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Does an allergy to Frontline mean a field day for the Ticks??


Rustic-Rocker
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Our Labrador Luke was allergic to Frontline when we tried it on him a few years ago and, as we are planning to move to the promised land shortly, we have been reading up on pet related items (among other things) and come on the problem everyone seems to be having with the ticks.

Has anyone else had a similar problem with Frontline and if so how did they get around it? Is the French version of Frontline the same as the English? What are the alternatives and how good are they in comparison? Our Collie Ben seems ok with potion but will his thick undercoat be more of a problem to the ticks or us, that is, should we give him a short back and sides to make it easier to find the little blighters??  

Alternatively we could stay in the UK and see if we could find a shepherds hut in the Highlands to renovate thats near our price range.

Any advice, facts or opinions would be greatfully received.

PS. Ayone heard of Prac-Tic by Novartis, is it as good as Frontline???

Adrian & Penny

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I can also confirm that the scalibor collar is the best (and easiest option).  My two dogs have had one on since April and we have only had one small tick since then which was probably my fault as the collar was on too loosly.  My understanding is that the collar has to fit fairly snugly to be most effective.  Prior to this my deerhound was very prone to ticks, I think because they could get a purchase on his rough coat.  My braque (german short-haired pointer) however has never had a tick before or after the collar and I am assuming this is because she is smooth haired and they can't get a hold on to her fur.  We bought ours from the local pharmacy who also do some dog medicaments.  They were cheaper than anyone else and very efficient.  We ordered the collars late one afternoon and they were in stock by the lunch time of the next day.  The collars last for six months.
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We have collies and confirm that the special collar is useful. However the main thing is to check them daily. We do it in the evening as a matter of routine. If you catch the ticks early they are less likely to pass on any infection. Also keep the grass short around the house.
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Thanks for the info, I have been checking up on what they put into these things and the collar looks favourite, I like the idea of it lasting six months. Do you have any trouble finding the the ticks through the collie's thick coat? Ours has an undercoat like a mat! Still, they will both love the extra attention.
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Please be aware that not all tick treatments aare recognised by DEFRA.  We tried to bring ur dog home 18 months ago having used Stronghold and the port staff would not let us out of the country as Stronghold is not recognised, even though our vets in England and France had said it was fine. We had to stay for an extra 24 hours and it cost us a lot of cash to get it sorted, i.e. emergency call out vet on a Sunday, hotel bills etc.

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We have used frontline for the past two years but at a recent visit to the vets he recommended Prac-tic, saying that it was new and that ticks were becoming immune to the frontline.  We have dosed our dog once with the Prac-tic and he hasn't had any ticks that we are aware of this year.  However, he probably already had a build up of the frontline in his system as we dose every month from spring onwards. 
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We have a friend who's daughter works for a vet and she said that Prac-Tic was new and supposed to be better than Frontline; sounds as though it will do the trick. We going to try Advantix first as we had ordered it before we heard about Prac-Tic but it seems as though theres a fair sellection including the collar, although that doesn't sound too bad as a first choice. 

The emergency week-end call out for the vet could make your wallet gasp, they can do a fair impression of a wounded bull where charging is concerned without any excuses. Ours charged £7.50 + vat for a signature on a prescription form, which is illegle. We checked to see if he stocked Advantix, but he didn't and couldn't get it in small quantities so we ordered on line but they required a prescription. He got around it by calling it a 'Medicine Decision Fee' on the invoice, even though there was no consultation. The treatment is non toxic and does not conflict with any drugs and the receipt was attached to the prescription form, which was already filled out, showing that it was bought and paid for.

We have been with the practice for five years and always paid on the nail, even when the charges were, to say the least, enthusiastic. Like when the Luke was bitten on the back by another dog, five minutes in the sergery, an injection and a course of antibiotics....£110!!

Strictly speaking he can get probably away with charging an MDF even though there is no justification, but we may drop a line to the RCVS to see if it brings any results. Fortunately we have not yet done the Pet Passports so, needless to say he should enjoy his £7.50 as he will not get the opportunity to enjoy any more of our money.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Sounds like good Novartis propaganda.  Although I no longer work in Animal Health I've just had a look at Prac-tic and the active is pyriprole a chemical with the same mode of action as fipronil (Frontline).  Although it is possible that it is more active than fipronil at the doses used there should be no difference in tick control.  It seems unlikely that it would control any ticks resistant to Frontline any better than fipronil itself.  If a dog is allergic to Frontline I would think that it will also be allergic to Prac-tic (collies in particular have this problem).  The collars suggested above are just deltamethrin (an old insecticide) which isn't that good against ticks.  Advantix is a good product from Bayer containing imidocloprid but if you want long term protection against ticks then I would suggest you find a collar contining amitraz - and old product but with the unique property of making ticks detatch and fall off the dog.
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We use Advantix on our dogs and have never had a tick on either of them and one was very prone to ticks before we started on the Advantix.  If you have a cat, don't use Advantix on the dog if the cat licks the dog!!  Advantix is very poisonous to cats.
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