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Frontline Plus... is it me, or does it just suck?


Horsefeathers!

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I typically use Advantage on my dogs and only as needed which is not often... maybe 3-4 times a year. I've never used Frontline before because my vet didn't carry it and I had no need to seek it out otherwise. I recently got some free samples of Frontline Plus for small dogs and used it on my 8 lb Poodlet. She will get fleas when no one else does (except Devin, but he's the exception to every rule, so we don't use him as a guage for "normal"), so I check her every night diligently. The first time I used the Frontline Plus, I saw live fleas on Peanut within days. I thought maybe they hadn't reached the skin yet (where the Frontline is) and that was the problem? Wasn't sure, but I tried it again a month later. It's only been two weeks since I applied that last Frontline to Peanut and I'm seeing live fleas on her! I never have this problem with Advantage.

Right now we're battling fleas in my house because apparently Peaches brought some with her when we got her back. We've not been seeing fleas on any of the other dogs, but the cats were loaded with them and they never, ever go outside. That means fleas were brought into the house somehow and it had to be when Peaches came back from my friend's. We even keep our yards treated. The other dogs don't have them (they get the Advantage), but Peanut is becoming a walking fleabag and she just had Frontline two weeks ago.

Here's a question... how soon after the Frontline can I put Advantage on Peanut? If I remember reading the box right (I've thrown it out), it said not to apply anything for 30 days after the Frontline application. Do I have to wait another two weeks to apply Advantage to Peanut? I suppose I can give her Capstar for the next two weeks, but I REALLY want to get some Advantage on her.

Frontline Plus sucks! :x

Or maybe we just have bionic fleas. :-?

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I doubt I'll be getting a refund since it was a free sample box. :oops:

I don't remember complaining about Frontline before. This is only the second time I've used it... once last month and once this month. I've heard of clients complaining, but had no firsthand experience with it. I know I complained about the Advan[u]tix[/u]. Maybe I'm just getting old and senile. :P

Maybe we truly do have some bionic fleas here. It doesn't help that the climate here is pretty mild. Until the last couple of days, our temps have been in the mid 70's almost every day. We only get cold weather in short spells and then it's not THAT cold (lows tonight in upper 20's... people here will think they're freezing to death).

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Ooooooohhhhh, now see, I didn't even remember that. :oops:

I do know for a fact that Advan[u]tix[/u] left chemical burns on two of my own dogs. They immediately had reactions at the application sites and as it dispersed into a long line down their backs, they looked like they had red racing stripes and my dogs were freaking out, chewing at their skin (instead of applying in one spot, I apply it in smaller spots down the spine). I had to wash it off! I guess it's the tick medicine in the Advan[u]tix[/u] because I've never had a problem with the regular Advantage. The other thing about the Advan[u]tix[/u] I didn't like was the dispersion... it just left a greasy stripe on the dogs it DIDN'T break out and didn't seem to disperse well.

The only thing I don't like about the Advantage is that I think it stinks to high heaven. It makes a nice clean dog smell right like a wet dog to me. Works like a charm in this house, though. I don't know why the Frontline isn't working. I'd love to be able to use it because the thing I DO like it is that it isn't as greasy and it didn't stink. :niewiem:

Oh well, I can take stinky dogs over flea dogs any day. :kciuki:

Now I still have to figure out how long I have to wait to apply the Advantage to Peanut. She's a pretty small dog, so I'd hate to overload her on stuff.

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I forgot the BIGGEST reason I'm a fan of Advantage... our rep is always so generous with the samples. I always get several boxes of large dog (55+ lb) Advantages which works out well for me with so many dogs. The Frontline fellow only gave me one three pack one time. I mean, I'm not complaining, but hey, gotta go where the goodies are, right? *snicker*

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Really, DAL?? I'm going to ask the rep about that. See, my vet hasn't carried Frontline in forever (well, I know he's never carried it since I've been there and I've been there six years) and he's only recently starting to stock it. I know Advantage kills on contact. It doesn't matter if the flea bites, once it hits that skin, it's a goner. Maybe that's why I'm finding live fleas on Peanut... they just haven't bitten her yet. Well, I don't think I like that, either. :o

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In their system, DivOb? I thought it stayed on the surface of their skin like Advantage. :-?

I guess I'm one of those folks who is easily confused with details.
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0YQABA4sfOjyPoHbo*VO*k6YkVsjsui1KYGfqoPb3PGet0mEYsc71EksSfApXuugKjHdt1Ms4!cD27pQV8nrn8dXjvqlktM3ZbJ8J4UAX5iotg1H!sGzULt73m3hY!EUJuHPzq2GW91cuatDpYJ0ztg/crying%20girl.gif?dc=4675436072349453090[/img]

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Frontline left fleas on our dogs too... maybe east coast fleas are resistant :lol: We'd used advantage before, and continued with it after trying frontline. My grandmother still uses frontline, and everytime I bring her Chi up for nails clipped or bath, she has fleas.

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Guest Anonymous

[quote name='gooeydog']Frontline left fleas on our dogs too... maybe east coast fleas are resistant :lol: We'd used advantage before, and continued with it after trying frontline. My grandmother still uses frontline, and everytime I bring her Chi up for nails clipped or bath, she has fleas.[/quote]

ok that is it.. i dont see fleas on my guys but after allt his talk about it once i'm done with what i just bought i'm switching to advantage!

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advantage stays on the surface of the skin, bonding with the top layer of skin cells. when these cells are removed (harsher varieties of shampoos etc.), the pesticide is gone too. the advantage (pardon the pun) is that you can reapply it as needed, up to once weekly during heavy infestations.

frontline is absorbed into the hair follicles and sebaceous glands. depending on how active they are, it's secreted out faster or slower along with the oils. it isn't removed as easily by shampooing as advantage because it sits at the bottom of the follicles and in the glands and not directly on the surface of the skin.

fleas don't have to bite the animal when either advantage or frontline are applied - both act on contact, but time frames are slightly different.

personally i haven't had any luck with frontline either even tho i'd prefer using it because of the added tick protection. i'm in southern california, where the problem exists year-round. so, i'm in the advantage camp - one dog, five cats (which is why i can't use advantix, it's toxic for cats), and everyone is flea free. :)

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  • 1 year later...

Yes, I find Advantage does work better than Frontline and it is less expensive, but it has left little wounds at the point of application on my Yorkie, Arthur, and another really BAD thing about it is it makes him smell like urine!!! Just like urine! Yuck! I couldn't figure out why he was smelling like that, and then tonight I applied Advantage, and it was pretty fast, he started stinking up the place! Why does it do that?

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  • 1 year later...

I, too, am not happy with both Frontline and Advantix. I think their TV ad with that cute little puppy singing "there ain't no bugs on me" is very misleading and I told them so. This product doesn't discourage fleas and ticks from getting on your dog and biting them. It only kills the bug after it's attached and bitten, thus ingesting the insecticide and eventually dying and dropping off. This is bull IMO. I want a repellent. I don't want to spend my life searching for and picking off ticks every time I walk my shih tzu (3 times a day).Kirby has had all the Lyme inoculations starting when he was old enough to start,(and before he was walked outdoors) and I've applied Advantix every month, even in the winter, and my dog still has the Lyme enzyme in his system.
These products are expensive and to say that your dog wont have 'bugs' on them is false advertising. :nonono2:
Email the Bayer company demanding that they pull that commercial which is blatantly inaccurate.

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  • 1 year later...

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