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Here in south Florida you can have year round parasites like fleas, even some ticks. My dogs have rarely had either, just an occasional flea. With a flea bath and an application of Frontline Plus, problem solved.
However this year we have had a regular flea problem despite multiple flea baths, spraying of the yard, even direct applications of Frontline Plus which is suppose to last a full month.
While at the vet yesterday, he said that he believes Frontline has become less effective, especially in the south due to fleas building up an immunity to the chemical that is in the product to kill them.
Anyone else heard of this or experienced a reduction in the ability/effectiveness of Frontline?
Also he recommended a chewable called NexGard which he says will wipe out fleas and ticks within a couple of days, and one tablet lasts a month. I am not crazy about giving my dog something to ingest that kills fleas for fear of possible health concerns. The stuff is also very expensive, though Frontline is not cheap either.
Anyone else have those concerns or are using it with results (good or bad)?
I don't know about a specific brand (such as Frontline) losing its efficacy; however, I had read somewhere a while back about some flea and tick products no longer working as well because of the parasites building up a resistance. In the years that I've used Sentinel on my dog, twice now (the summer of 2014 and again this past summer) my dog wound up with fleas even though he was on the product. In fact, in 2014 it became a battle of the fleas, as they were very resistant and it was extremely difficult to eradicate them, something I've never seen before. In past years, my dog(s) never showed any signs of picking up a flea while being treated.
So, is there truth to the suggestion that fleas are building up an immunity, or is it simply that owners aren't treating their dogs properly, as has also been suggested? I do tend to believe that the former is the case. I've always treated my pets in the same manner when it comes to fleas and other parasites, yet in the past couple of years, simply treating the pet and not worrying about an infestation just doesn't seem to work. (btw, for the really bad infestation that happened a couple of years ago, I wound up having to bathe him every few days with a homemade flea shampoo that actually worked extremely well at killing the living fleas on his body. This, combined with intense cleaning of bedding, rooms, and every place in the house that the dog went, along with Sentinel, finally did the trick.)
As for NexGard, afraid I've had no experience with that product...
A few years back I was sitting in the waiting room of my vet's office, and read an article that said the same winds/huricanes that bring African sands to Florida, also brought their species of flea, which are true mercenaries compared to the American versions.
With that said, yes, we had quite the battle with them this year, and with no cold snaps to help pull the numbers down, it's a constant fight. We use Frontline too, and it only lasts about 3 weeks, not the full 4.
Like you Vector, I'm not feeding my dog a poison if I don't have to.
Last edited by TerraDown; 11-21-2015 at 08:45 AM..
Yes. We learned a couple of years ago that previously effective Frontline no longer works on our pets. At the behest of our much trusted vet we switched to Advantix for dogs and Advantage fo indoor cats. They are still working so far.
My dog rarely has fleas but got them few months ago and it was not good. In the past, frontline or advantix worked great. This year Advantix II had no effect on the fleas. I also took my dog to the vet who suggested oral medication but I refused due to the same concern you have.
I have read reports that fipronil (Frontline, Pet Action Plus, Pet Armor, Sentry Fipro-guard, etc.) is losing effectiveness, but I still use it and so far it still works for my dogs. Many topicals lately use imidicloprid as the active ingredient, so perhaps they will work better, for now anyways.
Years ago stopped using it for several reason and went with K9 Advantex.
One reason- the K9 was more effective for fleas when we moved when then living in Virginia.
Final reason was one of my dogs came down with Lyme disease.
While Frontline kills the ticks, it does not repell ticks to start with. The tick may bite but still the Lyme disease is carried.
Have not had fleas or ticks since, which includes our move now to Maine. Adding also- it repels mosquitos as well.
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