Flea, tick supplies taken from Va. Petco

Thieves stole boxes of flea and tick supplies from a Petco store in Sterling on Thursday, Loudoun authorities said.

Five suspects stole about 65 boxes of Frontline and other brands of flea and tick supplies from the store in the Dulles Retail Plaza just before 3 p.m., according to police reports.

Surveilance video showed the the suspects to be four men and one woman appearing to range in age from late teens to early thirties, according to police.

The boxes were stored in a locked glass case, said Kraig Troxell, Public Information Officer for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. It was not clear how the suspects gained access to the case, he added, but it did not appear to be broken.

The crime wasn't reported until later in the day when "a store employee noticed that there appeared to be a lot of boxes missing," Troxell said.

It's an unusual theft, but not an inexpensive one: Flea and tick prevention supplies -- depending on animal breed, size, and how many months' worth of medication are included in the package -- range anywhere from around $42 to $170 per box, according to prices listed on Petco's website.

-- Caitlin Gibson