[Nosmas]

I don't mind paying a bit more if it means getting rid of the irritating fleas. How long is this one good for?

I'll have to see if they have this at the vet the next time I bring my dogs in.

For an XL breed dog (my GSD is in the 40-60KG range) it costs me $40 (£25) for 3 applications, one application lasts a guaranteed one month - I personally only re-apply every 3 months, but if your dog is coming into contact with a lot of strays then it probably needs to be done once a month. It's cheaper in 6 or 12 packs also and cheaper for smaller dogs. You have to be careful to buy the right dosage for your weight of dog because it's that strong! It's also really important not to use the dog one on cats (or vice versa). Your vet will definitely stock it.

[Nosmas]

I use spot on frontline, from the vets. It's quite expensive but far better in my opinion than anything you can buy in a pet shop. Never had any problems at all with fleas in the last 5 years using it.

[Mymnnarry]

Frontline is a good one, available in a lot of pet shops and pharmacys now. Fiproline is newer to the market and uses Fipronil, the same ingredient as Frontline but around £1 a pipette cheaper. The other god option is Advantage which has also been reclassified from POM-V to NFA-VPS making it available without prescription and outside of veterinarians now. This one uses Imacloprid as the active ingredient which is also proven to help treat the immediate environment in the home and is also good if you have a house rabbit as frontline is highly toxic. (Bob Martins Double Action Spot On is the best over the counter one I have found using same ingredient as Advantage). Remember a lot of the cheaper dog flea products (containing Permethrin) are also highly toxic to cats so multipet households should be very wary of the product they use.

The good flea treatments pay for themselves in my opinion as if you end up with fleas in your house after using the cheap options you will spend a lot more time and money trying to eradicate the problem than if you had just prevented it in the first place.

Only 5% of a flea problem ison your animal, the other 95% will be in your environment, bet that makes you itch a bit!

[Mymnnarry]

Best part is, I buy the same tube for the cats and can get several applications out of one tube for the same price (the vet recommended it...it's the same formula, just in different sized packages).

I assume you mean you buy a dog frontline for your cats as they come in bigger tubes? Only a vet would be able to prescribe Frontline to be used this way as it is off label usage, a pharmacy or pet shop could only sell the correct product for the animal you intend to use it on even though it is the same treatment just in diffrent pipette sizes, yes certainly more cost effective if you have multiple animals!

[Soulofpostar]

I assume you mean you buy a dog frontline for your cats as they come in bigger tubes? Only a vet would be able to prescribe Frontline to be used this way as it is off label usage, a pharmacy or pet shop could only sell the correct product for the animal you intend to use it on even though it is the same treatment just in diffrent pipette sizes, yes certainly more cost effective if you have multiple animals!

Yep, that's exactly what I mean. It's strange you mention that they shouldn't do that considering I got it from the vet before I'd ever taken the pets to that clinic even, hmm. They just asked what it was for, about how big they were, and then offered up multiple of the larger tubes because I'd be able to use up the applications before the expiration. I had no idea they shouldn't do that.

[luspikals]

It's getting to be that time of year soon and before I know it one of my dogs will be coming home covered in fleas. It doesn't help that my neighbor seems to collect all these strays and my dog chases them down. I've tried some various types of things from the collar to the drops and they have had various success. So, I would like to know your preferred type of medicine and how well it works.

[97dYA9L3]

I recommend frontline too. Spent a fiver on bobs flea powder once but it was a waste of money. Better to do it properly I think.

[Soulofpostar]

I use frontline, too. I used to use the much cheaper ones from a regular store, but they don't seem to work the greatest. It takes a couple weeks for them to really kick in and then just before it's safe to apply another dose, the fleas start showing up again.

With Frontline, it works super fast and if you apply when recommended, there doesn't seem to be an empty space in there where fleas can show up again. Best part is, I buy the same tube for the cats and can get several applications out of one tube for the same price (the vet recommended it...it's the same formula, just in different sized packages).

[luspikals]

I see...thank you for the information everyone. So, I'm looking to pay a bit less than $40 for the medicines since my dog is a lot smaller than Christys'. I'm taking my dogs in to get their vaccination tomorrow so I'll be sure to consult the vet about this. I'll pick up some of the Frontline while I'm at it. It's better to be prepared.

[oplapofffe]

As Christy said, you're better off paying a bit more and getting a product from your vet. Frontline is good against fleas and ticks and the 'combo' version also kills the immature stages of the flea as well thus breaking the breeding cycle. It is a P.O.M. so can't be bought from a pharmacy like the regular Frontline, can be bought on-line but you will need a prescription from your vet. There are a number of other good flea products but these would all be P.O.M. as well.

[luspikals]

I use spot on frontline, from the vets. It's quite expensive but far better in my opinion than anything you can buy in a pet shop. Never had any problems at all with fleas in the last 5 years using it.

I don't mind paying a bit more if it means getting rid of the irritating fleas. How long is this one good for?

I'll have to see if they have this at the vet the next time I bring my dogs in.

[Mymnnarry]

The vet can do that, other qualified people cannot eg. pharmacists and SQPs (suitaby Qualified Person's) as the usage would be deemed off label. To get the same treatment from anyone else other than a vet instead of saying you owned lots of cats you would have to tell them you owned a dog of so many kg to get the treatment. Most pharmaciss and SQPs wont see the animal that the treament is to be used on so they rely on the customer being honest and truthful about the animal(s) they are using it on, which you should be as overdosing is a risk, hence you cant pick it off the shelf yourself without answering some questions by someone trained to sell it.

Though saying that, I dont think it will be long before Frontline gets reclassified as an AVM-GSL(Authorised Veternary Medicine - General Sales List) medication so any retailer will be able to sell it as it has been out a long time now so there is lots of data backing up its safety.

[Nosmas]

I've just checked PetMeds (that's an affiliate link in case it looks weird), and you can get the Frontline Spot-on without a prescription, and they sell Frontline Combo - but for the Combo you have to provide your vets details for the prescription. A lot cheaper than my vet sells it though. They're also got Fiprospot which contains the same ingredient but is around 25% cheaper..... don't know as I'd trust a new name at this stage though.

Just bought my worming tablets whilst I was there anyway, was suprised they aren't prescription.

[nasxbrtyol]

I remember using a anti flea powder for my old dog before. It was called Shield Guard, not sure if that is a local brand or brand that might be available there too. We put that powder after our dog had taken a bath and on times when we are seeing fleas roaming on her fur. After several days the fleas are all gone (not sure how many days it takes but it works for her).

[Roker]

I have used two things in the past that I find very effective when dealing with fleas. One is a medicine purchased in the vet costing approximately $15-$20 (per dose) which is Bayer Advocate, two doses are usually good enough. Aside from treating mange, ticks, and fleas, it can also help in killing worms. Both my puppy (with mange) and dog (with tick and fleas) were treated with it, and those fleas just fell dead on the ground. They have it for different dog sizes and puppies ( some medicines aren't recommended for puppies less than 3 months).

The other one is the Bayer Tick and Flea soap. It's cheaper but it will take a couple of baths before they are fully eradicated. It took me approximately 4 baths where in the soap had to stay on the dog for 5 minutes before I could finally say the dog was tick and flea free.