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This review may be quite lengthy, but as an Amazon consumer, I recommend that you thoroughly read and understand this review, as I guarantee it to be worth your time and the health and safety of your pet. Frontline Plus for Dogs when packaged and sold properly (by most Veterinarians and most reputable companies) works as it is described to work. For those instances, I would give the product a 5 star rating. But being that this is a consumer review of Frontline Plus for Dogs for the marketplace of Amazon, I would like to bring a particular experience that I became a victim of, to the attention of the consumer.
Merial produces the product named Frontline Plus for Dogs (of various weights) for US consumers and for the consumers in International markets. Products produced for US distribution are EPA approved. Products for International markets, are not EPA approved. EPA, in this instance, stands for Environmental Protection Agency. This agency sets and enforces rules and standards that protect the environment and control pollution. If a manufacturer produces and distributes EPA and non EPA approved products, it seems like a safer option to administer the EPA approved product.
Here goes the story of how I fell victim to a fraudulent sale of Frontline Plus for Dogs through a Seller / Store utilizing Amazon:
Upon receipt of a Merial Frontline Plus for Dogs product from a Seller / Store on Amazon, the packaging appeared identical to those sold by my previous Veterinary purchase as well as a previous purchase of this product from Amazon directly. While the outside appeared legit, the inside contents had me on alert instantaneously. Here are a few of the red flags that came to mind: 1) The inside contents did not contain the stickers for the consumer to mark their calendar on usage dates. 2) The back of the sealed vials stated the product as Frontline Combo and not as Frontline Plus for Dogs. 3) The back of the sealed vials displayed three rows of orange that read as follows: "AD US. VET USAGE VETERINAIRE FOR VETERINARY USE." 4) The plastic vials contained a pull like backing as opposed to the difficult plastic tab opening that most consumers avoid and end up puncturing the seal to pull the vial from the individual packaging. 5) The sealed area of each vial shows individually, Fipronil 10% w/v, MethroPrene 9% w/v, and 0.67 ml. (I do not recall my previous vials ever showing these figures) 6) The lot number that can be found on the outside of the box contains a lot number that is different from the lot number listed on the back of each of the inside vials.
I made the decision to not use this product on my pet and contacted the US 800 number for Merial, the manufacturer. After explaining the item that arrived to the representative, I was provided some interesting information that confirmed that my intuition of the product I received was correct and that this product was non-other than a fraudulent product that needed to be returned to the Seller / Store that sold this item to me through the use of Amazon. I gathered the following information from the representative at Merial: 1) The box is a US EPA approved Frontline Plus for Dogs. 2) The contents are not EPA approved as it contained vials for a different country. 3) The lot numbers on the box and vials are not consistent, when they should be. This product that I fell victim to was a foreign label product and when questioning the representative as to what she would do if she had this item on hand, she said that she would not use the item and request a refund because foreign label products are not EPA approved.
So, as the title of my review states, "Buyer Beware", please beware and pay close attention to the product that you are receiving. If key points that I have listed in my review clearly identify your item that you received as a foreign label product, please contact the Seller / Store and request to process the return of the item immediately. Pets are like family, the last thing that I believe you should administer to your pet is a non EPA approved product.
Additionally, if a consumer is sold a counterfeit / fraudulent item through Amazon's Marketplace, the consumer should report it to Amazon. These fraudulent Sellers / Stores don't belong on Amazon and the only way that we can initiate an investigation and seek their removal is to report each counterfeit situation to the attention of Amazon directly and warn potential consumers of these fraudulent Sellers / Stores.
I had some issues initially handling my return with the Seller. I refused to pay to ship the counterfeit / fraudulent items (that shouldn't have been sold to me in the first place) back and I insisted that the Seller either pay for the postage and tracking of the products or refund it to me with the refund of my original purchase (Including my original shipping costs). The Seller after multiple email communications emailed me a prepaid USPS mailing label with tracking.
I was hesitant on naming the fraudulent Amazon Marketplace Seller / Store until my entire return was processed and refunded. Now that my refund was successful, the fraudulent Frontline Plus that was sold to me was sold through the Amazon Marketplace Seller / Store of Discount Flea. The return address company name was Doc's Discount Flea Control located in Las Vegas, NV. The front of their sold product contains a sticker that refers you to re-order from unitedpetmeds2010.com with a 10% discount off of an order of $100 or more. I do not recommend purchasing these products from any of these companies. I would also be wary of any other company that you receive items that look as I described and suggest requesting an immediate return and issuing a complaint to Amazon of the fraudulent Seller / Store that you encountered.
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Allow me to caveat this review by saying out of 500 plus reviews this is the most difficult to write as I despise having to use pesticides on our dogs. That said, we live in Tick and Flea central, surrounded by deep woods and our bull dogs are in every sense of the word family. That said if you're reading these reviews your dog or dogs are your heart and using these products is a difficult choice to make, but for most of us it's one we have to make.
On that note, it's nice to be among my own kind of folks and it's my hope the following information has some value for you.
Frontline was first put into clinical trials in 1985 shortly after the discovery of it's active ingredient Fipronil. It has maintained the safest albeit not the most effective treatment for fleas and ticks. However, the more effective products pose a significantly greater risk to your dog.
It's a slippery slope, but in evaluating what's best for your dog and offers the most protection at the least risk Frontline and FrontLine Plus are hands down, without question your best bet.
Most tick and flea products contain Premethrin (or related compounds) as the active ingredient. Premethrin is a lethal neurotoxin that flows through the dogs circulatory system and flushes into every major organ including the brain where it can do dire damage. Although thousands of dogs die every year from Premethrin and the FDA has mandated a minimal use of it not to exceed 750PPM companies continue to use it because it's cheap and effective.
What makes Premethrin so dangerous is that it can't distinguish between insects and mammals including human beings. It's been known to be lethal to cats since the 1970's. Even a slight transfer from dog to cat can result in seizures, brain damage and death.
Premethrin is volatile as well meaning it's airborne properties pose a continued threat to all who breath it in dogs and humans included.
Frontline on the other hand uses Fipronil. Fipronil is an insecticide. Like any compound of this nature it can be lethal at too high of a dose. However studies including those from the Department of Environmental Conservation have determined time and time again that as long as the amount of Fipronil is at the correct dose for the weight and size of your dog toxicity is far easier to avoid and the product much safer for your dog.
Unlike Premethrin, Fipronil is absorbed into the hair follicles and oil glands only.
It is not absorbed into the dogs system nor is it volatile so you and your beloved pets and children can breath easy. The second active ingredient in FrontLine Plus is Methoprene which is a long existing and time proven IGR (insect growth regulator) it's distributed exactly like Fipronil but only acts on flea and tick eggs and Larvae this is important because it kills these vermin at the start of a new life cycle. What is more, the diseases that ticks carry now are infinitely more serious than the dreaded Lime disease which for decades was the only concern.
Competitors to Frontline (and some Vets selling other products) claim that fleas and ticks have become resistant to Frontline hog wash. These pests have become resistant to most all pesticides and no independent research exists to confirm this claim. I can assure you I've researched this in the greatest depth.
The bottom line is this all of these products pose a risk.
The wise choice is to minimize that risk in your effort to protect your pet from the diseases these vermin carry. Again, these diseases can be infinitely more lethal than the ingredients of the protection. To that end your safest and most effective choice is Frontline or Frontline Plus.
In the event your pet has a bad reaction to Frontline products these are the symptoms you would see:
* Restlessness
* Itching
* Vomiting
* Difficulty Breathing
* Lethargy
Should these symptoms occur, of course take your pet to your Veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately. It should be a comfort to know that unlike the toxic ingredients in most other flea and tick control products severe reactions to both Fipronil and Methoprene are rare. What is more they can be neutralized quickly.
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I've used Frontline on my dogs for years with no problem and I still think it's a fine product. This one star review is based on my most recent experience. I ordered this product through Amazon and received an illegal product via a third party seller. I got Frontline Combo, which is not approved by the EPA for sale in the US, in a Frontline Plus box. The lot numbers on the box and product did not match either, so clearly someone had deliberately tampered with the product. I experienced the illegal sale of a pesticide, product tampering, and mail fraud all in one transaction. A representative at Merial, the manufacturer, told me that this problem is widespread on the Internet and advised me to buy Frontline products only from my vet. I just took a look at the seller reviews and there are a number of us who have had the same experience with this seller, so I don't think Amazon is paying attention. Please be careful about what you are putting on your beloved pets!
Honest reviews on Merial Frontline Plus Flea and Tick Control for Dogs and Puppies
My dog is a Chow mix and very furry. Ticks are impossible to find under her two layered coat until it's too late. At first, I tried cheaper brands. They work on ticks but do nothing for fleas. Then my vet recommended Frontline. I later tried K9 Advantix since they claim to also kill mosquitos, but I didn't notice any difference with the little bloodsuckers. And the protection from K9 Advantix didn't seem to last as long so I switched back to Frontline.
Frontline works great for us. My dog is an outdoor dog and our county reportedly has more deer than people. And with deer come deer ticks. I've seen deer in my back yard and my dog's house is very near the woods for shade. And she likes to take the occasional jaunt through the woods. Still I rarely find a tick on her. And when I do, they're usually dead (or soon will be).
I wish I'd known Amazon was selling Frontline for a better price sooner. I've been purchasing only 3 months worth for about $50 from another site for the last 2 years. Very frustrating since before you know it, you're out. With 6 months worth I only have to remember 2 times a year instead of 4.
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When I first opened my pet grooming salon nearly 10 years ago, I would recommend Frontline over every other product. It was the most effective back then. These days; however, over the last year and a half, I have seen countless dogs and cats whose owners I know with certainty correctly use the product and have found their pets infested with fleas and live attached ticks. Pretty much since they released the Frontline Plus, I've seen a decline in its effectiveness and many customers in distress. And I'm hearing the same complaints from a couple of local veterinarians. I now steer my customers away from Frontline and continue to seek a safe and effective alternative. Let you know when I do.
