Alternative to Frontline

Our customer asked:

I have close cropped standard poodles and find the usual liquid application of tspot-on products very messy - the coat lies very flat to the skin, with areas of exposed skin because of the curling. Because of this the product just sits there as a greasy mess, I am concerned that the dogs may lick each other, or that the product will simply end up on the sofa not the dog...is there an oral preparation to do the same job? In addition the dogs are long necked and very flexible and I feel can probably reach round to the application area.

Our reply:

It is possible to place these spot-on preparations to the top of the neck/back of the head where they cannot reach. A small amount may be rubbed/licked off, but that will not completely stop it working, just reduce its efficacy slightly. Better than nothing. This might well be the best option for you.

There are alternatives you can consider though. There are tablets for fleas (Comfortis, prescription only, or Program, non-prescription) which with one tablet per month will control fleas just as well. They do nothing for ticks. You can use a collar for these (eg Scalibor) but that means wearing an insecticidal collar all the time.

Personally I would use Frontline Spot-on, applied too near to the head to be self-licked. The greasy patch will disappear after a day or two, and it will work pretty well despite rubbing on furniture etc. Nothing is ever 100% anyway.