Dogs, cats and fleas (1 Viewer)

[Mark Paquette]

I'm curious what the dog and cat owners here use to control fleas and ticks on their furry friends. I've used Frontline Plus in the past and have had good luck with it. I noticed on the Dr. Foster & Smith webpage there is now some stuff out that controls fleas, ticks and mosquitos, I think it's called Advantix. Anybody use this stuff? Anybody use anything else with good results?

 

[Julian Reville]

Advantix is not for use on cats, dogs only. Could be fatal for Kitty.

 

[Mark Paquette]

Good thing I have a dog then Any reason not to use it on a dog?

 

[Bob Graz]

My Vet just switched from Frontline Plus to Advantix so I just did as well. Only used one application so far. I guess Advantix actually repels mosquitoes. I don't really know much more as my wife actually bought it and talked to the Vet folks. Supposedly it's the same price as Frontline Plus, which is also expensive.

Julian, I'd be interested in any opinions you have concerning Frontline Plus vs Advantix.

 

[Julian Reville]

On doggies there should not be a problem. The only reason I mentioned kitties was because the subject header did. The Bayer company put Not for use on cats on the box and interior packaging 13 times, but sometimes people don't read the directions. :b

Believe me, permethrin toxicity in a cat is not fun. Dogs are much more tolerant of it.

Advantix is basically Advantage with permethrin added (in an oil base). The oil base does make a visible greasy spot on Fido's back and some people object to this. Original Advantage and Frontline Plus are alcohol based and the wet spots tend to dry quicker. All are very effective on fleas. I think both are effective on ticks. The mosquito repellency claim of Advantix is hard to quantify. Mosquitos are ravenous beasts and are capable of transmitting a variety of disease organisms, as are ticks, so any help against them is valuable.

Jeez, what a week. I'm whacked, and I have a blocked cat patient that is driving me crazy. Time for a beer.

 

[Drew Bethel]

We used Sentinel for flea control and heart work for our dogs.

 

[Scott Leopold]

We had a really bad flea infestation several years ago. At the time, we had three dogs and three cats. I bought two of those electronic pest repellants from Lowe's. Our vet said they didn't work, and insisted that they'd have no effect. Two weeks later, our house was flea-free.

We're down to one dog, and we still use the electronic repellants, but we also use Sentinel.

 

[Bob Graz]

Ah, I noticed after the first application of Advantix that the fur seemed kind of clumped togther or something a couple days later on my pooch. Almost like a residue was left behind. Never had that issue with Frontline Plus. Other than that he seems none the worse for the wear. I'd like to see more competition between Frontline Plus and Advantix to get the price under $10 a dose. I guess for what it does, it really is worth it, but competition is a beautiful thing and both those companies seem to control distribution lines pretty well (tight).