| Some of the more common recent questions I’ve received in the clinic regarding f and its use for flea and tick prevention in pets. A big concern I often receive is the quality of Frontline Plus being carried by online pharmacies like 1800petmeds and whether it is the same as those used and sold by veterinary offices. The truth of the matter is that Frontline Plus is a prepackaged product by Merial, and is the exact same one carried by 1-800-PetMeds as your local veterinarian. |  |
Another common question is, “Why does my pet still have fleas after applying Frontline?” (after a few consecutive months. The most common reasons for flea treatments failing is typically because of improper application, or more commonly failure to treat the environment of the pet, including the home and yard; where 80% of the flea life cycle occurs. Along the same line, some products, however will work better on some pets than others. So, if there are still fleas even after properly treating the home and using Frontline Plus for several months, I would suggest having your house professionally treated by an exterminator and/or change to a different product such as Advantage.
If a pet still has fleas, many veterinarians will use the product more frequently than once monthly, sometimes as often as once every 2-3 weeks. However, this process is often considered to be “off label use,” and I would not use the product this way unless first speaking with your pet’s veterinarian. If a client is currently using a different topical such as Revolution or Advantage, it is safe to change to Frontline Plus after 3-4 weeks from the date of last application of the other product. While Frontline Plus is labeled as waterproof, I usually advise clients to wait at least 24 to 48 hours before bathing their pet. Side effects to Frontline Plus are rare but may include hair loss/skin irritation at site of application, (rarely) digestive upset, (and even rarer) immunological reactions of the blood or neurological reactions like seizures. Again, these are very rare, as most pets tolerate this product quite well.
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8 Comments
My dogs are itching from recent flea bites. I have gotten the fleas under control, but theya re still itching. My sister has some Chlorpheniramine 4mg but was dispensed 9/20/07. I am afraid to give this to my dogs but I have heard that meds usually have a 5 year shelf life. Is it safe and if not, what can I do? I have 3 dogs and cannot afford to take them to the vet right now.
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You picked a great topic for this post and you wrote about it well. I have seen a couple of other websites with similar content but no one has performed a better job than you on writing about it.
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Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarian Reply:
July 8th, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Thank you so much for your kind compliments. We all certainly try hard.
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Hi I have one dog two cats and cannot praise Frontline enough – it is easy to apply and works straight away – my pets are flea free and happy.
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We used the Frontline Plus on 5 cats. Only 1 cat is still itching and loosing fur on the back of it’s hind legs. The cat was healthy and nice looking B4 this treatment.
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Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarian Reply:
August 26th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Make sure treat home for fleas as well. Also consider antihistamine such as chlorphenirimine at dose of 2 mg twice daily to help with itching.
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Is Frontline Combo from Canada the same as or equal to Frontline Plus as they indicate made by same company
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Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarian Reply:
November 15th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Not sure as dont have experience with front line combo from Canada. I would ask drug company
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what if i double dose my dog with frontline
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Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarian Reply:
November 17th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
Should not be a problem.
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I’m getting a dog and already have a (indoor) cat. Is it safe to use frontline on the dog or could I be putting my cat at risk?
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Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarian Reply:
November 20th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
There should not be a problem in using front line on dog with cat in house
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my vet gave me nitenpyram pills for my dog for fleas, she is already on frontline, how does the nitepyram pills work?
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Dr. Michael Dym, VMD veterinarian Reply:
December 3rd, 2011 at 1:06 pm
The nitenpyram pills work as an insecticide to kill adult fleas by paralyzing the nervous system of the flea, while not affecting the pet’s nervous system in any way. Marketed as capstar, these oral pills work very quickly to kill adult fleas, but you will need other topical medicines such as front line or advantage or oral program to control the immature stages of the fleas.
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