Frontline - NOT AT ALL SAFE - Page 1

I just researched the safety of Frontline for pregnant bitches (supposedly "safe" according to the manufacturers and most vets) and ran accross an important article dog owners and breeders should read to know what they are actually giving their dogs. Conclusion: Frontline and other "spot on" flea treatments are grossly dangerous for dogs AND especially for pregnant bitches. The active ingredients in Frontline produce cancer, organ damage, nervous system damage, reproductive damage and skin problems. How is that "safe"? these products kill the ticks AFTER it attaches to the dog, so it doesn't really protect them against Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Erlichia, which are the diseases owners are trying to avoid. These diseases are easily treated with doxycycline, which is an antibiotic with minimun side effects compared to the "prevention". Best to avoid ticks if possible, but the "prevention" may be worse than the disease...Link: http://www.homevet.com/petcare/documents/fleachemfin.pdf

I have used Frontline in the past, although would NEVER use it on a pregnant bitch. I never had any problems with it. I know many people that have used it regularly with no problem. That said, every medication, internal and external that can be used, can have side effects, or contraindications. My understanding of how it works, is that it stays in the skin layer and is emitted through the hair follicles/oil glands. The fleas and ticks don't necessarily have to bite to get a dose of the drug. Theresa

I use Frontline for all of my dogs, save for one (1) bitch who did have a "possible" reaction to it. For her I use Revolution without any problems. With that said, I do use Revolution on a bitch who is expecting a litter from that end until after she finishes weaning the litter. For puppies I only use Revolution until they are at least six (6) months old. Which is safer? For expectant and nursing mothers plus their puppies my choice is Revolution. But, it is my experience that it is not as effective for fighting ticks. It does just as well for fleas, however. Bob-O

It is when I read stuff like this that I am greatful to be in Alaska. I remember the daily battle against fleas and ticks when I was in the South. We do not even have fleas and ticks here. Veronica

All, What is your opinion on heartworm medications? Which one in your mind is most effective and safest for both pregnant bitches and non pregnant?

I've been using products like Defend and Frontline for as long as they have been out and NEVER had any problems with them. I prefer not to use anything on pregnant or nursing girls, even if they are labeled safe. I have used Defend in the past and never had issues. Frontline translocates from hair follicle to hair follicle and does kill before the bite, I've seen dead fleas and ticks on a dog after an application, tick not attached or engorged.. A tick has to be attached for at least 24 hours before it can do damage and it will be dead long before that. I have seen animals with awful cases of flea bite dermatitis and puppies and kittens and adult cats absolutely dying of "fleas" as we used to put it. As far as tick borne diseases, Erlichia is extremely dangerous and has killed and I've had animals contract both Lyme disease and Rocky mountain spotted fever all before I had started topical application for the season..both of these have made them very sick with temperatures of 105 and lotsof joint pain. You can easily get 3 months out of a Frontline applichation for fleas and it has worked longer for me for ticks as welland that is with batheing and swimming .. here in the insect infested South. That aricle has a 2002 date on it, I'd love to see more recent documentation... As for heartworm preventation. most HW products are in and out of the dogs system within 12 hours and certainly a dose of heartworm infestation and resultant treatment protocol (which can kill the dog if the heartworms don't first) is a lot worse!! Again, you can stretch out your treatments and dose infrequently .. I do it about every 6 weeks , have a friend who does it every 2 months. It takes 6 months from the time a dog was bitten by an infected mosquito for them to grow..... I don't use anything like I said before on pregnant girls but I have in the past.....never any problems

As far as a heartworm preventative, I use Interceptor before, during, and throughout the production of a litter and there are apparently no ill effects. It is the only one that I use, and of course there are others out there. I think we all agree that it would be great to raise our dogs and puppies without the use of pesticides such as flea, tick, and heartworm preparations, but most of us live in areas where these pest represent a problem. Bob-O

I started using Spot-On in 1970 and never saw one adverse reaction in any of my dogs. At that time it was only approved for large animals, it came in a gallon container and you had to recalculate the dosase, use an empty syringe and apply it to the dog's back in a stripe. It is now available formulated for dogs, sold under the brand name of Bio-Spot. Never one flea or tick on 30, 35 dogs. I didn't use it on pg bitches. The thing to remember with flea prevention and treating for fleas is that in time the fleas will develope a resistance to the pesticide being used and then you will need to look for something different. No one product/pesticide is going to work indefinitely for flea prevention; they are bionic and soon mutate into a strain that is no tkilled by the pesticide they have been exposed to for years. I am not in a heavy flea or tick area, so Bio-Spot might not work well for every dog in every environment. I will not give an oral med to prevent flea or tick infestation; I believe that cure is worse than the disease. I fed my dogs caracide for h'worm preventative; that was all we had at one time. It was given DAILY starting one month before the mosquito season and ending one month after the first killing frost. It was a very bitter liquid and even some of the heartiest eaters took their time eating it. It was also available in tablet form. No heartworms in any of my dogs and most were kennel dogs back then. Now I give Blitz ivermectin paste once a month, but some research seems to show that bi-monthly ivermectin treatments are adequate to prevent h'worms. I no longer use flea collars although some do seem to help repel fleas. I've had dogs with contract dematitis caused by flea collars (especially if they get wet) and a friend lost a dog that ate a flea collar from the neck of its kennel mate.

K-9 Advantix repels ticks also. I'm in NC, my dogs spend a great deal of time out swimming, running through the woods, etc. and stay inside at night with us. I've gotten 2 ticks off of me and my husband, and several off the dogs. I like the Advantix because it does act as a repellant. I used Frontline for years, but still got ticks in the house from the dogs.

The only thing I have ever used on my cats and dogs is Sergeant's flea and tick spray. Works great!