Using Frontline but still have fleas

Hi everyone,

I've been using Frontline with my dog for the past 2 years and he has never had a problem with fleas since i used it, but just this past weekend i noticed he had fleas and everytime i checked, thier would be 2 or 3 crawling on him, why is the frontline not getting rid of them? Is fleas like threatning?? I'm just a little worried, i gave him a bath the other day and put more frontline on him, it was about 3 weeks ago when i gave him his last drop so it was almost due, i'm guess there are fleas crawling around my carpet, what can i do to eliminate it??

There's been a lot of people with the same problem! Here is what I was advised to do:
1. Wash all the pets in a flea shampoo.
2. Use a mixture of Borax and salt to sprinkle all the carpets in your home. Leave the mixture on at least a couple hours, and don't forget under your furniture.
3. Vacuum thoroughly. After vacuuming, immediately dump the contents into a garbage bag and tie it, then double-bag it. Take it out to the dumpster immediately.
4. Wash all bedding, human and pets.
5. For a natural flea repellant, you can top dress your dog's kibble with 1/8 teaspoon minced garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil. The small amount of garlic is not harmful to dogs.

I'm trying this today, as my Frontline failed and I have fleas for the first time ever! I hope it works!

the likely case is, since frontline doesnt kill UNTILL the flea bites, that those fleas have simply reacently jumped on him and havent had chance to meet their doom yet. this year has been a mild summer and fleas seem to be at an advantage and increase...

seconldy

id switch to Advantix...

alot of people are now noticing that in some areas fleas and ticks are becomming "imune" to certain topical insecticides.

here in this area of ct lot sof people are switching from frontline to advantix because the ticks are biting straight through frontline and NOT dying after biting...
in other areas people are noticing the same problem with advantix and switching to frontline...

if your using frontline and it doesnt seem to be working try frontline PLUS or switch to advantix (unless you have a cat who comes into contact with your dog, in which case do NOT use advantix as its deadly when ingested by cats)

Charlie the cocker and Rosie my parents chihuahua are on frontline plus (and charlie gets an additional tick collar) because both of them play with the cat.

Vixie dodger and Ruby are all on Advantix, because simply put the cat hates them to the point where its like WW2 when their in the same room as eachother so i dont have to worry about it, and PREFERE the advantix...
once the cat is gone from our lives (not anytime soon however as hes only a few years old) we'll switch the other 2 dogs to advantix and not worry about it.

I have flea dirt, not just adults, so the Frontline completely failed.

I may switch to Revolution. My fluffy kitten and my Boxer are always grooming each other, so Advantix won't work here.

Keep in mind if ticks are also an issue revolution only deals with the american dog tick and no others.. so if you have deer ticks and any others you'd still need more tick preventative than revolution can offer.

I am going to try what you posted !! I put front line on all my dogs like a week ago and they STILL have fleas, and the fleas are actually getting worse. My poor dogs we have bathed them and held them down and picked them and it just wont end. I am afraid to dose them again since it has only been a week.

Also keep in mind that you can't use Advantix if you have cats in the home.

i would try to borax and salt thing but boy, that seems like alot of work...is there anything else i can try before doign that? I'm seeling like 2 or 3 ticks at a time.

I thought it was fleas...

Are you using Frontline or Frontline Plus? Frontline Plus kills the flea eggs along with the biting adults and I seem to have much greater success with it than just plain Frontline.

I was using regular Frontline. I'll see about using Plus. We go camping, so I do need something to protect the dogs from ticks.

The Borax and salt was not too difficult. I put it on last night at bedtime and vacuumed it up this AM. I hope it works - I really, really hate fleas!

Try the Frontline Plus and always wait 3 days to apply it after bathing. It requires the natural oils of the coat to work at it's best. Hope it works for you!

Well, i just put some flea medication on him, will it hurt him to buy another brand and put more on him so soon?

I used Frontline Plus for years & suddenly it just stopped working. I switched over & used regular Advantage for 3 months, then I switched back to Frontline Plus. The Frontline is working again, & during the "off" time the Advantage worked well.

Merial (maker of Frontline) recommended using Frontline every 14 days, but I couldn't bring myself to put that much pesticide on my dogs in such a short time frame.

Oh wow, I guess I'm having this problem as well with the frontline plus. I noticed fleas on our new kitty today (and flea dirt too). He had frontline plus put on like a month ago and our dogs have been using frontline plus for about a year.

They all got a bath with flea/tick shampoo today but Elwood still has fleas in his armpit area (which is an area I know to scrub really well). Our kitty seems to be flea free (for now) and noone else seemed to have fleas besides those two. I sprinkled some store bought flea/tick killer on most the carpets but I put more frontline plus on the dogs today (the store said that we could even though they just had a bath). I'll see if that works any and tomorrow I'll try the borax and salt.

This is really interesting because, although my vet doesn't believe me, I really think this is happening with my Milo, too. Although he gets baths weekly and Frontline Plus every 4 weeks, he still has at least 1 flea per week and is itchy scratchy. I have had my house and yard treated by FleaBusters (though it's probably time to do so again) and maybe he's picking up one or two baddies on our neighborhood walks, but c'mon. Frontline should more or less take care of that, right?

Maybe I'll switch to something else for a few months. Thanks for the suggestion.

Here are some things to take into consideration if you feel you are having problems with Frontline Plus:

Are all of the dogs and cats in the house being treated?
Are all pets receiving the correct product and dose (weight, dog or cat)?
Are you applying the product to the skin, not the haircoat?
Have you applied it once a month for at least 3-4 months?

From Merial: