Flea treatment for Chow Chows with thick coats

Chow Chows are one of the trickiest breeds for spot-on treatments — that double coat is so dense that even when you part the fur carefully, the liquid often never reaches the skin where it needs to absorb. Before we get to the solution, it's worth knowing that treating fleas effectively means tackling both your dog AND your home — roughly 95% of fleas live in carpets, bedding and soft furnishings, not on the dog itself, so a single product rarely sorts the whole problem. Can you tell me how bad the infestation looks right now, and have you treated the home at all yet?

Three weeks of scratching with two failed spot-ons tells me the coat really is the barrier here — this is a very common problem with Chows. The good news is there's a straightforward fix: switching to an oral treatment completely bypasses the coat issue. Before I suggest the right product, just one more thing — is he otherwise healthy and on any regular medications? And roughly how much does he weigh? Chows typically sit between 20 and 32 kg, but I want to make sure we get the right dose.

Perfect — at 28 kg and in good health, he's an ideal candidate for Bravecto oral chew for dogs. It's a single chewable tablet that kills fleas within 8 hours and keeps working for 12 weeks. Because it works through the bloodstream, his coat is completely irrelevant — it doesn't matter how thick or dense it is. You'd need the 20–40 kg size for him. It's a prescription product in the UK, so you'll need a vet sign-off, but many online vets can issue that same day. I'd strongly recommend getting that sorted this week given how long he's been uncomfortable.

Really important question — and the reason so many flea treatments feel like they're not working is that people treat the dog but leave the house untouched. You need a household flea spray that contains an IGR — an insect growth regulator — which stops flea eggs and larvae developing. Indorex Defence Household Flea Spray is the one I'd point you to: it treats up to 50 square metres per can, kills adults on contact and the IGR protection lasts up to 12 months. Spray all carpets, soft furnishings, and the base of skirting boards, then vacuum thoroughly 24 hours later. Wash his bedding at 60°C the same day you spray. Do that alongside starting Bravecto and you'll have both fronts covered properly.

Most people don't — it's one of those things that's rarely explained clearly on product packaging. To summarise: get Bravecto oral chew (20–40 kg) via an online vet prescription, and pick up Indorex spray for the home. Do both at the same time for best results. The scratching should ease off within a day or two of him taking the Bravecto, and you should see the wider infestation under control within two to three weeks. If he's still scratching after that, it's worth checking in with your vet in case there's a secondary skin irritation from all the biting.