Compare Top Flea Meds Before Use

So you know you need flea medication for your pet, and you know you like to use topical treatments.  But where do you go from there?  How do you choose the product that best suits your pets’ needs?  The top three topical treatments on the market today are Frontline Plus, Advantage, and K9 Advantix, but which one is best for your pet?  Here is some information that may help you make that decision.

First it is important to note that these three products make fairly similar claims when it comes to flea control and prevention, and for the most part they have similar results.  They all begin to work within 5 minutes of application, they all kill about the same percentage of fleas (95-98%), and they all take about the same amount of time to kill fleas on your pet (around 12 hours).  However, these three topical flea treatments are not all created equal when it comes to fighting fleas over time.  Though they all claim that the topical treatment lasts a month, Frontline Plus continues to protect pets against fleas when the other products tend to lose their efficacy.  In any case, all three products tend to protect your pet for at least two to three weeks after application, and each is effective at killing fleas in all stages of their life cycle.

The real differences between these products come from the active chemical ingredients that ward off pests on your pet.  Frontline Plus uses a combination of S-Methoprene and Fipronil, and as such has the power to ward off fleas as well as ticks.  It is important to note however that Frontline Plus is an excellent repellent for fleas and not so great for ticks, especially when comparing it to something like K9 Advantix.  However, these chemicals are safe for use on dogs and cats that are more than eight weeks old.  Furthermore, Frontline Plus claims to be safe on lactating or pregnant pets as well, which cannot be said for the other two products in question.  Thus Frontline Plus is generally safe and effective for flea prevention.  It is an excellent choice for long lasting flea control or prevention for dogs or cats, and is an especially good choice for females who are pregnant or lactating.

Advantage is a flea treatment produced by the Bayer Corporation that uses Imidacloprid as its main active ingredient.  It is also safe to use on dogs or cats over the age of 8 weeks and is effective at killing fleas.  However, Advantage is strictly a treatment for fleas, and does not ward off any other pests for your pet.  As it only contains one active ingredient, it is relatively low in toxins for your pet and may be a good product to try if this is your first time using topical flea treatments.  Of course, use your judgment to determine what pests are prevalent in your area, and if you would like protection against other unwanted pests, consider trying products that may better suit your needs.

K9 Advantix is another flea treatment produced by Bayer, but this product uses Imidacloprid coupled with Permethrin.  This addition is lethal to the physiology of cats, and K9 Advantix should never be used on a cat.  However, the product is safe to use on dogs over 7 weeks of age, and the addition of Permethrin makes a huge difference on the efficacy of pest repellent.  K9 Advantix will ward off fleas as well as ticks and mosquitoes, and unlike Frontline Plus, is extremely effective against all three pests.  However, the reason it is more effective is because it contains stronger chemicals, and although it is generally safe for use on your dog, there are other factors to consider.  There are minimal side effects reported for Advantage or Frontline Plus, whereas there have been some side effects noted for dogs on K9 Advantix.  Also, you will need to restrict contact to your dog for a few days after treatment, which is hard when you have kids.  If you own a cat that could be trouble, as the cat may decide to groom your dog and get sick.  K9 Advantix is more effective because it is a stronger treatment, and you may want to try other treatments first before pulling out the big guns.

If you are ever in doubt as to what flea treatment to use on your pet, it is always a good idea to ask your veterinarian for advice.  Your vet will know what medications your pet is on, what it may be allergic to, what pests you need to be concerned with, and what the right dosage would be.  For cats dosage is normally not an issue, but there is a huge weight variance in dogs and as such there are varying dosage levels for dogs.  And  although I have only reviewed the top three topical flea treatments here, there are also other products out there to consider.  Every pet is different, and you want to find the right products for your pet.  Spend a little extra time researching products and talk to your vet if you have any questions.

Tags: advantage, cats, dogs, fleas, frontline, k9 advantix, pet meds, ticks

This entry was posted on Friday, May 1st, 2009 at 11:47 am and is filed under Flea & Ticks, Pet Medications, Product Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.