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Would someone mind posting the dose for Frontline again? I had it written down but I lost the little paper between their last dose of winter and now. I didn't need it for their first dose this spring because I had gotten "Welcome puppy" packs from my vet for both Ted and Lynn that I hadn't used yet - I just used those this time since now everyone but Zhi is the same size.

 

I did a search for the thread that discusses it and just can't find it anywhere. Thanks!

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I can't remember how many dogs you have anymore (heh) but what I do is just get the largest size and split it by eyeball three ways for mine. There is obviously a huge dosage range (given that the size "large" is for dogs 89-132 pounds) so I figure there's really no way to be "off."

 

ETA: I just counted the names in your signature -- if I were you I'd just get the three month pack for the biggest dogs and split it up amongst the ten of them. Zhi would only need a teeny tiny dab.

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As Melanie said, the biggest dose divided three ways does three "average" Border Collies. That works out to 1.34 ml per dog at the 22-44# size range.

 

That's very successful here for me but it might not be where fleas or ticks are more resistant.

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1.34 ml was what I was looking for! Thanks! I just needed the dose because I use a syringe to pull it up. Because I've also got rescues here, it doesn't come out even (thanks for trying though Melanie!).

 

Hmm. I need to update my sig . . .

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I, too, have not had a problem when we have visited VA, NC, MD, etc., and have only used the recommended dose on my dogs - that's even been when we have been in places with heavy tick populations. While the dogs did pick up a half-dozen each, we either found them fast or they seemed to have died pretty quickly in general.

 

For some reason, where we are here in WV, I really don't generally need either flea or tick preventative - we've only gotten fleas one year, some years ago, when both my son's dog and my daughter's dog (an older BC with a rather compromised immune system, and I don't know if that had anything to do with it) brought fleas into our house. Ticks are not an issue here, either - Megan is the only one who has every gotten any, and the very few of those have been on her face (from sticking her nose into woodchuck holes), while that same dog of our son's would get ticks on occasion. We did not have problems living in Southern Tier NY, either, although it was a very cold part of NYS up on the Allegany Plateau.

 

I just read so many posts by people here talking about the tremendous flea and tick problems elsewhere, and resistance to Frontline Plus that some folks seem to experience, that I wondered if the normal dose was sufficient where Becca is.

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I do the split thing also. But being in heavy tick area I've found that it will stop working before we hit the 3 month mark. It works for fleas (haven't seen them for years) but I'll start to find ticks that aren't quite dead on them after about 1 month of application.

 

I also find dead ticks by evening but then I'll find some that aren't dead and don't seem to be dying. I was thinking that those ticks just got attached before I found them.

 

I tickpick nightly on the BC's and anytime I find myself petting the LGD's. We're in heavy tick season now with the grass being long. It gets better as it gets warmer. So I find myself picking when I'm just petting. I've gotten pretty good at being able to pick a tick with one hand while driving. You have to make sure you pick it off the same way it went in and you get the head still attached. If you pick it aiming a different way, the head will stay in.

 

I HATE TICKS!

Kristen

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I've found that it will stop working before we hit the 3 month mark

 

I apply every four weeks or one month when I'm using the Frontline Plus, which is what is recommended for tick control and for flea control when there is "high risk of reinfestation or flea dermatitis". That's probably why you are seeing it become less effective after a month.

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I do every month because the dogs swim so much and we do have plenty of ticks here. Plus, since we moved here we have had periodic flea problems - the people who lived here before don't seem to have bothered with flea control on their three dogs. The first year we had a horrible outbreak that took all summer and multiple directions of attack to control (spraying floors, frequent vacuuming and treatment of all furniture, elimination of dog beds, treatment of dogs with both Program and Frontline Plus). Last year we just had a couple outbreaks that we easily controlled with a dose of Program in addition to Frontline, and I had to spray once too.

 

We have unsealed wood floors, which may be the second worst for insect problems (the worst being high pile carpets, of course).

 

Thanks Mark, that's the exact information I was looking for.

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  • 1 month later...
We just did ours last night. The minimum dose is 0.0306 mL/lb of body weight. The concentration of active ingredient is the same in all dose sizes (dog weight range).

 

Mark

 

Mark - So what I am figuring out here is that using the 1.34 mL dose as labelled for a 22-44# dog (following label directions), a person is giving the "minimum" dose to the 44# dog and about a double dose (twice the rate per pound of dog) to the 22# dog.

 

That would seem to imply to me that it would be safe to give a double dose (2.68 mL) to a 44# dog. That says nothing about whether or not that double dose would be any more effective and, if it were not, then it would be a waste of money but, if it were more effective, would it be worthwhile? After all, following label directions, most of us would be giving dosages closer to the minimum recommended per pound of dog rather than the maximum (assuming most Border Collies would fall into the 35-44# range). One vet tech told me that giving a double dose (using one size applicator larger than labelled) is the norm for her now.

 

Could that have anything to do with issues people are seeing about effectiveness or lack thereof? Or, if fleas have developed some resistance, would a stronger dose be likely to have an added beneficial effect?

 

As you can see, fleas have been a recent concern for me although, after talking with my vet office today, I am feeling a bit better about our situation and whether or not it is under control. (I posted about that issue in another topic.)

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I do the split thing also. But being in heavy tick area I've found that it will stop working before we hit the 3 month mark. It works for fleas (haven't seen them for years) but I'll start to find ticks that aren't quite dead on them after about 1 month of application.

 

Hi Kristen,

Frontline is only effective for tick control for one month; the three-month application cycle is for fleas. I HATE TICKS, too--but guess what? When you move to Colorado, you won't have to worry about them much anymore :rolleyes:

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I'm working on it as fast as I can!

I loaded the some sheep and the Al the llama this morning at 8am. The humidity is so bad I came in a sweaty mess. I think low humidity is about as exciting as less ticks.....Yes....I"m hyped and ready!

Kristen

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Sue,

As far as I know Merial has never recommended higher quantities of its product if the effectiveness is not what you'd expect--instead they recommend more frequent application of the regular dose amount (i.e., every 2-3 weeks rather than every 4 weeks). I don't know what the difference would be metabolically for the dog, but I would worry that too much on them at one time could either cause a health problem or just be a waste of product (and $$) by not conferring any added protection.

 

J.

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Thank you, Julie! I have heard of people applying more often but I just wondered about the dosage since it is twice as much per pound of body weight at the lower end dog weight of each applicator as it is at the top end.

 

You Southern women are much stronger than I am about this - I've been spoiled by having fleas only once here and, as the population was not previously exposed to treatments, Advantage or Frontline just knocked them out right away.

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