Using topical Permethrin doses to keep ticks off your dog...

[deja vu]

Ticks are really, really bad this year in northern MN (Koochiching and Beltrami Counties). A short walk in light brush near a grassy trail 10 days ago resulted in 200 ticks on my dog and 70 ticks on me!

I apologize to all the vets peddling Frontline Plus for Muriel, but IMHO the 'fipronil' active ingredient in Frontline just doesn't do the job in that kind of tick infestation.

Bayer (the aspirin people) compete with Muriel's Frontline Plus in the dog market. The Bayer product is called K9 Advantix, and it contains two active ingredients, 'imidacloprid' and 'permethrin'... the 'permethrin' is there specifically to kill ticks.

Additionally, several insecticide mfgrs (Bio-Spot, Cutters, Sawyers) offer topical doses of just 'permethrin' to target only ticks. Permethrin is not a prescription drug, and it's not obscenely overpriced, but it is very potent and overdoses could cause problems with a dog. It cannot be used with cats.

Question: If your dog is already dosed with Muriel's Frontline product, can you safely add an immediate dose of K9 Advantix or Cutters Permethrin? Or should you wait a month until the next dose is due, then not use the Frontline product?

I wish my vet didn't have to augment income by both prescribing and then selling overpriced Muriel's Heartgard and Frontline products. It's a real conflict of interest in this situation...