frontline Tri-Act for your situation is that it tends to be easier to source in the correct weight band on Amazon UK and is typically a few pounds cheaper per dose. If Tri-Act is out of stock when you look, Advantix for large dogs is a perfectly good backup — same mechanism, same precautions around cats.

Yes, it's worth timing it right. NexGard lasts 30 days, so apply the Frontline Tri-Act when the next dose would have been due — don't overlap them. You don't need to wait any longer than that; once the month is up, you can apply the topical and you're good to go. If you're mid-cycle and concerned about a gap, your vet can advise on the exact days, but typically the switchover is clean at the 30-day mark.