Does anyone use Frontline?

I'm thinking about switching the dogs to something else. They're on Sentinel right now but our vet said heartworm isn't a problem here and I've been reading up on some articles about long term effects from heartworm meds. I'm going to keep them on Sentinel for the rest of the summer and then take them off for the rest of the year. I'd like to keep them on some type of flea preventative though. I can't imagine having to deal with fleas on these two. :p

How does frontline work? I heard it's applied between the dog's shoulder blades. Is it really hard to apply right? How effective has it been for your dogs?

Also, does anyone else know of flea preventatives that are not given orally?

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Originally posted by binka_nugget
How does frontline work? I heard it's applied between the dog's shoulder blades. Is it really hard to apply right? How effective has it been for your dogs?

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Yep! That's exactly how you do it! :)

It's not hard to apply at all. You spread the hair so the skin shows between their shoulder blades, and squeeze it all out in one spot; not all over the dog's body.

I've tried Advantage, and IMO Frontline works much better. We had a horrible tick season last year, and even with Advantage on, it didn't stop them from coming. We switched to Frontline, and we haven't had a problem since. :)

We have HORRIBLE fleas in Florida, especially since we have alot of sand in our backyard and we have Buddy that lives behind us, whom never gets baths or anything.

We purchased advantage 3 months ago and have had NO problems whatsoever. It's very easy to apply, just do it before bed so that they don't have a chance of licking it off of eachother or something while playing.

Another happy Frontline user here. Easy to use and does the job! ;)

Pam do you use the same Frontline on your kitties as you use on your dogs? I buy Advantage (Dog) and use a smaller dose on the kitties ... just want to be sure that Frontline works the same?

Thanks!
Kim;)

I use Frontline on both my dogs and have never had a problem. Only use it in the summer here (May through Oct.)as we don't have flea or tick problems in the winter here.I only apply it every other month. It's just a little messy on them for a few hours then it dries up.

Thanks for the replies. :)

I'll ask the vet about it when we go in on Tuesday. I have a stupid question..Are you supposed to rub it in or do you just leave it as a blob. I'm not sure how well it'll work with Kai.. I'd imagine it would get kind of messy with his thick coat.

Another question, how long are you supposed to wait until you give your dog a bath?

You try to get down under the hair to the skin (won't be easy for you)and sqeeze the tube. It will dry after a little while, just don't let the pups lick it off each other!It doesn't say how long till you bath but it does say it's waterproof. Your vet can give you more advice on that. Good Luck :)

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Originally posted by binka_nugget
Thanks for the replies. :)

I'll ask the vet about it when we go in on Tuesday. I have a stupid question..Are you supposed to rub it in or do you just leave it as a blob. I'm not sure how well it'll work with Kai.. I'd imagine it would get kind of messy with his thick coat.

Another question, how long are you supposed to wait until you give your dog a bath?

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Just sqeeze the tube and leave it alone. It's very thin, watery almost. It won't be a blob, and with all his fur, you may not even see any evidence of it. It gets absorbed into the skin rather quickly.

Ours have so little fur, that we apply it at bedtime so they don't accidentally lick it off of each other while playing.

Just make a neat part in your dogs fur, touch the applicator tip to the exposed skin, and squeeze. :)

I don't know long you're supposed to wait until you bathe them. We usually wait a couple of days. I think you're supposed to not bathe them for a couple of days before you apply it too. The natural oils in their skin helps them absorb it.

I use Frontline and I've never seen a flea or tick on my dogs. We spend a lot of time in the woods. I come home with ticks, but they never do.

It does look a little greasy on Max for a while, but Jake's hair is so thick that you never see it.

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Originally posted by GoldenRetrLuver
I've tried Advantage, and IMO Frontline works much better. We had a horrible tick season last year, and even with Advantage on, it didn't stop them from coming. We switched to Frontline, and we haven't had a problem since. :)

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Advantage isn't for ticks, just fleas. Frontline is for both fleas and ticks. I use advantage and like it a lot. I did use frontline a couple years ago when I found a few ticks on my dogs, it worked great.

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Originally posted by binka_nugget
Another question, how long are you supposed to wait until you give your dog a bath?

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I would suggest bathing them first, let them dry, then put the frontline on them. I'm not sure how long it's recommended that you wait before bathing them after it's applied, maybe a few days or a week.

I'm using K9 Advantix, which is for fleas, ticks and mosquitoes--I wanted something with mosquito control since we live near a lot of wetlands. It's applied just like Frontline, except I'm supposed to apply it in four "dots" on Lefty's back (maybe it's because he's a bigger dog; I don't know). It's easy to apply but a bit greasy. He hasn't demonstrated any desire to lick it off, however. It's been working fairly well, I think, though I have seen him nibbling at his tail once or twice since warm weather arrived.

This is a more expensive product, but since the mosquitoes are so bad here, I was willing to pay extra for more protection. It's available at drugstore.com, but I purchased mine through my vet and got one vial free.

I've been using Frontline for ages and it always worked very well. Wait a couple of days before and after a bath. Use rubber gloves when you apply it and make sure you don't touch it while it's wet and you're petting the pups in that area just as a precaution.

Alecia is right. You never want to use Frontline or Advantage at bathtime. Always do it a couple days before or a couple days after a bath.

We use Frontline Plus on 4 dogs and 2 cats, and pretty much do it year round. There are some months in the deep winter when I might slack off if there are no signs of ticks or fleas, but otherwise, living in the south, they get it year round. And the dogs get their Heartguard year round too.

We have always had good luck with this product! And it is watery and will leave an oily spot on their fur for a few days, but not a "blob". The trick is to get it in a spot on their neck (preferably between the shoulder blades) where they cannot reach and lick it. Just dispense it slowly and you should be fine. :)

Good luck!

Logan