From serums to powders to collars, it can be overwhelming for a pet owner to make a decision on how to get rid of the fleas that cause such painful bites to your canine friend. Among all the top flea and tick products on the market, one name seems to come up over and over again among consumers… Frontline Plus.
This name-brand product is constantly recommended by veterinarians and pet owners alike, but does it live up to its hype? Check out our in-depth product review to see what conclusions we came to.
The Rating
Since it hit the market, Frontline Plus has consistently delivered results to its customers in the way of eliminating existing fleas on dogs and cats, as well as preventing new fleas from taking your pet as a host.
When a consumer uses this product over others, there’s a certain peace of mind in knowing that the results they want will almost always follow. This is due to Frontline’s status as a front-runner in the marketplace, which came originally from its ability to zap fleas from pets and homes.
While Frontline Plus tends to be on the pricier side, the benefits that this particular flea medication provides are obvious. With two active ingredients, this product works very well to kill adult fleas while at the same time disrupt the reproductive cycle of fleas and ticks.
According to reviews around the web, many users are happy to pay a bit more to ensure that their dogs and cats remains flea-free.
If you have a dog want to learn more specifically about dog tick medicines, check out this guide.
Today’s Homeowner Rating
Although a little pricey, Frontline Plus is a premium flea and tick treatment that any pet owner should have.
The Key Features
What makes Frontline Plus so remarkable?
Have a look down below at what distinguishes this flea drop from the rest.
Also if you’re interested in learning about other dog collars, check out this buying guide we created.
Like many other products on the market, Frontline Plus takes the serum-in-pipette approach for application.
The small end of the pipette in which the serum is contained is used as an applicator along your pet’s back, which is a fairly well-known process of application which can feel familiar to those who have tried other flea-killing methods.
Take a look at the below video for a quick tutorial on how to apply Frontline Plus to your pet.
Unlike many other products, the Frontline Plus serum acts as a shield between your pet and possible flea infestations.
By seeping into the pores of your pet’s skin, the serum will spread throughout its entire body, and it will also provide protection to your home wherever your pet treads.
There are two active ingredients working in this solution. Fipronil will kill the fleas in their adult form, whereas the chemical S-Methoprene will attack flea eggs and inhibit their growth.
It’s important to note that for whatever flea product you pick, that both stages of growth are covered. For example, Frontline (the regular more affordable version) does not contain S-Methoprene, which you need to combat baby fleas. Other solutions also do not include this or any other ingredient needed to kill baby fleas and eggs.
Once a consumer applies Frontline Plus, the medication gets to work.
It takes only a handful of hours to kill the adult fleas on your cat or dog, and the ticks will begin to be die within 12 hours.
Flea eggs and flea larvae are affected almost immediately by the growth inhibitor S-Methoprene.
When used as directed each month, your pets should remain flea-free, as well as anywhere they walk around.
Their skin will no longer be attractive to larvae that might be found out in the world, so you can rest easily knowing that playing outside shouldn’t bring any new parasites.
The Review
When evaluating products, we use five criteria:
- Company Reputation
- Active Ingredient
- Easy Of Use
- Pet and Child Safety Rating
- Overall Effectiveness
Reputable Company/Customer Service:
The manufacturer of Frontline Plus is Merial, a producer of animal health products that was founded in 1997 and headquartered in Lyon, France.They have a global span of product distribution, and specialize in vaccines for animals from livestock to household pets.
They were recently entangled in a lawsuit with competitor PetArmor over the creation of their flea products. It appears as though nothing serious had occurred as both companies are still operating.
One thing that we did really like about Frontline Plus is their “Satisfaction Plus Guarantee”. If you’re not satisfied with your Frontline Plus product, Frontline will replace it and/or schedule a professional exterminator to come in and treat your home. The only thing is you’ll have need to have received the product from a licensed veterinarian.
Active Ingredient:
Frontline Plus has made a name for itself on the market by using the combined power of two chemical ingredients instead of one.
- Fipronil to attack and eliminate adult fleas
- S-Methoprene as an IGR (insect growth regulator) to hinder the growth of eggs and larvae
When these two ingredients work together, fleas are taken out at each stage of the life cycle, resulting in more concentrated flea elimination on your pet.
Ease of Use:
This mostly depends on your cat or dog’s personality.
It’s imperative that your four-legged friend is still during the application process, which entails parting its fur in a line down the middle of its back, along the spine.
It may take two people to complete the job if your pet is wriggling around: one person to hold the fur parted in the middle, and one person to actually apply the serum along the line of exposed skin.
After a few drops are made and the container is empty, this treatment will last for 30 days.
Overall, this product is easy to use.
Is This Pet and Child Safe?
It’s highly important to make sure that you’re buying the right solution that corresponds to your dog’s or cat’s weight or you’ll be in for some not-so-good side effects.
If you purchase the formula for a larger pet, it may be too concentrated and burn your pet’s skin and have other negative side effects such as…
- Lethargy
- Vomiting
- Rashes
That being said, Frontline Plus does have some regular side effects such as hair loss at the site of application or skin irritation.
This product should be kept away from children, as it can be significantly harmful if they get it in their eyes, or ingest it.
Overall Effectiveness:
This product works as advertised, and hold itself up to expectations from previous customers.
But it is expensive…
Once you treat your pet with this solution, you can generally expect that the fleas and ticks will die off and stay away, provided you give you apply the treatment on a regular monthly basis.
The price is within the top tier of what you might pay for a standard flea drop treatment, but then again, this is a top-tier product in terms of effectiveness.
How Does It Compare Against Competitors?
In this section, we like to look at a couple other products in the same category. Check out our guide to how Frontline Plus holds up in the face of other products below.
These two products have a lot of the same pros:
One treatment lasts 4 weeks, waterproof solution, and the same method of application.
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However, Vetguard Plus uses a different blend of active ingredients: Permethrin and Pyriproxifen. These two chemicals work together in the same way as the active ingredients in Frontline Plus. Also, an older (but still useful) study was published in 1993 that found no measurable difference between Vetguard’s active ingredients, and those in Frontline Plus.
Although…
There are a number of reported cases where pets ended up losing a bit of hair where the product was applied. That being said, we recommend going for the tried and true Frontline Plus.
These two products differ most substantially in their methods of usage, as well as how they work to eliminate fleas from your pet’s coat.
While Frontline uses the “serum-along-the-spine” method, Earth Animal is an actual powder that is meant to be ingested by your dog or cat.
Once the powder is in your pet’s bloodstream, the active ingredients (unprocessed yeast, garlic, desiccated liver, to name a few) will permeate through the skin and make your pet less alluring as a host for fleas. This is normally taken as a PREVENTATIVE measure, not a damage control.
Overall, pet owners have seen results using Earth Animal, but can occasionally have issues getting their pet to actually eat it. Therefore, we’re going to give the nod to Frontline plus in this comparison once again.
The primary difference here between the two products is that while Frontline Plus is used on your pet, Vet’s Best Spray is meant to coat your lawn.
The reason for this is that your pets play outside and are likely to pick up fleas from bushes, trees, and other outdoor shrubbery.
By spraying this spray through your yard and outdoor areas, you’re working to prevent the infestation before it happens. However, this solution does nothing to kill the fleas that have already taken residence on your pet and, most likely, within your home.
Think of this product as more of a barrier or home defense you might use in addition to Frontline Plus.
Think you might need professional help with your tick problem? Use the form below to connect with local pest control pros:
