How to Apply Frontline Top Spot for Dogs

Frontline Top Spot for dogs can effectively kill fleas and ticks on a dog and can also prevent fleas and dogs from nesting in a dog in the first place. In order for the product to work, owners should be sure to apply the product properly.

How the Product Works

Frontline Top Spot for dogs mixes with the dog's natural body oils that keep the dog's fur shiny and healthy. Through a process called translocation, the Frontline first heads into the oil glands in the skin of the dog at the base of the hairs. For a period of thirty days, the product then disperses into the coat of the animal, fully protecting the animal from fleas and ticks.

Prepping the Dog for Application

If the dog is already exposed to fleas and ticks before application of the Frontline Top Spot for dogs product, he may be bathed in a special formula for destroying these insects, although it may not be necessary. Frontline does not negatively interact with other insect-killing formulas, but it is recommended that the owner wait twenty-four hours after such a bath before applying the Frontline. The dog can be bathed in water prior to application, but he must be completely dry before application. Some vets recommend not bathing the dog for one to two days before application.

Applying the Frontline

The dog must be at least eight weeks old if the owner is going to apply Frontline. Remove the dog's collar before beginning and apply as follows:

Remove the Frontline applicator from the packaging and bend the opening tab at the top of the applicator.
Pull apart the fur in the middle of the area between the dog's shoulder blades on his back.
Turn over the applicator and apply the entire Frontline solution to a small area in the middle of the dog's shoulder blades. Make sure the product reaches the skin.

Further application is not necessary. The product will naturally work its way to the rest of the coat.

Keeping the Dog Dry

The dog should avoid getting wet for about twenty-four hours after application. Once a day has passed and the Frontline Top Spot for dogs product seems dry, the dog may swim and bathe as desired without affecting the potency of the product for a full thirty days.

How Long It Takes to Work

Frontline Top Spot for dogs will begin to kill fleas twelve hours after application and ticks forty-eight hours after application. As the insects bury themselves into the dog's coat, they will die and need not reach the point of biting the dog to be affected by the product. If the fleas are just jumping into the dog's coat after application, it will be impossible for them to lay eggs within those twelves hours before they are killed. However, if the fleas were there previously, they may already have lain eggs and owners may see many fleas come to the surface of the dog's fur as the product begins to work.

When to Reapply

Frontline works for thirty days after application. Owners can then apply the product every thirty days as necessary. It is not necessary or advisable to apply Frontline more often than once every thirty days.