My girl will be whelping soon and I am concerned regarding both Heartgard and Frontline use. I normally apply on the 10TH of each month, and she is due around the 15TH. Ticks are still active here throughout the winter. (I found 2 on Monday)
Plus,a neighbor told me his dog's have heartworm and mosquitos are plentiful here. I do not want to put her at risk. Is it advisable to continue to treat her normally? How do these treatments effect the pups. Any experienced advice will be appreciated.

I called Frontline, Frontline isn't recommended for pregnant females. Believe the Plus is ok, not sure. I know program is so when mine are pregnant they get program instead of the frontline. I use ivermec for heartworm which is the same basic stuff in heartguard, but I would either check with your vet or with the manufacturer.

Thanks Angela, I checked with Merial which makes both products. They say that both Frontline Plus and Heartgard Plus are approved for pregnant and nursing bitches. The vet said the same thing but was just repeating what Merial told them.

I just wish to be careful. Does anyone here who breeds continue use? Has anyone had any problems?
Frontline Plus has only been approved for less than a year.

Ok... This summer, I was not going to use the FP that I had while my bitch was nursing... then the stupid cat brought home a batch of fleas and the only dog in the house that hadn't been frontlined was my bitch, who had 2 week old pups at the time. After I called my vet and he assured me the pups wouldn't be affected if I dosed her... I did. They were not affected at all (other than the few bugs that were around were gone shortly after).

John, I use raw garlic(natural repellent). I don't know how it compares to the chemicals, but it must be pretty potent because I've not yet picked off one tick, and never seen him itch. Maybe it's because his breath smells so bad <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> I live in the country too, where he runs through tick hell all the time, so I'd say it's working.

Garlic does not work, people that use it with good result are lucky, or more likely are in areas of low infestation.

It certainly doesn't do anything for heartworm, which can KILL your dog.


We tried Garlic for an entire season at our kennel some years ago, after having sprayed the property and used Frontline on all the dogs the year before.

We got fleas, lots of fleas. We adjusted the amount of garlic. . .still had tons of fleas. I sprayed the property and fumigated the kennels, changed the pebble stone in every kennel, sprayed again. Still had fleas. I started to see ticks, so immediately went back to Frontline. Within a week or so, narry a nasty little bug to be found.

I live in Kentucky so you can imagine the kind of ticks we have out here. Slamming your brakes to let a family of deer cross the road on your way home from work is not uncommon <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I don't think it's just using garlic; it's how you use it, using the right kind, and using the right amount IMO. For me, the tablets didn't work as well as the raw. Raw can be absorbed by the bloodstream more efficiently than a pill, which has a coating that must be digested first. Of coarse, this is just my theory, but it seems as though this is true. Most of the tablet forms also lack the potent smell, which is one of the main reasons garlic is such an effective repellent. So I give him a raw clove wrapped in a piece of meat, usually once every other day. But overdoing it is no better, as too much can cause a stomach ulcer.

Unless that was a special flea spray you were using in your kennel, I'm not surprised it didn't work, since most pest control sprays only protect against certain pests(such as ants and roaches).

No I don't think garlic protects against heartworm, so I use the heartguard. However, it is proven good for the vascular system(which all starts at the heart), and as a natural antibiotic. Whether or not garlic works as well as chemicals, I don't know. But for me, it seems to do the trick. Or like you say, maybe I'm just lucky <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

I didn't spray, I had two different professionals come in and specifically spray for fleas and ticks.


I wasn't using garlic pills either. Fresh, potent, organic garlic right out of my mother's garden.


Still didn't do a damn thing.

Thanks Dianna, it is good to hear that it worked well for your pups. I appreciate your experience.

Mike and VC, a few months ago I went from using FP to K9Advantix. Thinking it would, as advertised, deter mosquitos. But because it is highly soluable in saltwater, it was useless fighting anything. I began to give my dog a clove of fresh garlic everyday for two months. As VC said, it did nothing. The problem here has not been fleas, but ticks. Lots of Brown Dog ticks. I now use Frontline Plus again with good results, and it is not as water soluable as K9Adv.

Solid Gold MMillenia, which I feed, has garlic in it too.

So far, it sounds like I should continue FP and HGP on my girl during whelping. Does anyone here defer? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Ask your vet.