Dog Community

Frontline question.

Posted : 3/27/2007 10:37:34 AM

So I have a package of the biggest tubes of Frontline Plus. I'm not sure where they came from, as I don't remember buying them, but Frontline says they don't expire, and they were just in a box in a closet. My lucky day! (I think my sister must've given it to me when she worked for a vet. That's the only thing I can figure. They really didn't fall out of the sky. [

])

Anyway, I looked up the amount for smaller dogs (the tubes are for 90+ pounds, Cherokee's 60 and my sister's dog who lives here is 75), found it, that's fine and dandy. What I'm wondering is if I can dose it out for the cats too. I found an empty package for the cat stuff, and the only thing that seems different between it and the dog stuff is one of the ingredients (Methoprene?) is 3% less in the dog stuff. It's 11.8% in cat, and 8.8% in dog. The other active ingredient (Fipronil) is exactly the same. So if I dose it out to the cat dose, I'm thinking the worst that could happen is it doesn't work very well on the cats. Can anyone see anything wrong with this logic? Just seems like a waste of money (that I really don't have at the moment) to buy the cat stuff if I already have this and it's safe. The tubes are 4 ml, and the cat tubes are .5 ml. That's 8 cat doses, or two months for all four cats, out of one tube. CHEAP! I usually use Advantage and dose it out like this (Bayer themselves says that's fine), but never Frontline.

Ever used the dog Frontline Plus on cats? Any idea if it's fine? Thanks!

rwbeagles

Posted : 3/27/2007 10:40:29 AM

I'd say...DO NOT use any topical not intended for cats...on cats. Cats groom themselves a lot more than dogs and that's not something I would risk. I don't know about that ingredient but I do know I'd never chance my cat licking up the dog formulation and getting ill. Just my .02

chelsea_b

Posted : 3/27/2007 10:53:07 AM

That's an interesting point, although scary because Cherokee's a licker. Especially when she's itchy, she licks herself constantly. Or scratches with her back feet, and then licks them... Geesh these flea meds are scary. I can't even read the boxes anymore, because they all say "Avoid contact with skin" and that just makes me queasy since I'm putting it on my animals' skin...Sigh...

RupsMom

Posted : 3/27/2007 12:28:48 PM

I wouldn't suggest using Frontline for Dogs on Cats. My friend accidently grabbed the wrong tube (she thought she was grabbing one for cats), and put it on her two cats..the next day they were in the ER Vet because the cats were having seizures. They spent two days in there.

chelsea_b

Posted : 3/27/2007 1:51:11 PM

That's very sad and scary, but my guess it that was a dosing problem more than a difference in formula. I can't imagine a difference in inert ingredients would do that (if there is even a difference), and like I said, the only difference in active ingredients is (S)-methoprene is 11.8% in the cat stuff, and 8.8% in the dog stuff. I wouldn't use cat stuff on dogs for that reason, but it seems harmless to use the dog stuff on cats. Anyway, I'm not going to use it on them unless I find out for sure it's fine. Thanks guys.

marynh

Posted : 3/27/2007 2:48:11 PM

I once had a foster that was a stray for awhile Someone thought they were doing him a favor by treating his fleas with a dog product...his back was burned pretty bad when they finally took him to a shelter. Took quite awhile for the fur to grow back in

Cita

Posted : 3/27/2007 3:27:32 PM

Can you call your vet and ask? Just explain that it's a money issue and you can't afford to get the cats separate medicine (you can stretch the truth a little) but you found this dog medicine and would like to use it on them if it's safe. My vet has always been very responsive to these sorts of weird questions.

agilebcs

Posted : 3/27/2007 3:31:32 PM

Every months during tick season I split vials among my dogs and 1 cat and I've never had a problem. 2 vet friends have told me that it's basically the same stuff for cats and dogs. I buy the largest size vial and I can treat 3 dogs and 1 cat for a fraction of what it would cost to buy individual packages for each animal.

DPU

Posted : 3/27/2007 3:45:54 PM

ORIGINAL: RupsMom

I wouldn't suggest using Frontline for Dogs on Cats. My friend accidently grabbed the wrong tube (she thought she was grabbing one for cats), and put it on her two cats..the next day they were in the ER Vet because the cats were having seizures. They spent two days in there.

I was sitting in emergency and in came a family with their cat have seizures. Grandma accidently put the dog's flea application on the cat. Kitty did not survive. Yes, it is the dosage by why take the chance.