Can you help me understand some things about dog's topical treatment?

I wouldn’t put it on right after a bath but wait a day or two so that the skin oils are restored if you are concerned.

How old is your puppy? I’ve read you shouldn’t give frontline to them until they are 8 weeks or older.

It looks like it’s spread through the dog’s natural oils. So it’s probably spread through the oils and just keeps spreading until all the oils replace the oils that have the frontline in them. So, it probably takes a month or so for the dog’s natural oils to be replaced.

I would be really, really careful about the types of products you put on your dog. Maybe check with a vet first if you are really unsure. @chyna mentioned an age thing. Whether or not it’s good for your dog could depend on age, breed, fur type (thin, thick, curly, etc), and whether his/hers skin is sensitive. I get paranoid about what I put on my dogs.

I used Frontline on all my dogs for years with no ill effect. It is recommended by vets.

@janbb Okay :) I’ve never heard of Frontline or used it so I was just being cautious. I heard of this one product, I can’t remember it’s name, that was harming dogs skin instead of helping it, like causing burns and that scares me.

@chyna one is about to reach 3 months and the other is already 4 months old.

@SergeantQueen That is what they said but I’m skeptical as the direction told me to apply on between dog’s shoulder blades and the ‘magic’ will just spread the medicine through its body oil. They also said that the dog can’t lick the liquid and it has to be dried so… another skeptical mind of mine question that how is it not dangerous for the dogs to lick it after the liquid somehow has spread all over the body? (They sometimes lick each others but not as much as the cats but still…).

Either way, I’ll trust the manufacturer’s direction as they’re branded as the best brand in their field. I’m just curious. I’ll need to understand something to fully trust it.

I hope someone here will answer about whether or not the medicine will be washed away if I decided to bath my pups with dog shampoo (I always bath them once a week).

@Unofficial_Member It won’t be washed away as long as you don’t bathe them for 24 hours. Just follow the directions and you’ll be good. Make sure you part their fur or hair and apply it directly on the skin on the back of the neck.

Like @janbb, I used Frontline on many dogs for many years with no ill-effects. If I remember correctly, there is a version safe for puppies. Really, it beats the hell out of toxic flea dips I had to use for years before they developed these products.

@janbb Thank you. It’s not just me, actually. Other people around me who have seen the label also comment that the dog’s shampoo is able to wash it away. It will be a bit tough for that as the 4 months old one has such fluffy and thick fur (they’re both pomeranian, btw) but I think I’ll manage.

1) Yes, frequent baths can interfere with Frontline’s effectiveness.

2) In many parts of the world, ticks have evolved to comfortably live on a dog despite the use of this product.

3) Many dogs with sensitive skin (small dogs, commonly) are allergic to Frontline.

4) Bathing dogs once a week is way too much. They need those oils you’re washing away.

5) If you decide to use Frontline despite all this, keep the pups separated as they can become seriously ill licking it off each other.

Conclusion: There are better options. You might consider asking your vet about oral medications.

Disclaimer: I am not a vet. I am a dog trainer though, so I have a lot of data.

@longgone I actually prefer topicals to orals. Orals are systemic, while the topicals are not absorbed systemically, but rather remain superficial.

As with any medication, different animals can react differently (just like people), but for the most part, Frontline is a very safe product to use. (The same cannot be said for many products that were never considered prescription medications – for God’s sake, never use a Hartz product.) I’ve probably only seen 2 or 3 cases of local reactions to the product. In my part of the world (NC), the flea population has begun to show signs of resistance, but it still works quite well for ticks. I use Frontline on my dogs since they go outside, and Advantage on my indoor cats, and I haven’t had fleas for more than a decade.

The reason that the product doesn’t immediately wash off is just as the description says – it’s in the oil glands located in the epidermis. If you were to bathe the dog just before application, you’ve stripped much of the natural oils and retard the ability of the product to spread. If you wash the dog shortly after, it hasn’t had time to disperse into the oil glands. After it’s dispersed, a shampoo that is appropriate for dogs doesn’t actually strip out the contents of the oil glands – that would be an incredibly harsh and drying product.