Flea prevention for Bichons with hot spots

A Bichon prone to hot spots needs flea prevention that does its job without adding anything to the skin — spot-ons and some collars can trigger or worsen those flare-ups, so treatment type really matters here. The most effective prevention depends on the dog's size and weight, your local tick risk, and whether you want a spot-on, collar, or oral treatment — and some widely sold products are significantly less effective than others. To point you in the right direction: how much does your Bichon weigh, are you in an area with ticks as well as fleas, and has your vet flagged any ingredients to avoid?

That's really helpful. With reactive skin and regular woodland walks, an oral treatment is the cleanest option — nothing touches the skin at all, so there's no risk of a local reaction triggering a hot spot. For a 5.5kg dog covering both fleas and ticks, I'd look at Bravecto chews. One chew covers fleas for 12 weeks and ticks for 12 weeks too, depending on species. It's prescription-only in the UK, so you'll need your vet to prescribe it — but given she's already a patient and the vet knows her skin, that should be straightforward. Has she had any oral flea treatments before, or would this be the first time?

That's understandable — when a flare happens around the same time as a treatment, it's hard not to wonder. The honest answer is that NexGard and Bravecto work similarly (both are isoxazolines), but the evidence linking them to skin flares is very limited, and hot spots in Bichons are usually triggered by moisture, grooming habits, or allergens rather than oral flea treatments. Your vet's instinct was probably right. That said, if you want an alternative that works differently altogether, Seresto collar is very effective and long-lasting — but given her reactive skin, I'd actually stick with the oral route and go back to Bravecto rather than introducing something topical. The 12-week dosing also means fewer interventions, which suits a sensitive dog well. Worth a quick call to your vet to get the prescription — they can often do it without a full appointment if she's been seen recently.

Yes — once you have the prescription, you can order Bravecto through licensed UK online vet pharmacies like VetUK, Animed Direct, or PetDrugs Online, and it's often cheaper than buying direct from the practice. You'll upload or post the prescription and they'll dispatch it. The small dog size (2–4.5kg or 4.5–10kg depending on the pack) covers her at 5.5kg in the medium band. Double-check the weight band when ordering and give it with food — it's absorbed better and reduces any chance of stomach upset.

Good plan. One last thing worth mentioning: hot spots in Bichons are often linked to moisture trapped in the coat after walks or bathing — keeping the fur around common spots (neck, tail base, behind ears) clipped short and thoroughly dried can make a real difference alongside the flea prevention. Good luck with her.