Is Frontline safe for Australian Shepherd puppies with sensitivities?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a good question, especially with some Australian Shepherds having a mutation of their MDR-1 gene. Fortunately, Heartgard is safe to use in these breeds for the prevention of heartworms. The amount of ivermectin contained within a monthly dose is not harmful/toxic to dogs even with the MDR-1 mutation. I would be careful to ensure that Josie does not accidentally ingest multiple months-worth of doses, as this cumulative dose could potentially be toxic to her. As far as topical flea and tick preventatives go, brands such as Frontline and K9 Advantix are also safe to use in these breeds. I hope this is helpful!

Flea and tick drugs are not toxic if used responsibly at acceptable doses. Shepherd breeds should ways use these drugs with care due to the possible presence of the MDR gene, a genetic component that can cause oversensitivity to some drugs. Other products that are natural that have been shown to have some repellant and insecticidal activity include coconut oil and cedar oil.

Yes, it is fine to use Frontline on your older dog with Kobi in the home. According to Frontline FAQs on their website, it is safe to use it on the puppy as long as he is eight weeks of age, but given that he is small in weight, to be safe, keep the older dog away from the puppy until the Frontline is completely dried, about 24 hours. You can safely use Frontline spray on the puppy, that is safe to use on puppies as young as two days of age. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Hi there. 68 mcg is the normal dose of Heartgard for a puppy up to 25 pounds, so Beau should be just fine :) Even if he is MDR1 positive (the gene that makes some dogs more sensitive to ivermectin), normal Heartgard doses are still completely safe for these dogs. They can have difficulty with higher ivermectin doses that are sometimes used to treat certain types of mange and other problems, so we do have to be careful with this type of treatment in herding breeds - but regular Heartgard is such a low dose that it's still perfectly safe.

Yes, Frontline is considered to be safe for use in pregnant female dogs. The active ingredient (fipronil) has never been shown to cause any birth defects or other problems, and it's poorly absorbed into the body in any case so should not affect the developing pups at all :)

The top quality flea preventatives out there are Nexgard, Bravecto, Simparica, or Credelio. You can also try Advantix over the counter, but his has variable results. The itching is likely because he has a flea allergy. If this still doesn't resolve, then a vet visit is needed for allergy medication. I do hope that Ruger's itching and flea problem resolve soon! Best wishes and take care.

If the puppy is over 8 weeks of age and you use the correct dosage for their weight, it should be fine. I would keep an eye on them until the application spot is dry just in case they are curious and try to lick.