when to introduce Flea and tick meds?

With us being in Washington state where its green and wet I wanted to know when to introduce flea and tick meds. Toby is 8 weeks old. I want to be safe but also protect him, we do have grass and even though we did exterminate before he got here I want to make sure he is protected. We do not see the vet until July for his next round of shots. We are going in this evening I think just to introduce him to the staff and weigh him (get him comfortable at the vet) so I will not be seeing the vet as an office visit.
If he cannot have the meds, can I wash him with the flea and tick shampoo that you get at the store? How would you go about protecting him until he can get on meds?
Becky

Flea and tick treatments are widely available. You can buy them from the vet clinic without seeing a vet, or you can purchase online from pet stores and department stores. Not sure about the US, but here in Australia they are also available from the supermarket.

There are lots of different brands, but I use Frontline Plus for Dogs and Puppies (up to 22 lbs). It's a monthly treatment that can be used from 8 weeks and you just apply the liquid to the back of their neck. For the link to the product at Costco, click here, but it's also available at many other online stores.

Thank you. I will check into that. I was worried that 8 weeks would be too young and would hurt him.

Well it just so happens that when we visited the vet tonight to get Toby used to the vet, our vet came out from her office to say hello. She was so happy to see that we were able to move on from our Peke and get another pup. She said she loves Cavaliers. I asked her about the flea and ticks meds and she said she prefers not to give the little pups his age any kind of chemicals(flea and tick meds). She said she would rather us use Johnson and Johnson shampoo. She said that is all he should need and with his fur so white and short right now we should be able to see if there are any bugs on him. So we are trusting what she says and go with the shampoo.
Becky

That's good advice. Many people prefer non-chemical treatments on dogs of all ages so it's safer. I've had no problems with Frontline myself, but you have to do what you're comfortable with and definitely go with your own vet's advice.