Jump Jump gone (Frontline Flea Control)

Name: sit2020

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Product:	Frontline Flea Control
Date:	11/06/07 (1776 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Flea free

Disadvantages: expensive

Every cat owner that I know has at one time or another had a problem with fleas. The biggest problem is the stigma that is attached to fleas, you might feel that it is caused by having a dirty home or what will other people say about you.
Fleas are living creatures that will do all that they know to survive, feed and to breed.
If you watch a cat it will wash itself and keep itself clean, but without help it can still have fleas. It is down to the responsible pet owner to help keep their cats and dogs flea free for most of the time

With all flea treatments it is an ongoing process, pets and homes will be infested from time to time, the war is never won, but you can have an immediate victory in a battle. Any further attacks can be repelled much more easily.

I have owned pets most of my life and have been involved in the on going process of fighting the flea for most of it. Now I am one of the fortunate people who hardly ever get bitten, but other members of my household are not so lucky, so I get told as soon as a little biter turns up on the scene.

Over the years we have tried nearly every different available spray and powder. None of the ones available in supermarkets or pet shops seem to work, they tend not to be strong enough for the job, maybe it is because the fleas have built up some immunity to the over the counter treatments.

I tried frontline spot treatment (you apply to the pets skin on the neck in one spot) years ago, but both the cats I had at the time had an allergic reaction. Therefore I avoided the frontline spray expecting a similar reaction.

However I read good reports about frontline spray and decided that this would be the way to treat our pets. The vet also recommended this product.

It can also be used in the treatment of tics, luckily for our pets, none of them have ever had tics.

The First Treatment

After returning from the vets and having read the instructions that came with the frontline spray, it was time to give it a go.
As we have a lot of pets we decided to treat them one at a time outside (ventilation), on went the rubber gloves, we also had a towel ready to help hold the cat that may not appreciate the treatment. The towel was not to dry the animals as they need to dry naturally

We took the first cat outside, gave her a bit of a fuss to relax her, then started the spray and brushing of the fur in the wrong direction, for her more delicate areas we sprayed the frontline directly onto our gloved hands and rubbed it in this way. I would like to say at this point that she loved being treated, in fact I would be happy to say she only objected slightly, hmmmm nope the truth is I still have the scars to prove she was not a happy moggy.
It was a similar story with the other cats, spray and scratch.
The dog was so much better, she loved every minute of the treatment.

Three Monthly Treatments

Since we started using frontline we have repeated the treatment roughly every three months, none of our pets have suffered any allergic reaction (apart from the hypersalivation or as I call it the drippy tongue thing).
By backing up the frontline with regular treatment of our house we live a flea free existence.
Also the cats although they still are not too happy being treated the objections have become less, or do we hold them slightly tighter, whichever the scratches suffered are further apart now.

How can you tell if you have fleas on your pet or in your home.

Check and groom your pet is the best way to check, brush the fur the wrong way (the opposite way to the normal direction it lays on your pet), then look at the skin for signs, little black bits or fleas themselves, places behind the ear, the neck, stomach are good places to look.
A word of warning, most dogs do not mind having their fur rubbed up the wrong way, however cats are much fussier and can take offence this can result in a hissing scratching biting uncontrollable ball of fur.

Some people tend to get bitten, so check your legs, for itchy bite marks, fleas will bite, move, bite, move, bite, move until they have had enough blood to eat. This will result in a series of bite marks and once you know what you’re looking for they are easy to spot.

If you are still not sure, this is something to try, place your hand about two inches (70mm) from the ground over a carpeted area and move it slowly back and forth, the little visitors will be attracted to the warmth coming from your hand and arm, this will cause them to leap and land on your hand or your arm. The same effect can be achieved by putting a cup of tea on the floor, but I don’t really want to drink tea with added body.

How is it used?

It is a spray and the fur of the animal needs to be dampened with it, make sure that all the fur is treated all the way down to the skin. However care around the more delicate parts of the animal (eyes, mouth etc) should be taken, if you spray it onto a gloved hand you may find it easier to apply and avoid the animal any discomfort.

Is frontline all that is needed?

No, you also need to treat the rest of your house, again in the past I made the mistake of buying the commercially available flea powders and sprays for use on carpets etc and found they do not really do the job. The best is to ask the Vet for household treatments but be warned it will not be cheap. Having said that spending money on products that do not do the job is more expensive in the long term.

Where is it available from?

Strictly speaking this product is only available on prescription from the vets. However you can purchase it online, but you will still need to get a prescription filled in by your vet

Any warnings?

Yes, do not administer to rabbits, nor to sick or convalescing animals.
Any animal that washes itself or other animals directly after treatment can end up with what is called hypersalivation, one of our felines tried to wash the frontline off of her fur and the result of her dribbling making strange noises with her tongue out was quite disturbing, but thankfully no harm came to her.

How do they come back again

Fleas surprisingly live outside in the grass, they sit and wait for a nice warm host to wander past. Then it’s a quick launch and hey presto host has a flea. However no self respecting flea would want to stay alone for long, so they are great at laying eggs and multiplying at a phenomenal rate.

Other things to note

Puppies and kittens from 2 days of age may be safely treated (although personally I would wait until they are older as their mum will try and wash them and then it will be drippy tongue time again).

Overall

I cannot give a price as you get it from your Vet the price will vary, as will the size that your vet will prescribe.
But it is well worth the expense, the time and effort

Wear rubber/latex gloves, if treating a cat for the first time, it is worth wearing full body armour or at least a thick coat.

Although it is only available from your vet, who will give you advise on how to use it. Do read the instructions very carefully before use.
I can thoroughly recommend this product, but remember you will need to treat the home with a proprietary insecticide and again the best is to seek your vets advise.

Summary: Best flea control only available through your vet