Flea treatment not working on rescue dog

An active infestation that isn't responding to treatment is really common with rescues — you often have no idea what they've been given before, or whether it was dosed correctly, and some over-the-counter products have such poor efficacy now that they're essentially useless. The most effective prevention depends on your dog's 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: what does your Poodle mix weigh, are you in an area with high tick activity, and do you have any preference between a tablet, spot-on, or collar?

That makes complete sense. Supermarket spot-ons — anything without a prescription-strength active ingredient — have very patchy efficacy, especially for active infestations. Given that she's already got fleas and you're in a high-tick area with regular countryside walks, I'd move her straight to an oral treatment. Can I ask: is she generally healthy, and do you have a vet you see regularly? Bravecto is the product I'd recommend, but it does require a vet prescription in the UK, so I want to make sure that's a realistic option for you.

Perfect — that makes this straightforward. Give your vet a quick call and ask for Bravecto oral chew for an 8kg dog. It's a single chewable tablet that covers fleas and ticks for 12 weeks, and it starts killing fleas within 2 hours, which is what you need when there's an active infestation. The active ingredient is fluralaner, which works differently from the pyrethroids in most spot-ons — resistance isn't the issue it is with those older products. For an 8kg Poodle mix you'd use the small dog dose (2–4.5kg up to 10kg range). Most vets will issue a prescription over the phone for an established patient, and you can pick it up from a vet pharmacy. One important thing: you'll also need to treat your home — wash her bedding at 60°C and use a household flea spray like Indorex on carpets and soft furnishings, because the fleas in the environment will keep reinfesting her otherwise.

It's a fair question. Bravecto is generally well-tolerated in older dogs, and there's no specific age contraindication — it's licensed for use in dogs over 8 weeks and 2kg. The main thing to flag to your vet is if she has any history of seizures, since there's a rare reported association between isoxazoline-class treatments (which Bravecto belongs to) and neurological side effects in dogs with a pre-existing seizure history. Since she's a rescue with unknown history, just mention that when you call. Your vet cleared her as healthy last week, which is a good sign, and they'll be able to make the final call. For the vast majority of dogs, including seniors, it's a very safe and effective option.

You're very welcome. To recap: Bravecto oral chew via your vet for the 8kg dose, Indorex for the house (pay particular attention to skirting boards, under furniture, and anywhere she sleeps), and wash all bedding at 60°C. The home treatment is genuinely important — without it, even the best product on her will keep getting challenged by eggs and larvae in the carpet. You should see a big improvement within a few days once she's dosed. Good luck with her — rescue dogs with unknown histories take a bit of detective work, but it sounds like she's in good hands.