# Flea and tick...new product



## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

It's a generic version of Frontline most likely. If I were you I'd compare the packaging and ingredients listing, but also look at the country of manufacture of the generic version--was it China or India? If so, I'd pass--but that's my personal opinion given so many problems with products coming from those two countries (melamine from china for example). Also, the inert ingredients may be different in the generic and could possibly cause an adverse reaction with your dog. Wallyworld also has a generic version made in India, which was recalled for a while. There were several reports on forums of adverse reactions on dogs after using that version. I'm usually a big fan of Costco, but I've decided to skip the generic flea and tick medication for now. You might want to wait a few months and see if there are any reports of adverse effects by the early-adopters.


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## TYPERCOP (Jul 25, 2011)

I compared the boxes side by side and the ingredients are no where near each other which is why I immediately did not buy it and was waiting for a few reviews. I get the Frontline, Advantage and all medications at cost since the girlfriend works at a vet but this Kirkland stuff still is cheaper. As I said the only reason I'm considering it is because the Kirkland Signature, I will have to check and see where it was made. I never even considered that stuff that came out not too long ago that was a knock off to Frontline or whatever it was, not worth the trouble it could cause for the dogs.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

What's the active ingredient?


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

tippykayak said:


> What's the active ingredient?


I'm curious too and couldn't find anything about the generic on the Costco website. 

If anyone is at a Costco that offers this product in the store, would you please take cell phone photos of the product labels, front and back? We might be able to get more information about the product.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

I looked at costco and they are NOT the same active ingredient. I didn't remember the name of this active ingredient, but whatever it is, it has 30% of it in there. While Fronline's active ingredient only has about 9-10%. I would never buy this product for my pet, personally, just because of the other issues people had with the other 'generic' frontline.

Also, the other two active ingredients are the same on both products, but those are the lesser two. I cannot remember how close in % they were.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I stay away from the cheap copy cats also,saving a few bucks is not worth the risk to my furbabies getting sick from it.


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## uat1 (Jan 25, 2011)

I saw the Kirkland brand at Costco yesterday and i was excited too. I did some googling and apparently no one has any real experience with it. I don't want to say cheap = bad, I guess only time will tell. I'll wait for a few months and see if Costco would still carries the product at the warehouse, I don't think Costco would continue the product if they receive too many negative comments. Amazon.com carries it too, there is no review for it yet.

Someone at German shepherd forum posted the ingredients. These are Greek too me, I hope some chemistry majored or vets in this forum can translate it to plain English to me.

Kirkland Flea/Tick Active Ingredients:
Etofenprox..... 30.0%
(S)-Methoprene... 3.6%
Piperonyl Butoxide Technical... 5.0%
Other Indredients.... 61.4%

Frontline Plus Active Ingredients:
Fipronil... 9.8%(S) 
Methoprene.. 8.8%
Inert Ingredients.. 81.4%


BioSpot Active Ingredients:
Etofenprox... 30.0%
S-methoprene IGR (Insect Growth Regulator)... 3.6%
Piperonyl Butoxide... *5.0%
Other Ingredients... 61.4%


K9 Advantix active ingredients:
Imidacloprid; 1-[6-Chloro-3-pyrindinyl) methyl]-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine... 8.8%
Permethrin... 44.0%
Pyriproxyfen IGR (Insect Growth Regulator)... 0.44%
Other ingredients... 46.76%


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

It appears the Kirkland brand is the same as the Bio Spot, which I would NEVER use. Available in stores, cheap, usually means a poor quality product, and I have seen chemical burns on dogs after Bio Spot was used.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

This forum...and the internet in general...is awesome!


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Etofenprox is from the pyrethrin class of insecticides, which are generally considered quite safe for mammals. I'm not sure it's as effective at entering the sebaceous system as the ingredients in the other products. I've also heard, anecdotally, of skin reactions, though I'm not sure they're actually more common than people get with other products. I don't use this class of products because I haven't see the safety studies I've seen on the fipronil/methoprene products.

Permethrin is another pyrethroid with a long track record.

Methoprene mimics the juvenile hormones of insects, so it breaks the life cycle of bugs like fleas. Since the larva can't transition into adults, they die without reproducing. It doesn't kill adult bugs.

Pyriproxyfen also mimics juvenile insect hormones.

Piperonyl Butoxide is a pesticide booster. It doesn't kill pests by itself, but it lowers their tolerance to other pesticides. That's why you see it in combination, but never by itself.

Fipronil is a slow killing pesticide that ruins insect nervous systems through a chemical pathway that doesn't exist in mammals. It's really good at getting into your dog's skin oils. That's how Frontline stays on the dog for so long. The downside is that it's slow, so it doesn't always kill ticks and fleas before they bite. In fact, insects often become more active for a brief period before they die.

Imidacloprid from a completely different class of insecticides, though it's considered quite safe. It blocks nervous system signals in insects. It's popular for pet insecticide because it kills insects at very low concentrations.


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## Luccagr (Feb 25, 2011)

I saw that at Costco over the weekend too and was thinking of getting it as I only need 1 application for my boy when we fly him out of US. I usually give him trifexis which is already a heartworm & flea control. But regulations state that I need to give a tick control too and I was thinking of getting that Costco brand for him to use for 1 app. I'll probably pass it now and get advantage or something else.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Luccagr said:


> I saw that at Costco over the weekend too and was thinking of getting it as I only need 1 application for my boy when we fly him out of US. I usually give him trifexis which is already a heartworm & flea control. But regulations state that I need to give a tick control too and I was thinking of getting that Costco brand for him to use for 1 app. I'll probably pass it now and get advantage or something else.


If it's for a one-time use, I'd ask your vet for a sample of Advantix or Frontline. You may be able to just get it for free as a starter.


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## Donatella (Jan 21, 2013)

Adding Info to this old thread....

So I bought some of the Costco/Kirkland Flea and Tick stuff yesterday...so wish I would have read on here first. :doh:

Used it last night on my fella, his fur this morning is sooooo oily, matted on his back and gross. It smells horrendous...just like this product. In all the years I used Frontline on my pugs, Frontline never did anything like this. I dont want my kids to pet him today 

Waiting for my husband to come home from work so we can give him a nice bath and wash him down. For now, Im taking him for walks and keeping him in his x pen with kong treats....until bath time!! 

So for anyone reading this thread in the future...if you read everything else and still might be tempted to try this product for the price...DONT DO IT....FRONTLINE is such a better product!!!

:--appalled:

I swear from this day forward...I will never buy another product for my cutie Bruno again unless I research it here on this forum first. Lesson Learned.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Donatella said:


> Adding Info to this old thread....
> 
> So I bought some of the Costco/Kirkland Flea and Tick stuff yesterday...so wish I would have read on here first. :doh:
> 
> ...


Thanks for reporting your experience! I was surprised to see this old thread pop up since I was just at Costco and noticed the store had none of their generic in stock- I wondered if they recalled it for some reason. They had lots of Frontline though. 

We've since moved to Parastar Plus, which is the same active ingredient as Frontline, but it apparently, according to the ad and website, attacks the fleas and ticks faster and differently.  So far, so good, but we haven't really gotten into flea and tick season yet. It doesn't smell at least to me and it applies similar to Frontline, but the applicator is much easier to open and use than Frontline. Neither dog had an adverse reaction.


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