Frontline or Avanticks

[Jonzjob]

We have been treating our chocky lab with Frontline for the past 4 years, almost. We were told somewhere along the line that after a while F/line became less effective. Can anyone let us know what the situation is with this and if it would be better for us to change over to Avantiks, or however it is spelled?

Any informed and serious advise would be greatly appreciated!! [:D]

[mint]

Don't know about informed and serious, Jonz.  Our French vet changed our dog to Advantix and so that's what we've been using.  Still got to physically grasp the buggers by their sac and anti-clockwise unscrew the damn things off the dog!

[Callie]

I've read on other threads that you must not use Advantix with a Scalibor collar.  Nothing better than regular checks every day to remove the little blighters.  None of the treatments are 100% tick proof but I am going to try Advantix for the first time as Frontline doesn't work very well.

[Jonzjob]

We haven't had any prolems so far with Frontline. She has not had any 'clamp ons' as yet and the only ticks that have come off her have been removed by wiping her with a towel when we get back to the car. My OH has had several on her when we have got back home!!! They don't seem to get at me, perhapse I'm just tooooo rich for them?

When I was in Singapore for 2 1/2 years I used to have to de-tick my 2 dogs every weeks, but they were born into the situation and no problems. This seems to be a completely different situation. We have also heard that some people with labs have had difficulties with Avantiks? This is what we are trying to find out, is there a problem with this product?

[Callie]

There are some people who don't get ticks - a couple of friends who work as foresters, one gets bitten the other never has ...  perhaps some animals are more susceptible than others?????

[Panda]

Hello

Frontline simply doesn't work on my dogs or cat any more, immunity has come from using the same active ingredients on crops so the vet says.  I use Advantixs (Avantage for the cat) and it's great, so far no issues at all and I am normally taking the cat for steroid injections by now as she systematically rids herself of fur every year in May and scratches until October.  She is 21 now so finding something that works is very important I don;t think she could stand another summer of skin issues bless her!

Panda

[Jonzjob]

Thank you for that Panda. When I was looking for some info on avantix I came across this. Has anyone ever heard of or used it?

http://www.onlynaturalpet.eu/product_info.php?pName=flea-tick-squeezeon-for-dogs-over-20kg&cName=flea-tick

[Suninfrance]

Frontline never worked on any of my cats (all six of them).  I'm now down to four cats, and comb them when they come in in the evening.  Mind you our little Tabs gave me a right run around last night, so I did her this morning.  No ticks but 6 fleas, then I just grabbed her again while she was sleepy and got another 9 off her.  Must be the warm damp weather.

We both check all cats every day, more than once and if any ticks are present we just unscrew them with the tool we got from the vets.  In fact, I've only found one tick amongst the four of them in this last week, whereas in previous weeks, that had at least one apiece.

Bedding gets washed every other day - I use IKEA fleeces as they wash well and dry quickly.  Between washes the furniture gets sprayed with a household flea  and tick spray.  The floors get sprayed once a week too for the fleas as they are wood with some gaps between the boards.

[Patf]

I alternate frontline and advantix with ours. Just hoping and praying it works as I've been very careful this last year.

I dread fleas, as we had an infestation once.  They were breeding in some floor rugs, which we burnt eventually.Where do they come from?

Sunin france - how do you manage to catch the fleas? As far as I remember they are too nippy to catch.

[Suninfrance]

How to Catch a Flea (before it catches you)

You have to be quick.  Joking aside, I have a fine comb which I picked up from a pet shop in Limoges.

1. Place towel on kitchen worktop
2. Place cat on towel.
3. Cuddle cat to give it a false sense of security
4. Dive in with the comb.
5. The fleas get caught on any cat hair that is combed out or between the teeth of the comb..
6. Pick flea off comb, roll it briefly in fingers
7. Place flea on a piece of white kitchen towel or kitchen paper, then squash the little ******* with either a thumbnail or the back of an old spoon (which should remain with the pet stuff and not put back into your cutlery drawer)
8. Pay particular attention to the neck, behind ears, under chin and base of tail (the cat that is)
9. After combing, feed cat favourite treat
10. Remove towel for washing and wipe down all surfaces with Dettol surface spray (I have a supply from England).
11. Have antiseptic cream and plasters to hand after this operation, just in case of severe lascerations from an unco-operative cat.

Cat will normally go off in a huff and not talk to you for a while, might even try and scratch or bite you - if that happens, let them go, but sneak up on them later and explain that it's a really good game.  Funnily enough, our Tabs used to hate it, but I think she now appreciates a good comb to get rid of the little itchers and her coat is lovely and soft for it.

[Jonzjob]

12. If said cat stil gets stroppy then practice drop kicking it and see how far you can get it down the garden. 10 points if you can get it to land feet first through the chain link fence and fall on it's back in the wet mud [6][6].

Don't like cats, but I have a very good cat-a-pult!!

[Just Chris]

I'd be interested to know what those who use Frontline (and say it doesn't work) expect in terms of ticks.

As I understand it, Frontline prevents any infection developing, but I have heard others say that a). the ticks just drop off over the course of time, and b). treated animals don't get ticks.  In our case the ticks still attach themselves to our treated cats, and we physically remove them in the prescribed way.  So far, there have been no adverse effects, and we've seen no fleas, either.

[suein56]

[quote user="Suninfrance"]

You have to be quick.  Joking aside, I have a fine comb which I picked up from a pet shop in Limoges.

1. Place towel on kitchen worktop

2. Place cat on towel.

3. Cuddle cat to give it a false sense of security

4. Dive in with the comb.

5. The fleas get caught on any cat hair that is combed out or between the teeth of the comb.
   [/quote]

I keep a mug of boiled water handy and immediately a flea is caught in the comb I plunge it in the mug with the result that the flea dies almost instantly with no need for me to do any squashing etc.

Sue

[Patf]

That's interesting about catching fleas, but I've never managed to catch one and hope I never have to. When we had the infestation I just sprayed and used a slow action bombe, left it spraying in the living room when we went to bed.

Frontline - It usually works up to now. I thought all it did was to kill any ticks that come onto the animal. We still pick them off but they're nearly dead. We don't expect frontline to stop ticks altogether.

[Suninfrance]

Ticks will drop off when they are full anyway, whether on not you use a product.   When removing the tick with the tool, you must remember to unwind it anticlockwse otherwise you risk leaving the head in and thereby causing infection.

As I said in a previous post, Frontline didn't work on any of my cats for ticks or fleas which is why they get a daily or twice daily comb.  I usually comb after I have given them a good stroking to see if there are any bumps which would normally be an embedded tick.  Then they get combed and this removes not just fleas, but the tiny ticks that haven't yet got a grip.

ALWAYS remember to wash your hands after de-ticking and de-fleaing. 

[mint]

My French neighbour (your typical crusty Farmer Giles type) doesn't believe in any of these "fancy" treatments.

He says to use dentifrice (toothpaste).  I use Advantix but, on the odd occasion when the tick has been near the dog's eyes, nose, etc, I have used toothpaste and, you know, the bu****s have dried up and then dropped off eventually.

I wouldn't depend on the toothpaste exclusively, however.

[sueyh]

Just to throw another spanner in the works.  We were advised to alternate between stronghold and advantix.  However, we have to use stronghold all the time on our Rhodesian Ridgeback as she has an on going battle with ear mites.

Suey

[Pierre ZFP]

So here's a really stupid question. 

If ticks are so nasty (and they are) and can give all sorts of problems for mammals of all sorts, is there a version of Frontline for Humans? 

I live in a rural area shared with deer, rabbits, you name it and so there must be ticks around.  Not been bitten so far (I think) but I don't want any of the possible consequenses if I am and I don't notice it untill it's too late

[Patf]

Not a stupid question.There are sprays for humans. I used to buy Tiq'Aouta which is supposed to protect against ticks and aoutats (another story). Now you can't get that but there's a product called Mousticologne, spécial tiques, which is supposed to protect against mosquitoes and ticks.  Made by Laboratoires Omega Pharma France.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

We've given up on the so called tick and flea repellant. They do not seem to work on our dogs (two Shetland Sheepdogs). We have tried another approach.

When we lived in Australia, we used to get our dogs shaved because of the excessive heat was too much for them with their thick coats. Since we have been here (this is our 3rd summer), we hadn't been saving them. This year we have. They are much healthier, happier and cooler as a result.

This has also made it easier to eliminate fleas. We bath them with head and shoulders shampoo which fleas hate every other week. Their short coats make it easier to find ticks (of which we haven't seen any this year on them) and of course it makes flea finding much, much easier.

They look a bit silly with their coats off, but it'll grow back by the time autumn comes and they will have a healthy and cool summer 99% flea free without the expensive flea and tick control that rarely seems to work.

[Jonzjob]

[quote user="Callie"]I've read on other threads that you must not use Advantix with a Scalibor collar.  Nothing better than regular checks every day to remove the little blighters.  None of the treatments are 100% tick proof but I am going to try Advantix for the first time as Frontline doesn't work very well.
[/quote]

I believe that the reason not to use the 2 together is that they both use the same stuff and there is a chance of overdosing the dog.

In a previous thread I remember reading that someone had said that one of the disadvantages with Advantix was that it was not waterproof. I have been looking at a load of sites on it and they state that Advantix is waterproof even after many baths or lots of swimming...