# Frontline treatment



## DaveJane (Jan 28, 2011)

Kara is a 2 year old Black Labrador. Yesterday we went to the vet for her annual checkup and booster. We had a very interesting chat about Frontline treatment and I wondered what others made of this.

We have been in the habit of Frontlining Kara every 2-3 months from Spring to late Autumn. When we were in Switzerland and Germany we did it before we went and again after 3 weeks suspecting a higher risk.

Vet suggested if we had no problem with Fleas we were probably achieving very little. He said Frontline helped prevent fleas but had little effect on Ticks suggesting it would not prevent ticks just reduce the time the Tick could live on her. Probably reducing tick life from 4 to 2 days. The best way to control ticks was to check her regularly and remove them. Kara has had 2 ticks this year. 1 in Black Forest and one in the Cairngorms, both whilst being Frontlined.

Vet suggested probably made sense to stop using Front line and fit her with a Scalibor (may have got the spelling wrong) collar when we cross the channel but it was upto us. He did not bother treating his 3 dogs as he had no Flea problems.

I wondered what others do please?


----------



## Groper (May 17, 2007)

We have used Frontline in the past but found it ,as your vet said, of very little protection against ticks.
In over fifty years of keeping dogs we have had only one dog infected with fleas(present when we collected her from the RSPCA rescue centre!!).
I think on another thread on here someone mentioned Advantix as a good treatment against ticks.


----------



## crumblyned (Jun 27, 2011)

I think your vet is giving sound advice, :wink: We use Scalibor (also un sure of the spelling) it is very effective against ticks and the sand fly etc. Ned


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Be careful

we used a scalibor collar and front-line,

sent him over the top

We just use frontline now, but you need to use it every month for tick control

3 months for fleas, 1 month for tics

never had a problem

the occasional tick has been dead

Aldra


----------



## Mashy (Apr 28, 2007)

*Frontline Treatment*

We always used to treat our Westie with Frontline but after she
contracted "Babesiosis" as a direct result of being bitten by an infected tick our vet advised us to use Advantix monthly, especially when travelling to Europe.
Apparently Frontline does not repel ticks. As someone stated it reduces the time they are on the dog but does not stop them getting on the dog in the first place.
Advantix stops ticks getting on the dog in the first place.
For the record the disease was terrible. She nearly died and had to spend time at the Queen Elizabeth hospital for small animals near Potters Bar.
For this reason she gets treated every month without fail no matter where we are.
We do tend to purchase our Advantix from France where it is less expensive and easier to obtain.
You need a prescription for it in the uk.
Mashy


----------



## Jodi1 (Mar 25, 2010)

Agree about Frontline and ticks. We do use it monthly as there ticks in the area of Suffolk where we have our static, well last year there was, this year less so. Only found one dead tick this year, however it was obvious by its size that it had been feasting on the dog for a while. If Lymes disease is present in the tick it would have passed on the infection.

What do you mean about 'going over the top' Aldra?

The scalibor collar does sound interesting and I will look into it next year if the old girl is still with us (14 and a bit and still going strong despite heart and kidney failure and handfuls of pills)


----------



## KeithChesterfield (Mar 12, 2010)

The information below is from an advert for Frontline -

To protect your cats and dogs from ticks:
• check your pet regularly for these parasites
• apply FRONTLINE Spot On every four weeks.
Once dead, most ticks will drop off naturally. If they don’t, try removing them with a gentle pull – preferably with tweezers. If the tick doesn’t come out, don’t pull harder as the mouthparts
may be left in the skin, leading to infection. Instead take your pet to the vet.

But what is the difference between - Frontline, Frontline Plus, Frontline Combo and Frontline Spot On?

Aren't they all supposed to protect against both Fleas and Ticks?

We use the Twister type tick removers and have had no after effects despite our dog picking up at least half a dozen ticks every time we venture into France in the Summer months.


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

We will change to Advantix on our next trip

jodi the adverse affects can affect the dogs nervous system which could have been our own fault given that the vet had given him frontline and we then added the collar

I remove ticks with my nails having lived in Israel where they were prevalent before the advent of protection

Had to remove them from the kids as well 8O

just make sure you remove the head

Aldra


----------



## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

*Re: Frontline Treatment*



Mashy said:


> We always used to treat our Westie with Frontline but after she
> contracted "Babesiosis" as a direct result of being bitten by an infected tick our vet advised us to use Advantix monthly, especially when travelling to Europe.
> Apparently Frontline does not repel ticks. As someone stated it reduces the time they are on the dog but does not stop them getting on the dog in the first place.
> Advantix stops ticks getting on the dog in the first place.
> ...


Yes we also use Advantix and since we started a couple of years ago have not seen any ticks on our collie. Its expensive and to my knowledge can only be sourced thro the vets.
I should add that we only use while abroad!


----------



## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

Interestingly I went to our vet in Javea a couple of days ago for some Frontline for our cocker spaniel. She said that whilst they supply Frontline for cats they will not do so for dogs as in their opinion it is not as effective in Spain as Advantix.

For years now we have treated 2 dogs, one no longer with us unfortunately, with a Scalibor collar and Frontline together without any adverse effects. Obviously we will now stick to Advantix and Scalibor together.

Mike


----------



## cheshiregordon (Sep 24, 2011)

javea said:


> Interestingly I went to our vet in Javea a couple of days ago for some Frontline for our cocker spaniel. She said that whilst they supply Frontline for cats they will not do so for dogs as in their opinion it is not as effective in Spain as Advantix.
> 
> For years now we have treated 2 dogs, one no longer with us unfortunately, with a Scalibor collar and Frontline together without any adverse effects. Obviously we will now stick to Advantix and Scalibor together.
> 
> Mike


I would read the instructions with the Advantix very carefully and take advice before using both advantix and Scalibor together at the same time!


----------



## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

So would I

The side effects can be a very anxious and hyperactive dog

we know because we have been there

Aldra


----------



## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

cheshiregordon said:


> javea said:
> 
> 
> > Interestingly I went to our vet in Javea a couple of days ago for some Frontline for our cocker spaniel. She said that whilst they supply Frontline for cats they will not do so for dogs as in their opinion it is not as effective in Spain as Advantix.
> ...


Thanks to you and Aldra for the cautions. Vet doesn't see it as a problem and a lot of dogs locally have the same treatment without any problems. Bruno was treated with the Advantix last week whilst wearing the Scalibor collar and so far I am glad to say that there has been no allergic reaction at all. I will certainly keep a close eye on him.

Mike


----------



## Annsman (Nov 8, 2007)

Can I suggest Googling " problems for dogs with Frontline" There are some very interesting articles about the health issues with long term treatment.


----------



## ardgour (Mar 22, 2008)

My old vets wouldn't entertain frontline for treating dogs - they reckoned it simply wasn't effective enough (we lived in Scotland and ticks were the main concern). They always recommended advantix and used it on their own dogs. They discouraged the use of the scalibor collars, uncertain protection on their own and health risks if used together with advantix etc.
Tess never had a problem with ticks when being treated with the advantix - it is supposed to last 4 - 6 weeks but I retreated every 6 - 8weeks in the UK.
Chris


----------



## alhod (Nov 1, 2010)

I guess this whole issue gains official recognition insofaras the amended travel regulations no longer require tick and lice treatment, only tapeworm. As that is anyway endemic in UK and any responsible owner treats regularly anyway, perhaps the day is not far off when that is dropped as well and we can just rely on the passport for the rabies protection.

Alan


----------



## DaveJane (Jan 28, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies, its really interesting to hear what other people do for their dogs. I will certainly investigate Advantix and Scalibor collars before Tick season next year.

I think our days of using Frontline are over though. The vet said they did not keep Scalibor collars in stock because of the different size range but that they could get one for the following day if I let them know. So its an easy option to try.

Luckily we do not have many Ticks around in the woods near home so its mainly when we are travelling she needs extra protection.

Dave


----------



## rowley (May 14, 2005)

I found Frontline was not very effective on our cats so changed to Advantage. Prices are good from these people.
http://www.medicanimal.com/index


----------



## foxtwo (Jun 23, 2012)

hi, 
we used frontline, advantix and advocate during this summer and autumn, because our dog got babesiosis by tics in hungary in march and nearly died. 

results: 
frontline no or less effect against tics. 
advantix had three weeks effect against tics, tics dead or gone. 
advocate the same as advantix. 
scalibor had up to now effect against tics, cause we found only one dead tic during 8 weeks. 

Problems: 
spot on and scalibor collar never use the same time. 
all spot ons (frontline, advantix...another name is exspot... and advocate) were horrible for our dog during the first seven days. she got nervous and was always escaping. and all the time she was very nervous and sensitive, when touching her. 
scalibor was ok for her after 2 days getting used to it. 

we decided to use only scalibor protection collar, because it was ok for the dog and it seems to be effective against tics, fleas, and sand-flies. 

we think, best protection is, to use scalibor and to search for tics every evening, because it needs at least 12-24 hours till an infect is transferred from tic to dog. early removal of tics and scalibor seems to be a good prevention. 

regards 
bernd


----------



## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

It's a bit of a minefield, isn't it.

We always used Frontline but found once they reformulated it to 'combo' that it ceased to be effective with tics. What we do now is use Frontline when we're in the northern countries and Advantix in the south. The advantage of Advantix is that it protects against heart worm, so if you're somewhere hot with mosquitoes then it's worth using - bas others have said it's available on prescription only or from your vet.

That said, both our dogs had a severe reaction to the Advantix last time we applied it. I won't go into details but it involved rubber gloves, a scrubbing brush and lots of Dettol. A bit like Frontline, there are some fairly horrific stories online about the new formulation of Advantix too.

Like I said, it's a bit of a minefield. I shall watch this thread with interest...


----------



## olley (May 1, 2005)

We use Stronghold on our two cats, seems to work very well. Just been reading on the net that all these spot treatments sting, which explains why mine run a mile when I get them out.

Ian


----------



## BwB (Dec 5, 2009)

Had to stop using any of the "spot on" type products as it sent one of my Labs scatty for about a week and it seemed to get worse each time I used it. 

The other Lab was ok until he got to about 10 years old and then it had the same effect on him too.

I stopped taking them to Europe for 12 months but luckily the passport requirements changed to just the worm pills so we could take the remaining dog with us again.

I use a fine(ish) comb on them after each walk and that did the trick. It's a bit fiddly at first but then becomes routine. Also careful where I walk him now but these days he keeps close, not charging about through the long grass like he used to. But the comb and the visual inspection has worked for me for years now.


----------



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

alhod said:


> I guess this whole issue gains official recognition insofaras the amended travel regulations no longer require tick and lice treatment, only tapeworm. As that is anyway endemic in UK and any responsible owner treats regularly anyway, perhaps the day is not far off when that is dropped as well and we can just rely on the passport for the rabies protection.
> 
> Alan


Different tapeworms in Europe - much more serious effect on health.


----------



## madeleine53 (Mar 23, 2008)

Do check out www.hyperdrug.co.uk

There are other products than those you have mentioned which do not cost an arm and a leg. Also, you can get your prescription only products more cheaply than from your Vet - you just have to send them the prescription. Not just flea/tick stuff either but all animal meds. It's a proper UK company which has been going for years, based at Barnard Castle not some fly-by-night internet scammer!

They are really helpful if you ring them for advice also


----------

