Spot-On or Tablet for Dogs: Which Is Better?

Spot-on vs tablet: the quick comparison

Times are from the product labels. Always follow the pack for your dog's weight.

How a spot-on works

A spot-on is a small tube of liquid that you squeeze onto the skin at the back of the neck. Many spot-ons, including Richpet's monthly spot-on, use fipronil. It spreads through the oils of the skin and collects in the oil glands of the skin, which act as a store over the month.

Ticks and fleas die through contact, so the parasite doesn't need to bite. On the Richpet Monthly Tick & Flea Spot-On label, fleas die within 12 to 18 hours and ticks within 24 to 48 hours, with 30 days of protection.

To work well, a spot-on must go on clean, dry skin, not on the fur, and it needs a couple of dry days to spread.

How a tick and flea tablet works

A tick and flea tablet is a flavoured chew your dog eats. Long-lasting chews such as Furtick use fluralaner, which moves into the blood. When a tick or flea bites, it takes in the active and dies.

On the fluralaner label, fleas are killed within 8 hours of attaching and ticks within 12 hours, and one chew protects for up to 12 weeks. In a lab study, the chew began killing fleas within 2 hours and reached over 99% at 8 hours.

Because the parasite has to bite, you may still see a few ticks or fleas on your dog. They die soon after.

Which is better for ticks in India?

Ticks are the bigger worry for most Indian dogs, because they spread tick fever. Ehrlichia, a main cause of tick fever, can pass from the brown dog tick to a dog within about 3 hours of the tick attaching. So the real question is which product you can keep going with no gaps.

A large field study in Europe compared one fluralaner chew with three monthly fipronil spot-ons. Both controlled ticks well, with tick reductions of 99.7 to 100% for the chew and 93.8 to 100% for the spot-on. The study was run by the chew's maker, so read it with that in mind.

One thing to check on any chew: the European fluralaner label gives 8 weeks of protection against the brown dog tick, India's main dog tick, and 12 weeks against other ticks and fleas. Check the pack, and ask your vet when to give the next dose if your area has heavy ticks.

Which is better for fleas?

In the same field study, the chew reduced fleas by 99.8% at 4 weeks against 93.0% for the spot-on, and by 99.9% against 97.3% at 12 weeks. Dogs with flea allergy itching also improved more often on the chew.

Whichever you choose, fleas need a home clean-up too. See our full guide on how to get rid of fleas on dogs.

Bathing, swimming and the monsoon

Many Indian dogs get a bath every week, and in the monsoon they come home wet twice a day. This is where the two options differ most.

• Spot-ons and water don't mix well. The label for a common fipronil spot-on says to avoid bathing for 2 days after applying, and that weekly shampooing can cut flea protection to about 5 weeks. A 2020 study found that dogs bathed often lost protection sooner.
• Tablets aren't affected by water. The active is in the blood, so baths, rain and swimming don't wash it off.

If you bathe weekly, a chew usually makes life easier. If you prefer a spot-on, plan baths around it. Our year-round tick plan has more on timing.

Safety: what to know before you choose

Both types are safe for most dogs when given at the right dose for their weight. A few points matter:

• Chews and seizures. The US FDA warns that the isoxazoline group of chews, which includes fluralaner, can cause muscle tremors, wobbliness and seizures in some dogs. The products remain safe and effective for most dogs, but if your dog has ever had a seizure, talk to your vet first.
• Spot-ons and children. Spot-on labels advise keeping children from touching or sleeping with the dog until the spot is dry.
• Cats. Never use a dog product on a cat. Some dog spot-ons, especially those with permethrin, are toxic to cats.
• Puppies. The fluralaner chew is labelled from 8 weeks and 2 kg in Europe, and Richpet's smallest chew starts at 4.5 kg. Small puppies may need a spot-on in the smallest size first.

Which one should you pick?

In a study of Spanish dog owners, those using a 12-week chew bought more months of protection a year than those using monthly products. That study was also run by the chew's maker. Fewer doses mean fewer chances to forget.

Compare both options on our tick and flea treatment for dogs page, or see the monthly options in our spot on for dogs range.

Can you use a spot-on and a tablet together?

Usually you don't need to. One long-lasting product given on time is enough for most dogs. Using two products with the same kind of active adds risk, not protection. If your dog has a heavy tick problem, ask your vet before combining anything.

A quick top-up spray for the paws and legs can help during heavy tick season. For ticks that are already on your dog, see how to remove a tick from a dog.

Chew or spot-on?
Pick one, stay on time.

The best tick and flea protection is the one you can give on schedule, every time, all year.