Be careful when you buy flea and tick preventatives from retail stores, websites and phone order numbers.  Counterfeit products are showing up, which could be potentially dangerous. 

The ones seen most often right now are Frontline and Advantage, which are monthly topical pesticides.  These counterfeit products are imported illegally and are then repackaged in boxes that are very similar to the real ones.  If the labeling is the wrong product or dosage, it could be harmful to your pet.  Merial Ltd. and Bayer Corp., the companies that manufacture these products, suggest purchasing your products directly from your vet, since most vets order these products directly from the companies.

There are some things to look for on the box and the foil packets that help tell the real product from the counterfeit one.  Two websites to check out are the Frontline website and the EPA website.  These websites show pictures of what will be described below.  If you do find that you have bought a counterfeit product, contact the EPA, and take the product back to where you purchased it.

To make sure your Frontline product is legitimate:

• Be sure the lot number on the carton matches the lot number on the applicator package and/or the individual applicators.
• An instruction booklet should be included.
• The pesticide should be contained in an applicator package, which is child-resistant.
• The applicator package has a notch between the individual applicators, and text is in English only.
• Each individual applicator has a label that includes "Merial," the product name, the EPA registration number, net contents in fluid ounces, the percentage of active ingredients, and statements "Caution," "Keep out of reach of children," and "See full label for additional directions."  Again, this text is in English only.
• Dog products includes size of dog in pounds.

To make sure your Advantage product is legitimate:

• The only way to tell is by the applicator tube - be sure text is in English.
• The EPA registration number, "Warning," and "Keep out of reach of children" is on the tube.
• There should be a reference statement that refers users to main labeling for directions and include "Bayer" on the tube.
• The tube should state that it contains an active ingredient and this agrees with the number on the carton (should be 9.1%).