Review: Frontline Plus for Dogs Weighing 23 to 44 Pounds

Our Pitbull mix Max is a sensitive dog. He doesn't like to be given medicine. He doesn't like anyone to touch him except my husband and me, and only for wrestling, pets, hugs and kisses. As you will see in the video review below, Max wasn't too pleased about being the flea medicine recipient. He has to receive the flea treatment no matter what, and what better example of how easy or difficult a product is to use than testing it on a difficult pet?

We don't know Max's history. He literally walked up our front porch steps one summer day a year ago, made friends with our older and large dog Roscoe, and he's been in our family since. The veterinarian believes Max is 2-years-old. We cope with his fears and sensitivities like we would that of any family member, human or animal.


We treat our cat and dogs, wash pet and people bedding, vacuum and treat the environment on the same day. If the dogs continue to have fleas after these steps are done, we assume the Frontline Plus for Dogs has failed.

Frontline Plus for Dogs containing fipronil 9.8 percent and S-methoprene 8.8 percent should be used on dogs and puppies 8 weeks or older. The liquid insecticide for dogs 23-44 lbs is available as 1.34 ml applicators. The product is sold in with 3 doses, which lasts 3 months. The retail price for this product ranges from $38.99 to $53.74, depending where you purchase. The product is available at retail and online stores.

Hound and Home gives this product 3.5 stars based on past and current results, and because the same ingredients can be applied easier with the PetArmor Plus for Dogs applicator.

How to Apply Frontline Plus for Dogs

I like to shave a small section of fur so that the spot-on treatment is certain to be absorbed into my dog's skin. If the product is placed on dense fur, it will not be absorbed properly and more likely to fail.

Place the applicator tip through your dog's fur, to the skin, between his or her shoulder blades. Apply the entire contents of the applicator. Use only one applicator per treatment.

Frontline Plus for Dogs Ingredients

Frontline Plus for Dogs is made by the pharmaceutical company Merial. It contains an insect growth regulator called S-methoprene that kills flea eggs and larvae. It is also effective against all life stages of the brown dog tick, the American dog tick, the deer tick and the lone star tick.

Frontline Plus for Dogs Benefits

There are five key benefits to using this product:

1. Kills fleas on your pet within 12 hours
2. One dose provides protection for one month
3. It aids in the control of sarcoptic mange infections
4. It is waterproof
5. Kills ticks and chewing lice

How Frontline Plus for Dogs Works

Frontline Plus contains fipronil, an insecticide that disrupts the central nervous system of fleas and ticks. It causes paralysis and death. The product also contains S-Methoprene, an insect growth regulator that kills flea eggs and larvae. These active ingredients are applied as a spot-on and enter your pet's bloodstream via the skin. The active ingredients are stored in your pet's sebaceous glands, which are small skin glands that secrete a lubricating oil (sebum) into the hair follicles to lubricate the skin and fur.

Side Effects and Warnings

Your dog may experience temporary irritation at the site of the spot-on application. While our larger dogs don't, our small dogs do have redness and irritation after application. If the irritation becomes more severe following application, consult your veterinarian immediately.

Wait 24 hours to for the flea treatment to fully dry before allowing your dog to swim or bathe. Do not reapply for 30 days.

This product is for external use on dogs and puppies only. It will kill cats or kittens (Merial makes a separate flea treatment for felines). Frontline Plus is approved for use on breeding, pregnant, or nursing animals. Ask your veterinarian before using this product on dogs taking medication or dogs that are using other pesticide products, or on debilitated or aged animals.

Frontline Plus is harmful to humans if swallowed or absorbed through the skin. It can also cause eye injury. Call a physician or poison control center for advice. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling, or wear gloves.

To dispose of the used product, wrap original container in layers of newspaper and throw in the trash. Keep out of the reach of children and pets.

Flea Control Tips

It is important to treat all pets in your household for fleas at the same time, as well as vacuum carpets, wash pet and human bedding, and treat the outside of your home. It's a lot of work, but if everything is done the same day, you should be flea free within a day or two. Since the flea treatment lasts only 30 days, you will need to repeat these steps monthly.

Review: PetArmor Plus Flea, Tick Treatment for Dogs

In Georgia, where the fall and winter months are warmer than other parts of the U.S., the battle against fleas is year round. Our family has used many flea control products over the years. Our search for a superior, no-fail product continues.

Our Papillon Lucy and Shih Tzu mix Shelby help test PetArmor Plus for Dogs and puppies weighing 4 to 22 pounds. It is advertised to kill fleas, ticks and chewing lice for up to 30 days. It's waterproof. It contains the same squeeze-on active ingredients fipronil and (s)-methoprene found in more expensive products, such as Frontline Plus.

PetArmor Plus for Dogs cannot be used on cats; it will kill cats.

What I especially like about this flea treatment is the applicator. Each product package contains three doses, or three applicators. You clip off the top portion of the applicator with scissors, which is marked with a line, and simply apply the dose to your dog between his or her shoulder blades.

I use an electric shaver to shave a section of fur to ensure the liquid flea treatment reaches the skin. The product must be absorbed through the skin -- into your dog's bloodstream -- to work.

Hound and Home gives PetArmor Plus for Dogs 4 stars because it is more affordable than other brands, works just as well as more pricey brands, and is easy to use. The reason it did not earn 5 stars is because we've had failure with the product in the past, though infrequent.

What PetArmor Plus for Dogs Kills

The product's formula kills the following pests:

• Adult fleas, and flea eggs and larvae for up to 12 weeks
• Ticks that may transmit Lyme disease
• Mites that may cause sarcoptic mange
• Deer ticks
• Dog ticks, including American dog ticks and lone star ticks

PetArmor Plus for Dogs by Weight

The product comes in four different doses for the following dog weights:

1. 4-22 lbs
2. 23-44 lbs
3. 45-88 lbs
4. 89-132 lbs

Why Flea Treatments Fail

We have used this product in the past with varying results. It works most of the time, and I believe the success is because we treat all of our pets at the same time and the environment. We wash our dogs a day before, apply the flea treatment to all four dogs at the same time, and also buy a separate flea treatment product for cats to apply to our cat Cash. We vacuum the carpet, treat the carpet with a flea spray, and mop our hardwood floors. We wash pet bedding and our own bedding as the smaller dogs tend to sleep with us. It's a major chore, but if everything is done the same day, you'll have success.

The product has failed, though infrequently, and I believe the reason was that we did not follow all of the steps outlined in the paragraph above. Also, if you apply the spot-on liquid without making sure it reaches your dog's skin, it will not be absorbed and therefore not work. Dog breeds with thick coats, like Golden Retrievers and Alaskan Malamutes, are especially challenging. I recommend that you shave a small section of the fur between his or her shoulder blades and apply the flea treatment there so you know it is absorbed through the skin.   

Lastly, the flea medicine could be expired, causing it to fail. Be sure to check the expiration date on the flea control product.

Have you used PetArmor Plus for Dogs? What has been your experience? Share your thoughts and experience in the comment section below. 

PetArmor FastCaps Nitenpyram Flea Medicine Review

In our household of four dogs and one indoor/outdoor cat, the battle against fleas rages all year. In 2015, the fleas have been especially difficult to get rid of since Georgia has had only two frosts and our winter temperatures, so far, have been mostly around 60 and 70 degrees. The fleas are thriving outdoors, which brings up another important fact -- if you can afford to treat the outside of your home for fleas, you should as part of the overall flea control plan.

I've had animal companions my entire life, and I have tried flea baths, flea collars, flea bombs, pest control professionals, topical flea treatments, flea medication tablets and more over the years. I no longer use unsafe methods like flea bombs, but I have not found an infallible flea control method. My research into less toxic flea control options continues.

A recent fail using a topical product for cats and dogs that provides flea and tick control for 30 days led me to try a new product. At a chain retailer I found PetArmor FastCaps, which has an active ingredient called Nitenpyram. Nitenpyram is a fast acting, orally administered flea treatment that is absorbed into the blood of your dog or cat and is quickly ingested via blood by feeding fleas. It is the same ingredient used in the veterinarian recommended drug Capstar.

FastCaps offers Nitenpyram in 57.0 mg tablets for dogs over 25 pounds. There are tablets for smaller dogs and cats as well.

The box of FastCaps reads, "Begins working within 30 minutes." Sold! I was so excited that I purchased two of the products, one dose for our two large dogs, Roscoe and Max, and our two small dogs, Shelby and Lucy, and Cash, our cat.

The product directions read, "A single does of FastCaps tablest should kill the adult fleas on your pet." It is important to realize the flea eggs will not be killed by the product, so you will need to shampoo your pets. wash bedding, vacuum carpets, mop your floors and treat the environment.

I wrapped the FastCaps tablet in cheese. Max was the only dog who spit out the pill. I waited a few minutes, hid the pill inside a piece of hotdog, and Max swallowed it whole. Administering this flea tablet to dogs is rather easy.

Our cat Cash was a different story. Cash is not the kind of cat you can open his mouth and place a pill in his throat -- you would be risking life and limb! I hid the crumbled tablet mixed in his cat food. He ate only a small portion. We have concluded it is best to use a topical flea treatment for Cash, however, this product may work well in more cooperative kitties.

Side Effects

Lucy, our Papillon, had unusual excitability. She could not sit still. This lasted nearly two hours after she was given the FastCaps tablet.

No other side effects noted in Roscoe, Max or Shelby.

Result

The product claims to achieve greater than 90 percent effectiveness against adult fleas on dogs within 4 hours and cats within 6 hours. The first time we used the tablets, our dogs had noticeable relief in about four to five hours -- no sooner.

To effectively counter flea infestation, I know that I must get the fleas out of our home and off our property. We did not call a professional exterminator because we had hoped winter frost would kill the fleas outside. Inside our home, I vacuumed the furniture, rugs, carpeting and mopped floors. I sprayed the carpet with a veterinarian recommended pesticide spray, which required that the room be closed off until the spray was dry.

I washed the bedding, including human bedding, and shampooed Lucy and Shelby. I would have shampooed Roscoe and Max but they ran and once I cornered each one, the wrestling match ended in a loss for me. Later, I took both boys outside on the deck for a good brushing, which I hoped would get rid of the flea eggs.  

According to veterinarians, for best results, you must use a flea treatment exactly as directed beginning in the spring, through summer and going into winter. Your animal companion is more likely to remain free of fleas.

The PetArmor FastCaps, combined with the home flea treatment and grooming, was a success. Re-infestation is inevitable, but the period of time between dosing is unknown and likely varies depending on the pet's environment. The product manufacturer claims you can give another dose as often as once per day.

FastCaps tablets are safe for use in dogs, puppies, cats and kittens that weigh 2 pounds or more, and are 4 weeks of age or older. The tablets are also safe for pregnant and breeding dogs and cats.

PetArmor FastCaps are made in France and manufactured for Sergeant's Pet Care Products, Inc. in Omaha, Nebraska. The tablets are available for purchase at chain and online retailers.

Have you used PetArmor FastCaps tablets for your dog or cat? Share your experience in the comment section below.