LaBruja's Full Review: Frontline Top Spot for Dogs
Life was sheer Purgatory before Frontline. And that was only for me. How much worse it must have been for my Boyzz! Bleeding cash, spraying the yard, dipping the pets, spraying the house were my only sacrifices. My canine angels were donating BLOOD!
Midsummer 1995 a neighbor took an apartment next door. Her dog got fleas. She did nothing about it but tie the suffering dog to a tree. The entire building was evacuated and she was forced to move out for two weeks! They had a tough struggle reclaiming the building, but the fleas triumphed in the yard. Life became an exhausting, frustrating, expensive round of simultaneously spraying/dipping house, pets, yard.
Keeping the house (relatively) 'flea free' wasn't difficult. Invariably, 4 days after thoroughly spraying the yard, fleas would again bloom. And would take up residence on my poor dogs. Cochise was not happy. But Simba and daVinci suffered the torments of hell. These guys have 'flea bite dermatitis'... they're allergic to fleas. One bite can have them scratching and chewing themselves raw.
The vet advised against the flea pill. He hadn't been pleased with the results in cases of heavy environmental infestation complicated by allergies. Wait for the freeze was the best advice available. A consultation with another vet yielded the same information. I've never been SOOO happy to see cold weather hit this accursed state! Next year brought more of the same. Alaska beckoned.
Seeking products with active ingredients other than permethrin or pyrethin , I found a Hartz Mountain product that I tried despite precautions it had to be applied in a well ventilated area while wearing gloves! The stuff was vile. All of us seemed woozy when I finished. Less than 24 hours later Cochise had a seizure, the first and only one he’s had. The vet thought the flea product might have triggered the seizure. He advised against using it and considered it excessively toxic.
Sporadically we tried other products. Nothing worked but a deep freeze. On a routine visit the vet recommended we use Frontline Top Spot. My vets do not routinely ‘push’ the products they sell so I felt a glimmer of hope.
Appropriate sizes are available for all but my heaviest Irish Wolfhound. (Due to this he uses Advantage.) Applying Frontline between the shoulders is fast and simple. As my dogs are large and coated, I spot it between the shoulders, a place or two along the spine, and at the base of the tail. And it works. A day later no one was scratching! Following the next bath no evidence of flea dirt appeared. Simba and da Vinci were healing. I didn’t believe it.
Frontline Top Spot is distributed into the hair follicles by the pet’s movement. It should remain effective following baths. Initially leery of this claim, I’ve found it to be true. After applying it I avoid bathing my pets for several days to ensure the product has had ample opportunity to spread over the body and settle into the follicles.
I kept the dogs on it year around approximately two years. During the cold months I applied it every 8-10 weeks. In the warmer months I applied it 4-6 weeks. Fleas have never recurred and I’ve used it only in the warm months this year (applying only once so far due to wet, mild weather).
A report on flea products in Dog Fancy notes that the new spot on products break the cycle and manage flea problems without the additional work and expense of spraying the house and yard. My experience supports this. I haven’t sprayed the house or yard since using Frontline. I no longer use dips or flea shampoos.
Everything I’ve read indicates the ingredients in Frontline are among the safest available for pets. It’s approved for use even in kittens and puppies. People often do not realize that heavy infestations of fleas on kittens and puppies can be life threatening! Additionally, fleas can spread tapeworms to dogs.
Note that spot on products sold at pet stores and discount stores use permethrin and/or pyrethin as the active ingredient(s) rather than Fipronil (used in Frontline). The commercially available products are cheaper but I don’t use them. Two friends tried them with poor results and I’d used many products with those ingredients for several years without success.
A friend uses Frontline Top Spot for tick control rather than fleas. She’s found it effective against ticks and was initially as skeptical as I’d been. She continues to use it and remains thoroughly satisfied. She had tried numerous commercially available products with no success.
I love Frontline! Rarely have I seen a product live up to its hype as this one has. Warm weather is no longer dreaded. Sunshine doesn’t seem a curse! Inherently lazy, I enjoy how fast and easy it is to use. But it’s the complete reversal of our flea crisis that turned me into a babbling believer. I recommend this to anyone with a cat or dog that suffers from flea allergies or has a persistent problem with fleas or ticks. Available only through vet offices, you have the opportunity to discuss its safety and suitability for your pet prior to purchasing.
For dogs 23-44 lbs. 3, 0.045 fl. oz. applicators. Spot treatment for fast acting, long-lasting control of fleas and ticks. Kills newly emerged adult f...More at eBay
Superior flea and tick protection with spot-on convenience. Frontline Top Spot For Dogs provides fast-acting, long lasting control of fleas and ticks!...More at SmartPak Canine
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