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:
- 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.
- 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.
- Regularly wash your pet's bedding at a minimum of 60°C.
- 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.
- 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; FRONTLINE® Spot On Dog can only be used on dogs and FRONTLINE Tri-Act® FOR DOGS can only be used on dogs. Do not use any FRONTLINE® treatment on rabbits.
The easy-to-use spray can be used throughout your home, on non-washable furniture and home textiles such as carpets, rugs, mats, sofas and armchairs, and in your car if your dog goes in there too. One 1.3 second spray treats 1m2 in your home. Use sparingly on wooden or glossy surfaces to avoid spotting. Leave the area and do not re-enter until at least 1 hour after treatment or until treated areas are dry, and allow the area to air.
Once FRONTLINE Plus® / FRONTLINE Tri-Act® / 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®, FRONTLINE Tri-Act® 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 adverse reactions after use of FRONTLINE Plus®, FRONTLINE Tri-Act® or FRONTLINE® Spot On, please contact our technical services team at petsUK@boehringer-ingelheim.com, or your veterinary surgeon.
The expiry date is located on the side of the outer packaging, on the pipette foil at the bottom and on the pipette itself. At the time of manufacture FRONTLINE Plus®, FRONTLINE Tri-Act® and FRONTLINE® Spot On have a shelf life of 3 years, although typically less than this will be remaining at the point of purchase. Please do not use any product beyond its expiry date. The expiry date refers to the end of the indicated month.
If you can still see fleas on your pet after treating them, it would be natural to think that the treatment isn’t working. However, 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. Don't worry, if you see fleas for several days in a row, today's flea is not the one you saw yesterday. Your treated pet is a flea-killing machine and any fleas jumping on will be killed within 24 hours with FRONTLINE Plus® and FRONTLINE® Spot On, or within 6 hours with FRONTLINE Tri-Act®. 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®, FRONTLINE Tri-Act® 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.
There are no known health risks associated with applying FRONTLINE Plus or FRONTLINE Spot On to your pet during pregnancy. As a general rule it is good practice to avoid direct contact with any chemicals during pregnancy.
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. FRONTLINE Tri-Act® FOR DOGS kills fleas in 6 hours, before they have time to lay eggs - resolving the flea egg problem altogether!
Once applied, FRONTLINE Plus® / FRONTLINE Tri-Act® / 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, in fact no product stops fleas from jumping onto pets. However, fleas are killed after contact with your treated pet: within 24 hours for FRONTLINE Plus® and FRONTLINE® Spot On and within 6 hours for FRONTLINE Tri-Act®.
No, FRONTLINE Plus®, FRONTLINE Tri-Act® 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.
Yes, FRONTLINE Tri-Act® FOR DOGS can be used on any breed of dog, including collies and other herding-breed dogs which can sometimes show a sensitivity to some parasite treatments.
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. FRONTLINE Tri-Act® FOR DOGS is a tick repellent which means ticks will climb onto your dog and then quickly climb off due to the exposure to the product. You may see some ticks on your treated dog during this time, or during the 6 hours it takes for the product to kill ticks. If you have any concerns, please contact our technical services team at petsUK@boehringer-ingelheim.com, or your veterinary surgeon.
No, FRONTLINE Tri-Act® can only be used on dogs.
FRONTLINE Plus® / FRONTLINE Tri-Act® / 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! However, if you have any concerns, please contact our technical services team at petsUK@boehringer-ingelheim.com, or your veterinary surgeon.
Yes. Follow two simple precautions to keep your cats living with dogs treated with FRONTLINE Tri-Act® safe:
- Keep cats and treated dogs away from each other until the application site is dry
- Ensure that cats do not groom the site of application on a treated dog
Yes. FRONTLINE Plus® for extra large dogs can be used on dogs over 40 kg without an upper weight limit. To treat dogs over 60 kg with FRONTLINE Tri-Act®, use the appropriate combination of two pipette sizes that most closely matches the bodyweight. To treat dogs over 60 kg with FRONTLINE® Spot On, use two large size pipettes for dogs 20 to 40 kg.
The minimum time to wait between two treatments of FRONTLINE HomeGard® is 6 months. It is not necessary to use FRONTLINE HomeGard® repeatedly, if you are regularly treating your cat or dog with an effective flea and tick treatment such as FRONTLINE® spot-on products. In most cases one treatment of FRONTLINE HomeGard® is enough to see you through until the end of the infestation.
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.
If used as directed in the usage instructions, FRONTLINE HomeGard® does not pose a health risk to children or adults. It is a recommended precaution that you treat one room at a time and avoid the area for at least 1 hour or until the area is dry, and then allow the area to air.
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. FRONTLINE Tri-Act® FOR DOGS is not licensed for use during pregnancy or lactation.
It often takes 3 months or more to get rid of a flea infestation in the home, because it can take this long for all immature fleas in their protective cocoons to develop and emerge as new fleas before they can be killed.
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.