A brief history of flea and tick products
Today’s flea and tick products have come a long way from the time-consuming, messy and often ineffective products of yesterday.
That was then…
If your pet was suffering from fleas and ticks, you could bathe him with flea shampoo, dust him in powder, use a messy dip or have him wear a thick, waxy flea collar day and night. Unfortunately, these remedies were temporary, at best, and did little to break the life cycle of these persistent parasites.
This is now…
Today, you can treat and prevent fleas with more effective “spot-on” products, like FRONTLINE® Top Spot® and FRONTLINE Plus. These products are applied directly to one spot on the back of your pet (between the shoulder blades). FRONTLINE products then travel all over the body through the network of oil glands that are in the skin. Within 24 hours, up to 100% of fleas on your pet’s body are dead. Within 24-48 hours up to 100% of all major species of ticks are dead.
Flea and Tick Products Have Come a Long Way…
| YEAR | PRODUCT INTRODUCTION |
| 1970s | Products containing permethrin were introduced and enjoyed tremendous popularity until recently when a new generation of products was made available. |
| Mid 1990s | Introduction of several new compounds, available only from veterinarians, which changed the nature of flea and tick control:
- Flea Pill called PROGRAM® (lufenuron) – requires additional products to control adult fleas and ticks
- Monthly application products including:
ADVANTAGE® – not labeled for ticks
REVOLUTION® (selamectin) – reduced efficacy on fleas as month progresses
PREVENTIC® – controls ticks for up to 3 months, but requires a separate flea control product
FRONTLINE Plus – best choice for controlling fleas and ticks for a full 30 days
®ADVANTAGE is a registered trademark of Bayer Corporation. ®REVOLUTION is a registered trademark of Pfizer, Inc. ®PREVENTIC is a registered trademark of Virbac SA ®PROGRAM is a registered trademark of Novartis.
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| 1995 | Merial introduces FRONTLINE Spray – for quick elimination of existing flea and tick infestations FRONTLINE Spray can be applied following a bath as long as the coat is dry. Its residual action is far superior to commonly used dips. Ideal for multi-pet households as a convenient “one-size-fits-all” product. |
| 1997 |
Merial introduces FRONTLINE Top Spot – an easy to apply liquid that provides convenient flea and tick control
FRONTLINE Top Spot provides a convenient, one-spot application that is ideal as a pre-season prevention program as well as a highly effective treatment option. |
| 2000 | Merial introduces FRONTLINE Plus – the most complete flea and tick control available
FRONTLINE Plus eliminates the time-consuming and costly need to treat your entire home and yard for fleas by combining an effective, long-acting adulticide (fipronil) along with an IGR (Insect Growth Inhibitor [(S)-methoprene]), which prevents the development of flea eggs and larvae. |
| Today: |
FRONTLINE Brand Products are the Vet’s #1 choice for long-lasting flea and tick control.
All FRONTLINE products contain the active ingredient fipronil and are approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). |
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