We had to use both Frontline Plus and Capstar over a two month period when a raccoon apparently fell down our chimney, died, and all the fleas took over our carpeted basement. The infestation was so horrible that frontline simply wasn't enough and the dogs were in agony. Used in combination with capstar, the dogs finally found some relief and the effect was near immediate.
We only used capstar during the peak of the infestation while we treated our home and found it to be extremely effective when used in conjunction with frontline plus.
Frontline doesn't seem to be as effective on some individual dogs as others. Some people say it's because certain flea populations are becoming immune, but I don't know how much weight that has as people who exercise their dogs in the same area as mine say their frontline isn't working, yet my dogs don't normally have any issues with fleas and ticks. If dogs using the same exact treatment are exposed to the same population, but only a few of them are still getting fleas and ticks I would think the problem lies with either improper application due to user error or the topical treatment just isn't the best fit for that particular dog.
