Ticks are out in force this year
at least down in NC.
I found it difficult to apply Frontline initially. I actually clipped a small area of as much hair as I could, and that seemed to get most of it on the skin. However, I still found ticks on the back legs of my two dogs after applying Frontline between the front shoulder blades as recommended. Those that attached on the front of the dog died. Those on the back of dog were alive. Thus Frontline despite the claims may not protect the entire dog. It's difficult for me to imagine a product that indicates it's for a 50-100 lb dog would protect a 100 lb dog much at all given the results I have seen. Still I suppose it's better than nothing.
I have run a little experiment once, and will repeat it again when given the opportunity. I found a very small tick on my one dog, and instead of immediately taking it off with tweezers, I smeared an ample drop of liquid hand soap over the tick. When I came back to it 12 hrs later, the tick was dried out (attached) and dead. This may be an easier way of removing them (???).
In general you have 24 hrs to get the tick off after it attaches before the potential of infections occurs. It takes that long for the tick to secrete anti-coagulant and to plug into a capillary in the skin.
Another thing to remember
is that all Insecticides be it in a Hartz product, or in Frontline (e.g. fipronil) should be viewed as a potential carcinogen. It then becomes a trade off of potential future cancer per use of Frontline or other product in the pet vs the dangers of Rickettsia (tick borne) disease- which can be serious in itself.