I just pulled two ticks off of my dog... And I use Frontline!!!!

jdleggans · 04-23-2008, 02:00 PM

Ok, I am seriously perturbed at the moment. Several months ago spent over $100.00 on Frontline for my Shih Tzu. I apply it once a month, between the shoulder blades, as directed. Well, I was just holding her on my lap and discovered she had not one, but TWO TICKS! How is this possible? Isn't Frontline supposed to be pretty good stuff? And its not like she really even has that much surface area to cover, she's only 9 pounds! Luckily the ticks didn't look like they had been there for very long (they were "normal sized", not bloated like a tick that has been planted for several days). I mostly feel bad for my dog, and I'm frustrated that I spend so much on prevention that seems to be doing nothing to protect her! Has anyone else heard of this happening with Frontline?

sw_df27 · 04-23-2008, 02:03 PM

a few years ago I use to use frontline plus & I would treat my yard but for some reason that year it just didn't work at all I had to bath my dogs everyday because the fleas were in the hundreds so I quit using it and switched to K9 advantix and it's working great

JenTN · 04-23-2008, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdleggans

Ok, I am seriously perturbed at the moment. Several months ago spent over $100.00 on Frontline for my Shih Tzu. I apply it once a month, between the shoulder blades, as directed. Well, I was just holding her on my lap and discovered she had not one, but TWO TICKS! How is this possible? Isn't Frontline supposed to be pretty good stuff? And its not like she really even has that much surface area to cover, she's only 9 pounds! Luckily the ticks didn't look like they had been there for very long (they were "normal sized", not bloated like a tick that has been planted for several days). I mostly feel bad for my dog, and I'm frustrated that I spend so much on prevention that seems to be doing nothing to protect her! Has anyone else heard of this happening with Frontline?

Are you shaving the area where you apply it? Our vet says it's not as effective unless you shave a tiny spot first, then apply it to the bare skin...especially on a dog with a lot of fur.

MegaMuttMom · 04-23-2008, 02:10 PM

Frontline is not a tick repellant. It's job is to kill the ticks that attach before they have time to transmit disease.

Curbside Prophet · 04-23-2008, 02:11 PM

Frontline does not keep fleas or ticks from landing on your dog, or even from biting your dog. What it does do is poison the flea or tick if it does bite the dog, or if it comes in contact with the oil in the dog's skin. It doesn't happen instantly, however.

Elana55 · 04-23-2008, 02:13 PM

Frontline and Frontline Plus are NOT repellents. They kill the tick after it is on the dog but under the 24 hours it takes to transmit disease from the tick to the dog.

If you want a repellent you have to go to a different product. I used to use Fronline Plus and a Preventic Collar (vet's suggestion). I now use Vectra 3D which repels as well as kills.

Sometimes, when I knew I was going to a High Tick area, I would give a light spray of Biospot on the dog's legs and under belly and tip of tail. I was hoping to avial my dog of the repellent properties of that product w/o over burdening her system ("light" spray being the operative words here).

Dog had a hot spot reaction to Frontline Plus prompting the change over. I am hoping for no reaction from Vectra 3D.. tho if she is reacting to the Vehicle and NOT the Pesticide, I may get a reaction as the Surfactant used is similar in all of these products.

Vectra is a Repellent and a killer of fleas, mosquitoes and Ticks.

jdleggans · 04-23-2008, 02:20 PM

Thanks for all the good info everyone! Sorry, it actually IS Frontline Plus. I thought that it was a repellent, I guess I misunderstood.

JenTN: I did not shave her completely bald, but I did apply the Frontline after her haircut when her hair was only about 1/8 inch long. I could see her pink skin showing through. Good to know about it being less effective on long hair, though!

Poly · 04-24-2008, 05:27 PM

Frontline - and Frontline Plus - both kill ticks, usually within 24 hours of their arrival on your pet.

Just so it is clear, it is NOT necessary for the ticks to bite for these products to be effective - the ticks will die simply by contact even if they don't bite.

Also, a properly treated dog becomes relatively unattractive to ticks, so fewer - but not zero - will get on in the first place.

Dogs will always pick up a few ticks when they go through places where ticks are common - that's a fact of life. The ticks will die soon if you are using a topical, but there they are on the dog for now.

Your choices are to completely avoid tick-infested places - very impractical - or check your dog(s) afterward for ticks. That is really all you can do.

CarmeeKitty · 04-24-2008, 06:29 PM

Meg has Frontline too, and I found a tick on the couch yesterday morning. -shivers- I tried to kill it and it got on me! That was when I flicked it on to the floor and dropped a book on it. xD Then my mom sprayed citrus air freshener on it in desperation and then ran for some paper towels and squished it. We brushed through her fur and didn't see any more; hopefully they're all gone!

Don152 · 07-11-2008, 09:36 AM

Ok I know this is a few months after the last post, but the last post needs to be addressed.

1. Do not panic if you find a tick on your dog or yourself. The tick needs to be attached for some time (24 hours usually) to transmit any disease. And not all ticks carry disease, but there is more than one tick borne disease and they can be nasty if you get them. If it’s on the couch it’s not hurting anyone.

2. Do not smash squish, crush or splatter a tick! That can release the bacteria. If it’s attached to a host then use forceps to remove the tick as close to the host’s skin as possible, doing your absolute best to get the head along with the body. Or consider going to the vet and let them show you how it’s done. Wash hands after. If the tick was on a person then store it in a small tightly sealed container with a little damp paper towel to keep it alive for future testing, otherwise put it in alcohol to kill it without smashing, squishing or crushing it.

3. If it’s on the couch (or the floor, behind the baseboard, etc) and it’s fully engorged with blood then it is probably a female who recently dropped off rover and laid eggs or is getting ready to lay eggs. I would consider treating the house but I have not research the best method to do that.

4. For a tick on a dog that had been feeding for three days (and could have transmitted an infection) my vet recommended only monitoring the dog for signs of illness, or infection at the bite site. Because I know a person with Lyme disease and I know how terrible a disease it is in humans, if I thought I had been exposed I would opt for an immediate full course treatment of antibiotics for myself (before any symptoms appeared). Not all doctors agree with this, but once it takes hold you might not be able to get rid of this disease so I would be very aggressive in my own treatment. Apparently this action is not recommended for rover.