COMMON QUESTIONS
Flea & Tick Treatment
Flea infestations are unpleasant for you and your pets, and can take 3 months or more to resolve, so be patient. Follow our 5 steps to help resolve the problem:
1. Ensure all cats, dogs and flea-bearing pets in your home are continually treated with an appropriate product at the recommended intervals for at least 3 consecutive months.
2. Vacuum more often than usual – ideally daily - and include places your pet regularly visits, for example the car. The vibration caused by vacuuming helps to encourage pupae to hatch.
3. Regularly wash your pet's bedding at a minimum of 60°C.
4. Treat your home with a household flea spray containing an insect growth regulator (IGR), such as FRONTLINE HomeGard. Always read the instructions on the can before use.
5. Ensure your pets have access to all the same parts of the home that they usually do. Fleas present in those areas will be killed when they hop onto your treated pet.
For a more visual summary and some extra handy tips, watch our short video .
You must only ever use products on pet species that they have been specifically developed and licensed for. FRONTLINE Plus Cat can only be used on cats and ferrets; FRONTLINE Plus Dog can only be used on dogs; FRONTLINE Spot On Cat can only be used on cats and FRONTLINE Spot On Dog can only be used on dogs. Do not use on rabbits.
Once FRONTLINE Plus / FRONTLINE Spot on has been applied it is recommended to keep your pet out of the rain and away from watercourses for the next 48 hours. If they do come into contact with rain within this period, it is unlikely that your pet would have been wet enough for the product to be washed away. However, if your pet gets soaked to the skin then the efficacy of the treatment may be impaired and reapplication may be warranted. If this is the case, please contact your veterinary surgeon for advice.
FRONTLINE Plus and FRONTLINE Spot On have an exemplary safety profile and adverse reactions to the treatments are very rare. If you believe your pet has experienced any side effects after use of FRONTLINE Plus or FRONTLINE Spot On, please contact our technical services team at petsUK@boehringer-ingelheim.com, or your veterinary surgeon.
No product can repel fleas from jumping onto your pet so it is normal to continue to see fleas after treatment as your pet can pick up new fleas from the environment at any time. Moreover, if you are fighting a home infestation, it is highly likely that you will see fleas on your pet for 3 months or more as it can take this long to get rid of the infestation. If you have any concerns, please contact our technical services team at petsUK@boehringer-ingelheim.com, or your veterinary surgeon.
You can handle, stroke and cuddle your pet as usual as soon as the application site is dry. In the meantime treated animals should not be handled and children should not be allowed to play or sleep with them.
As with all licensed veterinary medicines, FRONTLINE Plus and FRONTLINE Spot On have undergone extensive safety evaluation. When used as directed, pets treated with FRONTLINE flea and tick treatments do not pose a health risk to children or adults. It is a recommended precaution that children or adults do not pet, play or sleep with treated animals until the application site is dry.
Both products kill fleas and ticks on your pet, however our most advanced formula FRONTLINE Plus also stops flea eggs from hatching and infesting your home.
Even if you have treated your pet for fleas, some fleas may still have time to lay eggs before dying. These eggs can develop into new fleas in as little as 14 days, therefore it is important to tackle flea eggs too. Most flea products only kill fleas on your pet. FRONTLINE Plus not only kills fleas and ticks on your pet, but also prevents flea eggs from hatching and infesting the home.
Once applied, FRONTLINE Plus / FRONTLINE Spot On is stored in the sebaceous glands in your pet's skin and spreads over the whole body surface with their natural oils. Fleas and ticks are killed through contact with your pet's skin and coat so they do not need to bite to be killed.
No, FRONTLINE Plus and FRONTLINE Spot On act topically which means that fleas and ticks are killed through contact with your pet's skin and coat so they do not need to bite to be killed.
Yes. Although the likelihood of your pets being affected by fleas decreases in the winter months, the shift in climate change has resulted in us experiencing milder winters, favouring the survival of fleas outdoors for much longer. Fleas also continue to develop indoors in homes thanks to central heating. Therefore, it’s important to keep protecting your pet throughout the year.
Yes. Even indoor-only pets can become exposed to fleas if an untreated pet visits your home or if you or a friend brings in flea eggs or cocoons on shoes or clothing.
Most tick treatments such as FRONTLINE Plus and FRONTLINE Spot On are not tick repellents therefore individual ticks may still attach to your pet. After treatment with FRONTLINE Plus / FRONTLINE Spot On ticks will be killed within 48 hours after exposure, before they are fully fed, thus helping to reduce the risk of disease transmission. If you have any concerns, please contact our technical services team at petsUK@boehringer-ingelheim.com, or your veterinary surgeon.
FRONTLINE Plus / FRONTLINE Spot On kills fleas by affecting their nervous system, making them hyperactive before dying. These dying fleas often rise to the top of the pet's coat and bounce, so if you feel like you may be seeing fleas more after treatment, it could actually be a sign that the product is working! If you have any concerns, please contact our technical services team at petsUK@boehringer-ingelheim.com, or your veterinary surgeon.
Yes. For dogs over 60 kg bodyweight, apply two pipettes of FRONTLINE Spot On Large Dog (20-40 kg).
Yes, FRONTLINE Plus / FRONTLINE Spot On can be used on any breed of cat and dog, including collies and other herding-breed dogs which can sometimes show a sensitivity to some parasite treatments.
FRONTLINE Spot On is licensed for use in pregnant and lactating cats and dogs. FRONTLINE Plus is licensed for use in pregnant cats and dogs, and lactating dogs.
Pet Hygiene
Shampoos can sometimes impair the efficacy of topical flea treatments. Make sure you always refer to the instructions of the flea control product. If you are using FRONTLINE Plus or FRONTLINE Spot On, you must wait at least two days after application of the flea treatment before shampooing and also ensure that your pet does not bathe or swim more often than once a week. FRONTLINE Pet Care Leave-in Foam and Daily Spritz can be used alongside flea and tick treatments, as long as you wait for 2 days after application of the parasite treatment.
We recommend to bathe up to once a month as necessary. If your dogs smell bad, if they scratch a lot, if their coat is dirty, dull or dusty, don’t hesitate to bathe them.
As cats groom themselves quite thoroughly every day, frequent bathing is not always necessary. But if their coat is dirty, dull, dusty or if your cat smells bad, don’t hesitate to bathe them.
Overweight or long hair cats might also need to be bathed more often as their self-grooming may not be as complete and thorough.
It is important to clean your pet's ears regularly. Use FRONTLINE Pet Care Ear Cleaner twice a month or as often as needed to keep your pet's ears clean. If in doubt, please refer to your vet's recommendation.
It is important to clean your pet's eyes regularly. Use FRONTLINE Pet Care Eye Cleaner as often as needed to keep your pet's eyes clean. If in doubt, please refer to your vet's recommendation.
All our products are suitable for puppies and kittens from two months of age and our range includes a Puppy & Kitten Shampoo with an extra-mild formulation.
FRONTLINE Pet Care products don't have expiry dates. However, they should be used within 12 months of opening.
Worm Control
It’s important that you don’t wait to see signs of worms or ill health before you worm your dog, and regular worming is part of responsible dog ownership to protect your pet, yourself and others. But how often you should worm will depend on a number of different factors.
Experts recommend treating dogs for intestinal worms at least four times a year. However, more frequent treatment may be required in certain cases, for example if you have children, if there are pregnant women, elderly or immunosuppressed individuals in the home or if your dog has had fleas.
Always follow the advice of your pet healthcare professional who can recommend the adequate frequency for your dog’s circumstances.
There are 4 common ways your dog can pick up intestinal worms:
1. By swallowing infected fleas while grooming
2. By ingesting worm eggs from a contaminated environment (toys, grass, soil, etc.)
3. By eating or scavenging carcasses of other infected animals (mice, rabbits, birds, etc.)
4. From the mother to her puppies, either across the placenta before they are born, or via her milk when nursing
You shouldn’t wait until you start seeing signs of worms as infections have to be quite severe before signs let you know there is a problem. Signs of worms can include weight loss, bloated tummy, diarrhoea, vomiting and scooting bottom along the ground but these are not specific to worm infections. Worm eggs are microscopic, but you might see worms (looking like spaghetti) or worm segments (looking like grains of rice) in your dog's stool or around their bottom.
Yes. People can get infected by some worm eggs present on their dog's fur or in the environment, which can cause serious diseases. Roundworm larvae can travel through the body and cause blindness in severe cases, especially in children. That is why it’s important to deworm your dog regularly, even if you can’t see any worms or your dog looks healthy. Regular deworming of your dog can help reduce the chance of this happening and help you protect your whole family.
No. Your dog can pick up worms at any time throughout the year. Worm eggs can survive in the environment for several years and infect your dog anywhere they explore.
VELOXA kills all common intestinal worms found in the UK: roundworms (ascarids, hookworms, whipworms) and tapeworms.
GET SOCIAL
Become a part of our friendly pet owner social network to chat about all things pet.
Contact FRONTLINE
Questions, comments or problems? Get in touch to see how we could help.