This is a specific conversation about Flea and tick prevention — what works — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Shared gardens in dense terraced housing are actually higher risk than most people assume — urban foxes, hedgehogs, and neighbouring cats move through those spaces constantly and drop fleas everywhere. The right prevention depends on your dog's size and weight, local tick exposure, and whether you prefer a spot-on, collar, or oral chew — and some widely sold products are genuinely much weaker than others. So: what breed and size is your dog, are you in an area with ticks as well as fleas, and do you have a preference for how you treat them?
She's a 2-year-old Boston Terrier, about 9kg. We're in inner-city Manchester so I don't think ticks are a massive issue, but fleas definitely are — the shared garden gets used by loads of other dogs and I know at least one neighbour had a flea problem last year. I'd prefer something oral if possible, easier than spot-ons with her coat.
inparticular.ai
That's a very clear picture — and oral is absolutely the right call for a Boston Terrier. Short coats make spot-ons less reliable because there's less skin surface area for the product to distribute, and with a shared garden that's a known flea source you want fast-acting, consistent cover. What's her current flea situation — is she on anything at the moment, or starting from scratch?
Starting from scratch. She's never had fleas as far as I know, but I want to get ahead of it properly going into spring.
inparticular.ai
Good timing — spring is exactly when flea populations spike. For a 9kg Boston Terrier in a high-exposure shared garden situation, I'd go with NexGard (afoxolaner) chewable tablets. It's a monthly oral treatment that kills fleas within 8 hours of them landing on the dog and covers ticks too, which is worth having even in the city because urban parks and green corridors do carry them. It's prescription-only in the UK, so you'll need a vet consultation — but that's a straightforward online vet visit and means you know the dose is right for her weight. It's significantly more effective than over-the-counter oral options like Bob Martin, which are largely ineffective. NexGard is the product I'd point you to without hesitation for this setup.
Does prescription mean I have to go into a vet in person, or can I sort it online?
inparticular.ai
You can do it entirely online. Services like PetDrugs Online or VetUK issue prescriptions after a short questionnaire about your dog's health and weight — no in-person visit needed if she's otherwise healthy and up to date with her annual check. Once you have the prescription, NexGard is widely available and you give it monthly with or without food. Given the shared garden situation, I'd also recommend telling your vet to note it in her records so it's part of her routine — it's the kind of thing that's easy to forget to renew.
That's really helpful, thanks. One more thing — do I need to treat the house too, or is keeping her on NexGard enough?
inparticular.ai
Honestly, if she's never had fleas and you're starting treatment before any infestation, keeping her consistently on NexGard should be enough — any flea that jumps on her dies before it can lay eggs in your home. But because you have a shared garden with known flea history next door, I'd do one precautionary spray of the house with an IGR (insect growth regulator) household spray like Indorex when you start her treatment. Indorex kills flea larvae and eggs in carpets and soft furnishings for up to 12 months. One can, one afternoon, and then you're genuinely protected from both ends. After that, NexGard monthly is your ongoing job done.
