Frontline Combo Spot-On Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs 10-20kg - 3 Pipettes

The Frontline Combo Spot-On Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs 10-20kg is a monthly spot-on for dogs 10 to 20 kg that kills fleas, ticks and biting lice, and stops flea eggs in your home from hatching.

Key Features

• For dogs weighing 10 to 20 kg - the M pipette, 1.34 ml each
• Three pipettes to a pack, which is three monthly doses
• Fipronil 10% w/v kills adult fleas, ticks and biting lice on contact
• (S)-methoprene 9% w/v is an insect growth regulator - it stops the eggs and larvae your dog sheds from ever becoming fleas
• Works on the skin surface by contact. It is not absorbed into the bloodstream, and a parasite does not have to bite to be killed
• No prescription needed

What It Kills, And For How Long

• Adult fleas die within 24 hours, and the dog is protected against new adult fleas for eight weeks
• It also stops flea eggs, larvae and pupae developing for eight weeks, which is what keeps the infestation from rebuilding in your home
• Ticks die within 48 hours - but tick cover lasts up to four weeks, not eight. That is the number most listings leave out, and it is the one that decides how often you apply it
• It controls biting lice, usually within 48 hours
• It does not treat worms, mites or mange. Those need something else

How To Apply It

• Hold the pipette upright, tap the narrow neck so the liquid drops into the body, then snap the top off along the scored line
• Part the coat between the shoulder blades until you can see skin. Put the tip against the skin and squeeze it empty at one or two spots - one at the base of the skull and a second two or three centimetres behind it
• Apply to skin, not fur. Wetting the coat leaves a sticky patch and wastes the dose. Any stickiness settles within 24 hours
• Pick spots the dog cannot twist round and lick
• Minimum interval four weeks, maximum eight

Why Monthly Matters Here

• In the Gulf the brown dog tick is the one you are most likely to meet, and unlike most ticks it is happy living indoors - in skirting boards, kennel cracks and under bedding - so infestations can run all year
• Because tick cover runs about four weeks rather than eight, a dog at real tick risk wants treating monthly rather than stretched to the eight-week flea interval
• Keep checking the dog by hand after walks. Nothing stops a tick attaching - the product kills it after it has, which is why finding and removing them still matters
• If ticks keep turning up on a dog you are treating correctly and on time, talk to your vet rather than applying more often than the label allows

Treat The House, Not Just The Dog

• Treat every cat and dog in the house on the same day. One untreated pet keeps the whole household reinfested, and it is the most common reason a flea treatment looks like it has failed
• Vacuum carpets, rugs and under the furniture, and wash pet bedding at 60C or hotter. Most of a flea population is eggs, larvae and pupae in the house rather than adults on the pet
• The (S)-methoprene is what makes this a Combo rather than a plain fipronil pipette. It travels on the treated dog and stops the eggs it sheds from hatching, so it works on the dog's immediate surroundings - it is not something you apply to the bedding yourself
• Expect to keep seeing the odd flea for two or three weeks. Pupae in the carpet hatch on their own schedule, and the treatment catches them as they jump on

Bathing, Swimming And Grooming

• Do not bath the dog in the two days either side of applying it, and avoid bathing more than once a week afterwards
• Frontline state the product is essentially waterproof once settled, and that immersion after 48 hours does not stop it working
• If you shampoo weekly with a 2% chlorhexidine shampoo, Frontline advise applying every six weeks instead of eight; with softening emollient shampoos, every five
• The dog can be handled again as soon as the site is dry

Choosing The Right Pipette Size

• Weigh the dog rather than guessing. Underdosing is the usual reason a spot-on seems not to work, and it is the easiest mistake to make
• S is for dogs 2 to 10 kg, 0.67 ml a pipette
• M is for dogs over 10 and up to 20 kg, 1.34 ml a pipette
• L is for dogs over 20 and up to 40 kg, 2.68 ml a pipette
• For a dog over 40 kg, ask us or your vet about the XL pipette rather than combining two smaller ones without advice

Who Makes It

• Frontline is a Boehringer Ingelheim brand and has been the reference fipronil spot-on since the 1990s. The actives are long out of patent, which is why so many look-alike pipettes exist
• These are European packs, printed for the European market

Good To Know

• Not for puppies under 8 weeks old or under 2 kg. The Frontline pump spray is the one licensed for very young animals
• This is the dog pipette. Do not use it on a cat - cats take the cat-and-ferret pack, which is a different volume
• Never use any Frontline product on a rabbit. Fipronil can cause severe reactions in rabbits, including death. The same caution applies to guinea pigs and other small pets unless your vet has said otherwise
• Frontline state it can be used as part of a treatment strategy for flea allergy dermatitis. It is one part of that plan rather than the whole of it - FAD needs a vet involved
• Flammable. Keep the product, and the animal you have just treated, away from naked flames, heaters and other sources of heat
• Avoid getting it on your fingers, and wash your hands with soap and water if you do. It can irritate skin, eyes and mucous membranes, so do not smoke, eat or drink while you are applying it
• Keep out of the reach and sight of children, and keep children away from the treated animal until the application site is dry
• Fipronil is harmful to aquatic life. Do not contaminate ponds, waterways or ditches, and do not let a treated animal swim in open water for two days after application
• Not for an animal that is ill or recovering from illness. Check with your vet first if your pet is unwell, very old, or on other medication
• Sold without a prescription, but it is still a veterinary medicine. If the itching does not settle, or there are bald patches, scabs or sore skin, get a vet to look rather than repeating treatments
• Read the leaflet inside the pack before you use it. What is here is a summary, not a replacement for it