Small Black Bugs On Dog Not Fleas Or Ticks For Sale (2024 Update)

I was on frontline for years but when I thought I saw a couple fleas on my dogs in September 2020, I decided to make a switch to Advantage II for my cats and Advantix II for my dogs— BIGGEST mistake of my life (seriously, like over any horrible exes). I have $515.97 in receipts I submitted to the company (which was as horrible as the experience, which I will get to) and spent an additional $70 in store (in which I cannot find the receipt) since September 2020 to December. I followed every tip on the website and insert and my animals were still covered. I applied perfectly. I applied initially weekly, vacuum daily, steam cleaned, wash bedding constantly, etc. I don’t even have carpet but on the stairs and have treated the stairs and couches with Predcor. I even bought those flea traps with the sticky bottoms. I am not including any of this in that total I spent– that was all on the flea medications themselves for the 6 animals. I have saved some, not all, of the vials so on 11/13 I called Elanco. They denied my request for any type of refund. They questioned my exact dosage dates and frequency more than a doctor wants to know about your menstrual cycles but I took my best guesses, for all 6 animals although I did know what schedule they were on but didn't have it in front of me. Then they said that the product was probably not working because I bathed my dogs initially at the beginning 48 hours before application?? Their website TELLS you to bathe them before application (see 2nd screenshot posted)! I stopped bathing them after the 2nd application as it wasn't working and the dogs were miserable and only tried 2 cats (and really only 1 successfully because we all know how that goes). They then told me that I didn't give the product long enough?? Their website states (see 3rd screenshot) and is the same for Advantage II "K9 Advantix® II kills fleas within 12 hours. New fleas that jump on the dog from the surroundings, such as grass, carpet and pet bedding, are killed within 2 hours with protection against further infestation for at least 4 weeks." I tried their products, $600 worth on 6 animals, as scheduled, no missed doses for 4 months. I can’t blame it on just one animal or one batch—it didn’t work on 6, or one batch! I am very upset. Not only have I wasted money on these but I have bought corresponding products, sprays for the beddings, flea traps, etc. I FINALLY called Terminex and had to spend 12 hours clearing out under my beds, closets, getting everything off my floors, moving furniture etc. (time I will never get back) and getting my children and pets out of the house and went back to the brand that works: FRONTLINE! NO MORE FLEAS– what I should have done in the first place. I am so upset not by the fact that the product didn't work but by the way the company handled it, dodging any responsibility from blaming it on the baths they recommend to the length of time I gave it when they could have just refunded me and had someone that isn't going to not only post this review every place I bought it (not just here) but every other place that allows a review to include social media.Intelhottie

We bought Advantix liquid application anti-flea and tick treatment because it is effective, was less expensive and did not require a prescription. We had easily and successfully used liquid Advantix for years with our Plott hound mix. We now have a beagle. Beagle hair is different; it's thick, coarse, oily, kind of water proof and difficult to part in order to properly apply the liquid to the skin. Advantix is a very good product, but pet owners may want to assess their pet's coat to determine how the liquid application could be applied.Gary

My dog was getting ticks so I purchased this. I have used it in the past with great success when it had the Bayer logo on it . The one I received has the Elanco brand logo on it. I used 1 bottle and It was like I used nothing at all. Mind you I walk my dog and when he comes in the house I would find 2 or 3 live ticks walking on him. So I figured ok maybe it didnt work or I didnt wait long enough. After about 10 days of this I applied another bottle and again nothing. He still kept coming in the house with ticks every time. So I'm not sure exactly what's going on but the package I received appeared to be authentic. All serial numbers matched and packages were sealed well. Never had this happen before but definitely going back to Frontline Plus.kschoern

Neighbors are completely infested, and now we have them too. I have been trying my absolute best to make sure we don't end up like them. I used the hotshot fogger and was bitten the same night. So much effort cleaning and inconvenience for something that only seemed to kill my house flies. After reading I decided to get alpine wsg, but I needed some relief until it came in. Im always skeptical of Walmart pet products but after reading reviews I decided on the Adams fleas and tick. I sprayed my bed the couch (the dogs sleep on both) and my entire upstairs carpet. I haven't been bitten in 2 days. I know they'll be back and ive many more things to do, but this spray works. Their is a funky smell but it's not really that bad as suggested by reviews and I didn't notice it even 15 minutes after spraying. The product seems good but the bottle isnt. Spray isnt consistent, and it leaks a bit, I got it all over my hands. Might want to wear gloves if that's a thing you're worried about, but it definitely killed adult fleas same day. Would buy again, probably would put it in a better sprayer myself.

If you are already infested, the reality is there is no one step. Treat your animals your house and your yard same day, if you don't nothing will seem to work. Me personally I'd rather properly use what the exterminators use. I think alot of people write reviews same day. They'll be back. Keep your house clean, treat your pets with a 30 day option, treat every room in the house even if you think there's no activity and treat your yard too. Don't leave a stone unturned and when you think your problem is over, do it again. If that's too much for you, consider an actual exterminator. You'll just throw money away half hearting it.Timothy LeClair

If i could give this negative stars, I would. This stuff is awful. It's expensive, smells very strong of chemicals and doesn't kill any fleas. I lightly sprayed my furniture like the instructions said, waited for it to dry and my furniture smelled like nasty chemicals for days. It also left a greasy feel on my skin and clothing. Just an all around bad product. I'll never buy an Adam's product again. If you love your animals and children I wouldn't use this anywhere they will be. Find a different product.Amber

I have 2 indoor only cats and somehow became infested with fleas in my apartment. I tried home remedies to no avail and couldn't stand seeing them so uncomfortable. Today I bought flea foggers and Adams flea and tick spray, after applying the spray while on my white tile bathroom floor I saw them jumping off. So, having nothing better to do I say there watching them squirm and die for about five minutes when both cats, who rarely sleep together crawled into my lap purring and immediately fell asleep together. They got some much needed relief. I'm not sure how long it'll kill future fleas but I've bombed the house and will continue to apply the spray lightly until I don't see any activity. I think we'll all sleep well tonight and hopefully the problem is taken care of finally. I highly recommend this product. Make sure you thoroughly clean after bombing and applying and definitely change the litter and clean the box as fleas can live and repopulate in the dirty litter.Jason Cox

This works! Was a bit apprehensive at first because my dog had an allergic reactikn to some essential oils I was using in a diffuser. But no reaction to this and so far, seems to be keeping the bugs away.philly56

it does kill adult active fleas,but even at full strength and allowed to air dry after fully submerged for 1min, of course not the muzzle, there's no prevention at alllizcook

I’ve only used this once to dip both dogs, and the results are beyond amazing. Both bulldogs had some weird skin thing on their back. Not mange, not fleas, not food allergies … the vets couldn’t figure it out, but they were scratching and rubbing themselves bald and raw. TSC has always been my go to for all the animals, and Martins dip was recommended to me by the cashier. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, ordered online – and I’m blown away. Within 24 hours they stopped scratching. Within a week the hair was growing back. Ten days later, and the bald patches are almost gone and their skin is healed. I’m going to dip them once more next week, but this stuff works MIRACLES – no exaggeration.TheMizGinger

My poor baby got mange walking in my neighborhood. This product is easy to use. Doesn't leave any nasty smell on my pet. It's also very affordable and works.Kombat_Barbie

I just recently brought this product and my house was infested with fleas I tried everything to get rid of them all the natural things I could vacuuming , sprays, vinegar all that of which didn't work. I bought this as a last resort and I used it and I absolutely love this product it killed the fleas I found dead fleas on my carpet on my bed it was just absolutely wonderful. I love it I am now flea free I recommend this product!simplymee73

Black Flag is a name that has been around for decades. I was using to newer products and they did not work. This worked! I guess I should have trust the names and history it would have saved me a lot of time and moneyCatherineW

Weve had a recent battle with fleas and how ever many vet standard flea treatments we used they didnt work. we used several very strong toxic products for the house and they didnt seem to do anything apart from make us feel nauseous. Seemingly after a spraying of this stuff it all seemed to stop, the scratching, the headaches. I cant guarantee it was this product alone but if you are concerned Id give it a go, it has a nice citronella scent.caza26

I so wanted this product to work but don't waste your money. I followed the instructions & doused our dog's bedding etc. with this spray. The smell is not unpleasant but it is very, very strong and took days to be bearable. Anyway, a few days later, when we found an engorged tick on the dog (thanks, Frontline) we experimented by putting it in a plastic bag & spritzing the Tropiclean into the baggie. Hey, it says "guaranteed," so we wanted to find out. More than 36 hours later, the tick was still waving its legs. (We also bought the Tropiclean yard spray, and while it made the yard smell good, I expect no results from that, either.)MDanimalLover

I have a senior lab , a kitten of 4 months, a 6 month old cockatiel and a 7 month old Akita. This product just being sprayed on rugs took my Akita into liver failure within hours. Didn’t harm any of the other pets. But after a week she is just getting better. DO NOT use as directed be cautiousEdaReiley

Absolutely useless product. I am aware this is only useful for 24 hours. My dog enjoyed eating it as a treat but other than that it's useless! It did absolutely nothing in 24 hours if anything it seemed like it made it worse! All it seemed to do was irritate the fleas and make them bite more! Also another thing to note after taking this my dogs were extremely extremely thirsty like I've never seen before! Please beware and don't waste your money on this useless product like I did pay the extra 20 dollars and go buy a soresto collar.V

My poor boy. The fleas love him. I can give him a flea bath every day and he's still infested. After trying daily baths, over the counter remides treating my yard and topical treatments, nothing worked so I decided to try a oral treatment. I swear by this. After one treatment I would find fleas on my bed (he jumps up on my bed when I'm not looking because I didn't want to share his unwanted friends) my blanket was covered…. of dead or dying fleas. 1 TREATMENT people. Since I do have two big dogs I will be spending the money monthly. Works great and we'll worth it. And my dogs eat the treatment with no issues.Joanne McCullough

I wanted this to work so bad because my dog is highly allergic to fleas and shreds himself up even when he has the topical flea prevention. Even if a dog around him has fleas he breaks out (our neighbor dog has fleas so my poor pup get around them). I saw this and wanted to try to give him some relief to my itchy pooch. The first day, I saw 3 fleas on my dog and purposefully left them on there to see if it worked. I came back in an hour and they were still there. I figured since it says up to 4 hrs I would wait. Later in the day I checked him, fleas still there. So I thought may it took some time for his body to get accustomed to it. The next day same story, he went outside in the morning I checked him saw he has some fleas, gave him a pill checked him about an hour and a half later, fleas are still having a party. Let it set for the rest of the afternoon and checked him before dinner, still the fleas are alive and kicking. 3rd day same story. At this point I can see it isn’t working and I wasted the $25 it costs for it. At least I didn’t spend the $50 for the month. Look at the reviews and notice several of us back to back have rated it the same so obviously something is wrong here. Avoid and save your money and spend it on the more expensive one!Kate

I used this product this last season for my dog and he never got flees. I feel so much better using natural stuff than chemicals on him. It was very affordable. It has a very strong scent at first but the scent does lighten up after a day or two. I would recommend this to anyone with dogs.katrina .s

I am not someone who takes my dogs health lightly. I try to use natural products as much as possible. We had a tick outbreak and everything I tried did not work. I bought these drops for all the dogs. Put it on. Took about 3 days to completely soak into the coat but ticks have been unable to attach which is great. Over the last few days there have been less and less. These drops along with Diatomaceous Earth spread around the corners of the house and all the beds is doing the trick. I totally recommend this product!k9rotehexe1

I bought this product earlier this week. I read the instructions and made sure that my dog met the weight requirements for the product. It worked the first day. She stopped itching and biting. The smell was pungent but it was doable. I liked the fact that it was natural. The next day after application, my dog is back to itching and biting. It only provided temporary relief.Yae713

Let me begin by saying my dogs have never had fleas. Even when I would forget to apply flea treatment on time, they still would not have fleas. I decided to try this product, because it was more economical than others I'd used. This has proven to be a mistake. A few days ago, I noticed my dogs scratching, so I checked them, and they both had fleas. I applied this product, waited 48 hours as recommended online, bathed them with flea shampoo, and they both still have fleas. I am very disappointed.Mother of 2

We have a house of pets including cats and a dog along with carpeted bedrooms. This means during the Spring and Summer we have to clean and vacuum daily and keep on top of flea prevention otherwise it is a nightmare! Anyone with pets and carpets understands. Since we live in the South very few flea products actually work for our animals and I’m not sure why, but it has to do with the fleas and immune to so many products. I gave PetAction Plus for Cats and PetAction Plus for Dogs a try and kept my fingers crossed. When this arrived one of my cats was starting to scratch – whether flea related or just an itch I’m not sure, but with it being that time of the year I wasn’t taking any chances and immediately put a dose on her as directed by the packaging (on the skin between the shoulder blades). So far since putting it on I have not seen her scratch once. I also made sure to apply a dose to the other cats who were due for their flea prevention and the dog as well. Again, no scratching. While it’s still early in the season to see just how well the product really works, so far I’m seeing promising results. The prevention is easy to apply and there is no odor. The animals didn’t seem to mind it either. If things keep going well I will definitely use this brand for our pets again in the future.ClosetSamples

I have tried numerous flea and tick treatments and still would see a flea here and there. Living in a place where the weather is warm year round fleas are really bad. I was feeling like I was not going to find something that worked and was affordable. Specially since I have 4 dogs and 1 cat. I would feel so bad because my one Yorkie is allergic to flea bites and some of the products the fleas could still bite them. I even wrote a few companies asking about their product. One in particular wrote telling me that their product killed fleas but didn’t repel them. While doing some research I came upon Petaction plus. I thought why not try it and I was and still am pleasantly surprised. No fleas … not one. My little Roxi is so happy no more itching, no more discomfort. I am so pleased with this product. Not only does it work great but it’s affordable. I definitely can recommend this product. Works and saves money. What more can I ask for.Tina08

I have had no problems using "Adams flea & tick spot on" treatments on my dog for the last year. My dog is a large dog. He weighs 85 pounds. He has had no negative reactions to this product. My dog is mostly an 'indoor dog'. The amount of time he is exposed to ticks and fleas is very limited. My only dislike with the Adams is that it seems a bit 'greasy' and can be difficult to applyimg to his upper neck behind the shoulders. Some of the liquid seems his dense hair and maybe not enough to his skin, which could be a waste. I shall soon transfer to a less greasy brand. If your dog does not have such dense hair this should not be a problem. Just follow the instructions on the box.dadm

This flea and tick treatment is a great deal. Bio spot defense kills fleas, the methoprene in it also kills their eggs and larvae as well as ticks and mosquitoes. It's water resistant, so you don't have to worry about your pet being in the rain. The ingredients are similar to other products. The best part is the applicator. Open the applicator, stick an unopened tube in, and close it. It automatically snaps the tube open. Then to apply, you just place the tip on your pet, press the button and move to another spot, press again, and once more. Remove the tube and discard. You can then reuse the applicator with your future treatments. I got none on my hands and it applied the treatment deep within my dog's coat. Does it work? Well I haven't seen any fleas or ticks yet. The price is great so I will continue to use this throughout the summer and fall.ella.c

My dog seems to be doing fine with this product. When i first applied it, i had given him a bath just 2 hours prior. I found out that giving a bath 48-72 hours prior to application of a topical flea preventative is best instead of 1-2 hours because bathing a dog will naturally strip the skin and coat of oils, oils that are needed for the flea product to distribute itself around the body of the dog through the process of Translocation.Anyways the first time i applied the product i still saw fleas. I waited about 2 weeks after the first application and reapplied a 2nd one due to my concerns that bathing him right before i applied the 1st application made the product less effective. It seems to be working now. Great price (Especially on Amazon). The fact its not as waterproof as Frontline Plus kinda irks me, but i only bath my dog monthly anyways (Somehow he remains clean even though he's rolling out in the dirt everyday!) and he rarely gets wet so no bother to me.You should also take into account that after you've applied Bio Spot or any other flea preventative if your home is infested with fleas and ticks, then they will still end up on the dog, but eventually be killed. So if you do still notice fleas on your dog, make sure you treat your home and yard before you come to the conclusion that the topical preventative didn't work.vivian sdq613437.s

I have an approximately 12 pound maltipoo. He is very active and likes to roll outside. We had always used Soresto flea collars (approx. $50 for 6 months) and had bought 2 in a row that stopped working after about a week. I decided to try this collar for a lesser value and am SO pleased with the results!! Within minutes of putting it on my Bailey, 7 or 8 fleas rose to the surface of his fur like they were trying to escape (haha) and I have not seen any since then. It has been a while now and I still haven’t seen any. It says water resistant but I decided not to test it so I took it off for a bath and it was easy to take off and put back on. I will definitely be buying more of these in the future for all of my pets!sara615

I purchased one of these for each of my dogs. After about a month with the collars on, my dogs were covered with ticks. I pulled 23 ticks off of them. They weren't just small ticks, but ones that had been on for many days. I returned them and purchased flea and tick meds.lkp100

The Zodiac Flea & Tick Collar is the perfect all-purpose collar for my working “horse dog”. Since he patrols our farm and lives with the horses 24/7, we don’t leave a regular collar on him – too dangerous should it hang up on a fence, and too expensive if we use the quick-release type bra cause of the frequent need to replace it. The Zodiac collar is a great solution – he generally manages to keep it on until replacement time, and should he snag it, it slips off easily. It’s economical to replace, and does a good job of controlling fleas & ticks. Highly recommended!donmbrink

Got this product and used it the last 3 years with opossums bedding under the shed and causing flea outbreaks. The product worked for the first 2 years while having to do 2-3 applications but this year they seem to not be phased by this product. I guess it depends on your area if they are chemically resistant to certain pesticides like this and how many times you’ve used it before?Billy R

I have had a war with fleas every year starting early spring. Blackflag is on the front lines of that war. My basement is where they amass the worst and I've used foggers, diatomaceous earth and other sprays. Nothing works as fast or as effectively as blackflag products. My basement is about 1200sq feet and this bottle lasts me the full flea season.naamrew

As it is high flea season and I have 2 dogs who run around, this was super easy to apply to all along the walls of my living room rug and have peace of mind that no fleas were moving in with us! I sprayed under the couch cushions as well! No bites this season. Great brand!!Marie 942

My kitten had a bad experience with Zodiac Flea & tick. After the application she started acting strange. She wouldn't let me pet her and kept running away. I had to bathe her to get her to stop acting strange. I'm never using this product again.Alicia Sena

Normally I love Zodiac, but th flew collars like every other brand I've tried are junk. I bought both the small dog collar and large dog collar for our 2 dogs and they didn't help with the fleas at all.jacqueliine.m

Good Stuff. Works well for my three Jack Russels. Very reasonably priced if you can’t afford big bucks for Advantix and Frontline. Provides pups, one with a flea allergy and me relief from bad infestation. Bad infestation takes time to improve. Notice improved day to day itching relief on flea allergy pup and itching stops within 10-14 days. Pretty good stuff for the price. Be sure to retreat in 30 days for continued control.Christine

It was easy to use and the spray covered a large area. Three days counting and no ticks! I trust black flag products and the items arrived sooner than expected.Kristi

This works great on fleas and roaches in yard! We have tried many other products. Nothing worked this well! So easy to hook on hose and spray.Diana M

This product was bittersweet. My dog didn't like the spray, for obvious reasons. It was loud and freaked her out. I used this in unison with K9 Advantix and it worked well. The wipes were only a surface remedy and made it easier for me to protect her ears and around her face. The smell is pretty strong but it isn't unpleasant. Your dog will smell for a bit, but again not unpleasant. Just…not a normal smell lol. Again, it's more of a surface application. You can't really get to the skin with these wipes and that is usually where the fleas are.rebecca.m

I requested this to try because the fleas love my two Great Danes. I wanted to try something new. The wipes are gentle on their skin and around their eyes and they do help eliminate the fleas. The dogs like being wiped down with them and they have a nice smell. I do recommend these and will try to buy them againJudygma4

As far as flea and tick prevention goes, for me, the other styles just don't work for various reasons. My dog and cats won't take pills. The drops always leave a greasy spot between their shoulder blades. The collars make me itch when I'm petting them. Sprays freak them out, understandably. So these wipes are a game changer for my animals! It's a lot easier to pick them up and wipe them down before sending them on their backyard adventures. Highly recommend!Shawnissiwa

It's very distressing to find 3 happy engorged ticks on your dog 24 hours after treatment following all the requirements re: proper placement location on the dog, shaved the hair to make contact only on the skin, no water on the dog for 24 hours or at all after treatment. I was frankly, pretty shocked. This is an older small dog with arthritis. He is already in some pain and to find the ticks on him on top of this frankly really upset me. And they were not dead or dying. They were about to drop off likely after laying eggs on my dog. It used to work and now it does not–at all. I will require a refund.Dog Mom245

I breed Chihuahuas and I also foster cats/kittens. My Chihuahuas are litter box trained so they rarely get fleas because they dont spend a whole lot of time outside. Even when we go for walks, theyre in a dog stroller lol. Anyways… I fostered a litter of kittens that were found outside and covered in fleas. I gave them all dawn baths because they were too small for any flea medicine and my Chihuahuas ended up with fleas. I needed a product that was safe for pregnant/ nursing mama which frontline is. All my fellow breeders that I know also use this product on their dogs. Once I treated my dogs, I havent seen any fleas since!kala

Finally something that works consistently. After trying probably 10-15 brands of flea and tick stuff for my Dogs this is the company I come back to. Ive tried expensive stuff, Ive tried dirt cheap stuff. This works and works FAST. I actually have to put my dogs out if they have fleas on them at all. Within 30 minutes they are jumping off to get away and die. Weve had issues with super fleas here in northeast USA where the only thing Ive found to work is old fashion dawn dish soap and salt.Ive literally spread salt on all my floors so it looks like snow and left it sit over night then vacuum it up and then mop with dawn dish soap, everyday for over a week straight. This stuff not only took care of the fleas on the dogs and cats but the ones in the house would jump on the dogs would die to. Havent had an issue since.Corvet08

I could see the fleas falling off and dying it works quick. I didnt like that it kills the nits but they dont fall off so I had to bath my fur boy twice and will use it again to make sure they are all gone Great productRosemary

The first thing you notice is its faint but pleasant smell. The dog doesn't mind it when sprayed on its bedding nor when sprayed on her after her baths. Not sticky, doesn't appear to stain. Good stuff!fraly_3713

This is not like those cheapy dollar flea combs that don't even have handles which are so difficult to use and the bristles are usually made of plastic. This is a MUST for any pet owner out there. I'm usually too lazy to write reviews but I just had to because I thought all flea combs were the same but they aren't. This will make your life and your pet's life so much better since it's so easy to use due to the metal bristles which allow it to glide through your pets' fur with ease. It gets so much fleas and their dirt. Also, your pet gets to enjoy a little massage. It's so gross but it's a small sacrifice to deal with in order to improve quality of life. Get this!! It's a quality flea comb.Johana

The size of it is comfortable to hold and use, the quality of this comb is amazing! I tried many combs before, this one costs a little bit more but it works the best! It’s gentle on the cats, doesn’t hurt or scratch their skin. I really recommend using it.iHerb Customer

I am fostering rescued cats and also have a feral cat colony and its warm most of the year here, so fleas is a huge issue and I am trying to avoid using chemicals. I have been using a human lice comp for years and stumbled upon this comb accidentally. This is the real thing and I wish I had known about this years ago! The handle is super comfortable and lets you comb in different angles and reach all places. The density and the length of the tines is just right (for short fur) and it seems to be quite sturdy, I have been using it every day on many cats and so far it has been holding up.iHerb Customer

I have 2 65 lbs big dogs and I only use this spray whenever I take them out. Usually sprays 3 times on each side of their body and 2 sprays at the bottom. So far only found 1 tick on my shepherd's body in this summer. It does make their fur a little greasy but nothing can be better than natural ingredients. Highly recommended!iHerb Customer

This product has a unique texture that's more like a runny lotion. I believe it was formulated that way to make it longer lasting. The smell of lemongrass and rosemary is very nice, and my dog doesn't seem to mind it. However, I wouldn't recommend it for white dogs as it can stain fur. My mostly white pup had become yellow in places. Which is too bad. I was starting to become partial to this brand and their products. I can't comment on the effectiveness, since I had to stop using it due to the staining.iHerb Customer

This is interesting. The texture is like a gel spray and really sticks to the fur when dried down. I recommend taking a flea comb and combing it through your pets fur. I have taken my dog on some hikes in the forest and have found not one tick or flea on her! This actually does work if you are thorough with it. I would also recommend the flea shampoo from this brand and wash your dog about every two weeks during flea season.iHerb Customer