Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Stephen on October 22, 2008 at 5:12pm

I always apply the frontline and give heartguard year round and I am in RI. For Heartguard you could argue that in Illinois there are no mosquitoes aroung when cold, but heartworm meds also usually protect against numerous intestinal parasites like hookworm and roundworm. Plus on a real warm day in early spring, who knows if a mosquito or two is not around.

As for frontline...I give all year as well...I once had a dog who got fleas in late October...and fleas are miserable...better safe than sorry...The fleas may not be picked up outdoors when cold but other animals can certainly have them so better to protect from them year round.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen on October 22, 2008 at 5:14pm

In regards to the "extra chemicals" not good for dogs, I would ask what if you lived in Florida?...you would have to give all year round...so the products should be designed for that with no ill affects.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly on October 22, 2008 at 5:20pm

Thanks so much for the advice..that's what I thought, but my mom made me wonder :) This is my first pup on my own, and it's not something you really think about!

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Permalink Reply by Gracii on December 22, 2008 at 10:19am

I had a question about this too! The vet tech told me that it was a good idea to do Sentinel AND Frontline during the summer months (this is what she does for her dogs), and just Sentinel during the colder months, especially if they are in doggie daycare, or if you kennel them during holidays or trips. We put Kitsie in daycare occasionally, and they require that all the dogs have year round flea, tick, heartworm preventative.

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Permalink Reply by Alex on December 22, 2008 at 11:33am

I am not sure about giving both Sentinel AND Frontline since Sentinel covers what Frontline does. My vet recommended Sentinal since it covers both fleas & heartworms. Frontline doesn't cover heartworms, so if you are giving Frontline to your dog, it is typically combined with giving heartworm medicine such as Heartguard. You should ask your vet to see if you can stop giving Frontline. Sentinel should cover all, and you'll be able to save some money. :)

I used to give Frontline to my dog, but when I shaved her for the summer, the part we put Frontline didn't grow back... :( So we switched to Advantix, and eventually to Revolution which covers something simliar to Sentinel. We like Revolution since the amount we have to put on dog's fur is much less than Frontline or Advantix, and you can bath your dog within 2 hours instead of 24 hours. We never tried Sentinel, but since Revolution is working ok, we decided to stay with Revolution.

As for the original question, I agree with keep using it for year around. You never know when masquitoes start coming back. What if you have a couple days of warm days? If you have to pay manageable amount of money for preventative medicine, spend it. It's better losing money than losing your dog or making them miserable. :)

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Permalink Reply by Renee on December 22, 2008 at 10:36am

If I don't give frontline year around they do a blood test every 6 mo. No max isn't on it yet, but our other dog was.

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Permalink Reply by disraeli ears on December 22, 2008 at 12:13pm

When I lived in Texas, my dogs got Frontline and Interceptor (for heartworms) year round. Now that I live in a colder place, I skip the flea protection (now Advantix) from November through February. BUT I do give the Interceptor year-round. And most vets would advise year-round heartworm preventative.

It's a lot easier to get rid of a stray winter flea than to treat for heartworms! As far as I'm concerned, heartworm protection is every month and lifelong.

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Permalink Reply by Tina on December 22, 2008 at 1:46pm

Our vet told us that we could hold off on giving heartgard until May (we live in MN). So, we gave them a last dose in November (since it was still somewhat warm) and then haven't given them one in December. I think we'll start frontline in March or February (depending on how cold it is) and heartgard in March-just as a precaution.

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Permalink Reply by Kelly on December 22, 2008 at 1:55pm

Just an update: I asked my vet the last time I was there and she said we could skip frontline nov-march, but to keep giving heartgard through the winter :)

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Permalink Reply by Geri & Sidney on December 22, 2008 at 2:55pm

If you are discontinuing Frontline for awhile, I might suggest resuming with Advantage or one of the others instead. Frontline did not work for us all summer, and other dog/cat owners I talked with said they had the same experience. When we switched to Advantage the fleas were gone and stayed away!

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Permalink Reply by disraeli ears on December 23, 2008 at 9:40am

Frontline treats for fleas and ticks. Advantage only treats for fleas. Advantix (by the same company as Advantage) treats for fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes.

At one point, I had to switch Rhys from Frontline to Advantage because he was not getting enough protection against fleas. It was during the summer and he would swim at the dog park on a regular basis. His flea protection with Frontline was diminished and fleas would get on, bite, and then go away...so he didn't have fleas, but they weren't staying away. He actually had a flea allergy and developed hot spots. Our vet had us go to Advantage for the summer and that helped.

I switched Rhys and Andy to Advantix after that.

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Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on December 23, 2008 at 9:55am

Man, right now in Georgia--thanks to the funky hot flashes that's been going on, I've killed at least 2 mosquitoes in the house!

Use it, better safe than sorry.

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