Flea plan for Clumber Spaniel and new puppy

A senior Clumber Spaniel and a new puppy in the same house — that's a situation where getting the flea plan right from day one really matters, because puppies can bring fleas in and an established infestation is much harder to clear than preventing one. The most effective prevention depends on each dog's weight, whether you're in a high-tick area, and whether you want a monthly oral treatment or a spot-on. Some widely sold products are genuinely poor at tick control, so it's worth being specific. To point you toward the right products: how much does your Clumber weigh, how old and how big is the puppy expected to get, and are you in a rural or semi-rural area with tick exposure?

Good — that's really helpful. Surrey Hills is high tick-risk so you need something that actually kills ticks reliably, not just repels them. Before I recommend, one quick question: has your vet confirmed the puppy is healthy and up to the minimum weight for flea treatment? Most oral products require the puppy to be at least 2kg and 8 weeks old — your Miniature Dachshund at 8 weeks may be right on the edge. Do you know the puppy's current weight?

At 1.8kg she's just under the threshold for most oral treatments, so hold off on medicating her until your vet confirms she's hit 2kg — which at 8 weeks on a Dachshund should happen within a week or two. In the meantime, a fine-toothed flea comb daily and keeping her away from long grass is your best interim option. For your Clumber right now, and for the puppy once she's cleared for treatment, I'd recommend NexGard Spectra. It's a monthly chewable that covers fleas, ticks, lungworm, and roundworm in one tablet — which matters for a 9-year-old dog in tick country. For your Clumber you'd use the large dog version (15–30kg is one band, 30–60kg is the next — at 32kg she's in the 30–60kg range). For the puppy once she's ready, there's a version for dogs 2–3.5kg. It's prescription-only in the UK, so your vet visit next week is the right moment to get both dogs sorted at once. Ask specifically for NexGard Spectra by name — it's the most complete single-product cover available and works well in multi-dog households because there's no transfer risk between dogs unlike spot-ons.

It's a fair concern, but NexGard Spectra has a strong safety record in healthy senior dogs. The active ingredients — afoxolaner for fleas and ticks, milbemycin oxime for worms — are well tolerated and there's no dose adjustment needed purely for age. The main thing your vet will want to confirm is that she doesn't have a history of seizures, as with all isoxazoline-class treatments there's a small reported risk in dogs with a seizure history. If she's seizure-free and generally healthy, it's a very appropriate choice. Your vet will confirm this at the visit, but there's no reason a fit 9-year-old Clumber should be treated differently to a younger dog on this product.

Exactly that. One vet visit, both dogs sorted, one product for both — just different weight bands. Keep the puppy off long grass until she's had her first dose, do daily tick checks on your Clumber in the meantime, and once both are on NexGard Spectra monthly you've got a solid, complete cover for a high-risk area. You're going into this the right way.