How safe are flea treatments for very small dogs--3lbs or under?

Question

A have a friend who bought a tiny poodle-chihuahua mix 2 weeks ago. I dont feel she is a very responsible pet owner (seeing as how she still hasnt taken the pup to a vet). Now she has bought some flea medications for her pup, who must weigh around 2lbs or less. How safe is this? Im worried about her dogs health. Although I cant force her to be more responsible, maybe if I present her with some sound information she might behave better (my friend I mean)...which would help her dog in the end. Thanks for your suggestions and info!

Answer 1

it'll keep the dog from of fleas and is very healthy as long as you check the label. there are treatments made for tiny dogs, and they go by weight so check what it says on the medicine. Too much can irritate skin, be bad for the puppy, etc, but that's only if you use the treatment made for bigger dogs.

Answer 2

Honestly, I think it will be fine. I had to use a full strength cat flea and tick spray on a five week old kitten. There is no safe treatment for kitties that small, but if I didn't get rid of the fleas, she would have died from anemia (they were that bad!). She pulled through, just fine.
They have flea and tick remedies for small dogs, that are just as safe as the products for bigger dogs. They are just in smaller, weight-appropriate dosages.
Heartworm is epidemic in many parts of the country, and the preventative is only available through the vet. Just tell your friend that information, and she should take her puppy to the vet to get on preventative. Heartworm can readily kill such a small dog. She should also get checked by the vet, for intestinal worms.

Answer 3

It depends on what your friend purchased, hartz products are very, very, very BAD!
Frontline and Advantage are the safest flea products that I know of. It mainly depends on the age of the animal, but I have used Frontline and Advantage on young pups, as young as 8wks, and Frontline has a great spray that I have used on young pups/kittens as young as 2wks. These products are usually only found at your vet....and are a little expensive- but worthwhile b/c they work so well.
Another product that works ok, and is usually ok for young pups/kittens is adam's flea spray- just the spray- I've used it on orphaned kittens (1wk) with a vet's consent. But this product will not keep the fleas off, it's just a contact killer. I hope this helps.