Dog owners often face the problem of fleas and other parasites which can cause discomfort to their pets and lead to serious health conditions. Veterinary professionals typically recommend prescription-based solutions to dog owners in order to treat their pets’ parasitic infestation problem. While some pet owners prefer to purchase over-the-counter (OTC) treatment solutions, there are some reasons why prescription flea medications are a better choice for dogs.

1. Greater control over ingredients
The active ingredients in any treatment play a significant role in its effectiveness and longevity. Generally, OTC-based solutions to resolve the flea problem in dogs come with several active ingredients, many of which could potentially be harmful to one’s beloved canine. The degree of control the pet owner and their healthcare professional have over the ingredients is fairly limited. On the other hand, prescription-based treatments are well-regulated and controlled. This directly means that over or under-dosing is not possible when a doctor prescribes a set of treatments to manage infestations in dogs.

2. OTC solutions are only partially useful
Prescription-based flea and tick prevention cover every aspect of treatment in order to kill the parasites festering in a dog’s bloodstream or skin. Essentially, prescription-based treatment is much more rounded and extensive in its effectiveness than OTC solutions. Over-the-counter treatment options may brilliantly deal with one aspect, say fleas or ticks on a dog’s skin (and not the ones festering internally), while not covering the other aspects as effectively. Due to this, dog owners will end up purchasing many more treatment solutions OTC to fight certain health conditions than they would have if they had purchased prescription-driven solutions.

3. OTC solutions tend to be topical
Many fleas and other parasites can have an adverse effect on the health of dogs and cats throughout the year. However, many OTC solutions only work for seasonal parasites and not for the whole year. Veterinary experts recommend that dog owners give their pets medicines that will be effective perennially, regardless of the climate outside. Apart from topicality, OTC solutions also only tend to work on parasitic adults. This means that they kill all the adult fleas in and around a dog’s body but leave the children and eggs of the parasites intact. In the future, these eggs and children may grow up to cause further complications for the dog’s health. On the other hand, prescription-based solutions and treatments work in a holistic and all-encompassing manner. They eliminate entire populations of insects and eggs from a dog’s body, leading to significant improvements in their health.

4. Prescription-based solutions use more potent/effective ingredients
Healthcare professionals recommend certain treatments because they know their power and effectiveness. The solutions an expert recommends contain much more potent ingredients and constituent components than those in OTC solutions. For this reason, dog owners should always opt for the former and not the latter.

5. OTC solutions may contain dated constituent components
One of the risks associated with OTC treatments for dogs is the possibility of side effects. Because an expert does not prescribe these treatment options, dog owners might not be completely aware of the ingredients and components present in them. Some of these ingredients may cause allergies and other serious health issues in dogs.

Due to these reasons, prescription-based treatments are more trustworthy than other options for dogs.