Vets: Topical Treatment May Not Kill 'Mutating Fleas'

If you've noticed your dog scratching a lot more lately, it's probably fleas. And if you're using topical products to kill them, it's probably not working. 

It’s getting tougher to get rid of those little bugger, because they are mutating. That means most topical solutions like "Frontline" no longer work because more fleas are becoming immune to it.

We're told warmer weather is also contributing to the flea problem and until it gets really cold, dogs could be in for an itchy winter.

"This past summer has been dragging on months and months, so flea populations, they have been really small to start off with and they're growing, but normally they go into dormancy in the winter, so they will hibernate for a while but it just hasn't been cold enough for that yet,” said Katherine Van Ekert, Veterinarian.

So what can you do to get rid of these pests? Veterinarians suggest you stop buying topical cream and go for oral medicines instead.

Frontline makes one, it's called "Nexguard."