You could always skip it and then spend more money, flea bombing you house with toxic chemicals.

I apply frontline plus, every other month and have found that gives us more than adequate tick control. Its a bargain if keeps me from having to deal with ticks and fleas.

Remember the old day, when you had flea dip your dog with toxic chemicals and then flea bomb the house. It was awful.

We charge the same, based on how much it costs us. There is a standard mark-up but it isn't much.

I have 5 dogs, 2 are 22-44# and the other 3 are 45-88#. The amount of Frontline in the 45-88# vial is twice the amount in the 22-44# vial. So I use a syringe and needle and divide the 45-88# dose in half for my smaller dogs. Instead of $16/dog I pay $16/2 dogs, on the smaller ones anyway. I *could* do the same for the big dogs and buy the biggest vial of frontline (88-132#) but I don't bother.

I use frontline year round on all my dogs, mostly because I had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever once and wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy (it is transmitted by ticks).

WE also use year round flea tick protection but we live in Florida. When I lived in NY my dog never got fleas or ticks so in the winter I did not bother with the meds. She wasn't outside much...only when she had to go potty and I never had a problem. And now that I live in Florida even Frontline does not work so who knows.

joe -- Where did you get the idea I wasn't going to use Frontline? I posted beause the price has gone up a LOT. I'd hoped to find a less expensive way to provide the protection.

meghane -- And, YOU have given me a way to halve the cost. Next time we'll ask for the dose for larger dogs and split the contents over two months. Thank You!

trini - Alas! Your post confirms my suspicions about Florida. DH and I had been talking about spending a month-plus there in winter instead of going to Maui. (In part because we could take our dog on the shorter trip!)

Anyone have an idea about why this product costs so much more now than it did last year?

We have never used Frontline on any of our dogs and don't plan to with our 11 mo. old lab. I dust the cats and the dog about once a month with Diatomaceous Earth and put liberal amounts in their ears also. Haven't had any trouble at all with fleas. Occasionally I will find a tick on them and whenever the earmite thing occurs with the cats, I dust them.

I just wanted to let trinigemini know that I live in Florida to and that Frontline just doesn't work on my dog either, I switched to Advantage and it works just wonderful so you might want to consider trying it.

And for chisue.

I recently discovered a non profit pet center in Fla that has really good prices, folks from Georgia even drive down.

Check this out. http://www.petluv.org/

Last year I finally wised up to the fact that the larger dosage didn't cost that much more. I split a unit between my two dogs now.
I also use a generic heart guard med, tri-heart.

Shop around the web for best price. EntirelyPets.Com has a six month supply of Frontline Plus for your under 22 pound dog at $66.99 or $11 per dose. Shipping is free at Entirely Pets for any order over $100, so stock up :)

I only use half the amount in a bottle and have never had flea problems - I get the proper dose for my dog, just use half and re-cap...works great - but IF you really think about it. It really is not that expensive for what the product does for your animal and your peace of mind. It comes out to like 65 cents a day or something like that...With heartguard it comes to about a buck a day - I live on a limited income and can afford it all for my dog..

Wonderful and helpful responses. Thank you!

cynthia -- It looks like I can buy a year's supply of Frontline Plus (becomes two years' supply for us) for $136.99 -- no shipping cost -- from the EntirelyPets.com source you so kindly provided. Does anyone know shelf life for these products? Will the product still be effective by the time I get to the last dose in 24 months?

bumblebeez -- I'm not familiar with Tri-Heart. How does it compare to Heartguard? Same ingredients but without the marketing?

mazer -- Interesting that you can split a Frontline dose for 22 lb and under dogs for your dog. What does your dog weigh? Does your dog go outdoors a lot? Do you have a flea and tick problem in your area? (Anybody have a comment on using half a dose?)

I have 2 Chis,both under 10 lbs.My vet splits half a dose between both,giving me 2 doses for each one.Works great.

This is the webpage from my vet on heart medicines. It's worth browsing the other pages on various topics too.

Here is a link that might be useful: Foxnest Vet Heart meds

bumblebeez -- Thanks for the link. Ah, so the patent ran out on Heartguard! I'll ask for Tri-Heart when our supply of Heartguard is gone.

Hmmm...I wonder how long the patent runs for Frontline Plus??? It would be nice if you could buy it, or a generic, in bulk (a bottle with a graduated dropper) and dole out the doses yourself. There's a lot of unnecessary packaging (and landfill) in the Frontline as it is sold now.

I've noticed they've really ramped up promotion and price for my asthma drug, Advair, now that the patent will expire in a year or so. (Glad I have some drug coverage; it would run over $500 retail for a 90-day supply now.)

bumblebeez -- Thanks for the link. Ah, so the patent ran out on Heartguard! I'll ask for Tri-Heart when our supply of Heartguard is gone.

Hmmm...I wonder how long the patent runs for Frontline Plus??? It would be nice if you could buy it, or a generic, in bulk (a bottle with a graduated dropper) and dole out the doses yourself. There's a lot of unnecessary packaging (and landfill) in the Frontline as it is sold now.

I've noticed the manufacturer of my asthma drug, Advair, has recently ramped up promotion and price now that the patent will expire in a year or so. (Glad I have some drug coverage; it would run over $500 retail for a 90-day supply now.)

I also live in Florida and after many years of suffering with fleas and ineffective solutions, we no longer have a flea problem at all because, like carmen grower, we use diatomaceous earth. It's nontoxic and safer than any other flea product I've seen. It's also more effective and MUCH cheaper. I haven't applied it in several years, but we still have no fleas. So, my one application, several years ago, for about the cost of one month of Frontline, is still keeping the fleas away in the worst flea state in the country. It boggles my mind that there is still a market for Frontline and Advantage when there is a much safer, cheaper, and more effective alternative out there. You can get it at just about any garden store, or you can order it online (see link).

Here is a link that might be useful: Diatomaceous earth

Thanks to those of you who posted about using diatomaceous earth on your animals and in your homes. I'm glad that works for you.

I'm not sure this would work for us. We have to address a tick problem as well as fleas. Our dog spends fun time outdoors in our backyard and on walks. We have lots of wildlife in our neighborhood, including deer.

Diatomaceous earth keeps us tick-free, as well. Like you, we are surrounded by woods full of wildlife, but we have not had a tick problem since applying DE.

Where do you get this Diatomaceous earth? I order my flea stuff from Austraila, but none of it seems to work any more. I have used Advantage and Frontline it just doesn't work anymore were in Fla too. I used Capstar and that really sends the fleas flying but not all dying. But then you have to pick them all up what a mess. We have had a really hard time this past 2 years.

Try Googling Earthworks health jazzy.Seems to be food grade and not too expensive.

I just ordered 3 months of Frontline Plus from Entirelypets.com. Their prices are excellent. I also bought some puppy nylabones. I had to ship it priority (only $7, their usual shipping is $5), which is also very reasonable.

I shipped it priority because Wilbur will be here Monday.

Thanks, Cynthia. I have bookmarked the site, and will get heartworm meds from it!

have been using petsuppliesnet.com for yrs now, yes an Australia company. 6 months of frontline plus (23-44lbs) will run ya $50.60 Shipping is only $3.99 per order. And Australia utilizes the metric system, so yes the package is different than what one would get in the USA. I only mentionthat as one poster informed me in the past--she knew it was "fake" stuff as the measurements were different. Well duh, yes, they use Metric system,lol And Merial,the maker of frontline,does have operational units in Australia. Never had a flea/tick problem. Cheers

Not to be stupid or anything, but how do you apply diatomaceous earth? I called a few local nurseries and found they carry it. I had heard of it before but thought it sounded 'dirty' but when I read about it, I thought maybe I'd give it a try on my five cats and one dog. I can do anything with the dog, but you all know cats. Mine freak out over the Frontline. You would think I was stabbing them in the neck. Do you apply the earth with your hands, a brush...??? I dislike chemicals, so I would hope to use this. If not, I'll order Frontline online as usual.

I bought a box of the diatomaceous earth at the garden center. The clerk said some people apply it with a puff. They used to sell a blower but don't any longer. I don't think that would work for cats anyway. Do you need to wear a mask when around it? And does it hurt the lungs of the animal?

Do not use DE unless it is labeled as 'food grade'!!!!!! I just take a handful and rub it all over the pets body. Also into the ears. They hate the dust, of course but shake and live with it. I also put it in their food because it takes care of internal parasites.

As far as being dirty, it looks like flour and in fact is called 'fossil flour'. Again, don't use anything but food grade on pets!

Make sure that DE you bought is 'food grade'. If it's garden or pool grade it will have silica in it and will irritate your pet's lungs. Some types of packaged DE also include harmful chemicals and can poison your pet. Please check the labeling, and if the packaging doesn't specifically say it's safe for application directly on pets, don't use it on your pets.

Hi everyone, I was just researching this subject for work (I work at Guide Dogs for the Blind) so I will share some pricing info.

However, first, PLEASE USE EXTREME CAUTION with diatamaceous earth. It is dangerous for humans to breathe the dust and presumably the same is true for pets. I would encourage you to wear a dust mask and to read up on it beforehand. Wikipedia has a good article. Also, personally I would definitely not put that in your pet's ears. It's dangerous to put it in your lungs and I wouldn't trust that it's safe in the ears. Also it's a little like pouring sand in your pet's ears, which seems like a bad idea.(This opinion is not based on any research, just my personal thoughts.)

OK, on to cost savings with commercial flea/tick control. :-)

1. From scouting lots of web sites I agree that Entirelypets.com appears to be the least expensive for all flea and tick (and just about any other) products.

2. If you split doses of Frontline or other topical liquids, do be sure to use a needle and syringe to measure the amount as another poster recommended (for safety) and be absolutely sure not to mix your products up if you have cats in the household. If you accidentally apply some dog flea products to a cat it can rapidly cause extreme illness and death if not recognized and treated quickly. Also, dividing doses does not work for all kinds of medication--some dosages are not based on volume; so I would not recommend this idea across the board with other drugs.

3. I've heard from people in the industry that the patent on Frontline is supposed to run out in the next year or so. But since I have been unable to find any confirmation of that anywhere I can't say for sure.

4. Some products combine flea and heartworm protection so you may want to double-check on some like Revolution, (or Advantage Multi for those who don't have to worry about ticks)--they might be less expensive than having to pay for two separate products, depending on your dog's weight.

5. If you stick with Frontline, be sure to buy PLUS, not "Top Spot". Top Spot can't kill eggs and larvae, which are the vast majority of the flea population, so if you're having trouble with effectiveness, be sure you've got Frontline Plus. Also definitely make sure all pets in your household are being treated, and address the environment. If you have fleas in your house, it will take a few months of consistent flea medication, vacuuming, washing bedding in hot water, etc. to get rid of all of them. Because they are constantly breeding and not all products kill all life stages, so you have to stop the new generations of fleas that didn't die in your first attack. Don't worry, it will eventually work!

6. And don't forget, as I think someone else mentioned, that you usually pay a lot less per dose if you buy in bulk. A 6-pack is more economical than a 3-pack, and some products even come in 12-packs--if you have the cash to spend up front it will save you money over time.

7. If you buy products online or from Australia or Canada, beware that the product might not be authentic. Someone mentioned seeing an expiration date on their Frontline box. Authentic Frontline manufactured by Merial does not have an expiration date. The FDA has some guidelines to help you ensure that you don't get swindled. It is well worth reading: http://www.fda.gov/CONSUMER/UPDATES/PETDRUGSONLINE121407.HTML

Good luck!

I have a bit more to add: Our Westie has been attacking his muzzle for months. Scratching left side, right side, even under his chin. Finally, after having complained about this to two different vets a couple of times each...one vet did a skin scraping and found MITES. I didn't know that Frontline doesn't kill mites.

Now he is on a six-week course of liquid inversectin. He gets it soaked into a cookie once a week. After one dose six days ago I can't say I see any improvement, but we've got five doses to go -- next is tomorrow.

I have to strongly disagree with the 'extreme caution' warning about Diatomaceous Earth. Google it and see all the benefits when taken internally and as a insect repellent. We have used it for over 20 years with excellent results.

If you want a very inexpensive solution to worms, fleas, ticks, I highly recommend DE.

I've actually found that the over the counter stuff at petsmart works well, but it has to be biospot, I also put a flea collar on just in case.
Last month I put just regular pyrthmeizone on her from the dollar store. Worked really well oddly.

Also, as far as heartgaurd and stuff like that(ivermectine praziquante), if you don't mind hiding paste in food or getting paste all over you, local feed stores will carry, wormer for horses,known as ivermectine, 1CC(1oz) per 10 lbs for 1.15%. same stuff thats in heart gaurd just in paste for cattle, horses etc.
it starts at $4 and goes to $20ish, but one tube for me lasts a year.