Advantage Flea Control

[NiX]

I was wondering if anyone here has used Advantage. I'm thinking of buying some for my pets and don't know anyone who has actually used it. I'm also curious if anyone has bought pet medications online. To get Advantage for my pets I have to take them to the vet so they can sell it to me, but they won't until they do a check up to make sure they "need" it. Which I've heard is only a reason for them to charge me $60 - $100 for the check up and then another $60-80 for the Advantage. Which I've seen going for $40-$50 online.

[Prospero]

Advantage is toxic jesus. I've had cats all my life and done the whole flea dip/flea collar thing, both of which are balls. With Advantage, when we see the kitties scratching a lot we dab a bit on their necks and they are good to go for another month or two. The only big problem is the cost. Theoretically you aren't supposed to use it on underweight cats, but that's the only thing I think a vet would need to check for. One trick to help with the cost is to buy the big dog version. It's the same chemical in a bigger tube for the same price. It's kind of a pain to administer though in the big tube because you only use 1/3 of a tube or so per cat. We've gone back to just buying that cat sized tubes for simplicity's sake.

[NiX]

Awesome. I've heard good things, but never any first hand stories, so I was a bit hesitant to actually believe it was that good.

[SnakeCharmer]

We've use Sentinel on our pooches*, dunno if they have a cat version.  It protects against fleas and heartworm.  It's a once a month chewable.  Expensive, but worth it.  Probably requires a prescription.  My vet is a really good friend of mine, and he doesn't require a checkup on Jack if we miss a month or something.

*Pooches:  We used to do rescue work for the local Boxer Rescue organization, but since my baby boy has arrived, we've had to cut that out.

Never ever had a cat, so I couldn't tell you for sure what to use there.  I am thinking of getting some bad ass tomcat to stick outside to kill the moles that seem to love to take up residence in my front yard.

[grebo]

It's good shit.

If the fleas aren't bad you could get away with the knockoff brands, you can get them at big box pet stores or even wal-mart for way cheaper.

What's really nice about it is that the cat will act as a roving flea killer.  Even if you're lazy and don't wash the bedding/spray the carpet and whatnot, all the fleas will be dead within at most a couple weeks.

It isn't winter where you are?

[rattran]

I used Advantage a few years ago, when I saw a flea on one of the cats. Seemed to work well, as we never had any more fleas, but one of the cats did get sick from it. Nothing big, but keep an eye on them if you use it. If one of them gets twitchy of starts missing jumps, call your vet.

[WayAbvPar]

We first started using Advantage on our cat when he was wee. I was AMAZED at the number of dead and dying fleas that came off of a kitten. I am talking HUNDREDS. The poor little bastard must have been miserable. We haven't used it on him recently, since we moved last year and seem to have escaped most of the fleas. Probably give him another dose in the spring when they get active again.

Amazing stuff.

[HaemishM]

I used Frontline. Generally, one hit a year during the summer months works, once I see that the dogs are getting fleas. It kills everything, and if you time it right towards the end of the summer, you don't have to buy it again until they get them the next year. That knockoff shit you get a Wal-Mart does fuckall.

[Yegolev]

Hairspray.  Lighter.

[Cheddar]

I used Frontline. Generally, one hit a year during the summer months works, once I see that the dogs are getting fleas. It kills everything, and if you time it right towards the end of the summer, you don't have to buy it again until they get them the next year. That knockoff shit you get a Wal-Mart does fuckall.

We use this and have never had an issue.  Doggy is bug free; considering I live in a more rural setting it is a god send. 

 

[Morat20]

I used Frontline. Generally, one hit a year during the summer months works, once I see that the dogs are getting fleas. It kills everything, and if you time it right towards the end of the summer, you don't have to buy it again until they get them the next year. That knockoff shit you get a Wal-Mart does fuckall.

I use that too. Not only kills the fleas, kills their eggs, kills the bastards that dare to land on the dog, and in general nukes the entire flea life-cycle (from dog to bedding) for at least two months.

Good stuff, and not really that toxic. Just really targetted.

[Lantyssa]

I used to have a herd of cats during one summer where even people without animals were getting fleas.  My place was infested.  Ten fleas on a fresh sock in thirty seconds type infested.  A few tubes of Advantage between the cats and every flea near my place was dead in two weeks.  The stuff is friggin' amazing.

I didn't need an appointment from my vet, but things could have changed in ten years, or just be different between vets.

[NiX]

I live in a ritzy upscale town (Why my college is here is beyond me), so the vets here are all "Must see me before you get ANYTHING." We tried a knock off brand from PetSmart, but it gave him a rash and he started to lose some fur. Apparently he's allergic to the chemical in that one. Advantage seems to use an entirely different mix, so hopefully we don't run into any problems.

It is winter, but unfortunately my roommate is the kind of person who doesn't practice good hygiene. I want to punch the fucker so hard in the face half the time. That's another gripe fest right there that I won't go into. Not in this thread at least.

[cmlancas]

Advantage + Frontline are both good. There's also a new one out that has heartworm protection on it too. Also decent, although hasn't been on the market for very long (vet warned us about possible long term side effects).

[Morat20]

Advantage + Frontline are both good. There's also a new one out that has heartworm protection on it too. Also decent, although hasn't been on the market for very long (vet warned us about possible long term side effects).

I'm still pissy they pulled the heartworm injection off the market. (6 months protection for a single, very cheap shot. They had a 12 month one in the works). Apparently there were some worries about it killing dogs, but from what I could tell it was entirely anecdotal -- when your dog drops dead, you want to find SOMEONE to blame, and if Fido got a brand new shot the week before, that must have been it. Even if he was 16 and had a heart condition.

My vet seems to think it's not coming back -- the adverse reaction numbers are fine, along the same order as any other yearly shot your pet gets, but proving it again THEN convincing consumers it's okay isn't worth it. Their other heartworm prevention formulations are just as profitable.

[CharlieMopps]

Tip: GLOVES

It absorbs through your skin. You don't want to touch it.

[DarkDryad]

Ceck with your vet. They also sell a product that works like advantage (immediate kill) and has a longer life. best of all its in pill form. This isnt the old product that was on the market its a newly released product that supposedly kicks ass for 6 monthsim still using the advantage for now but may switch if this stuff has been released yet.

[Nebu]

You may find the Frontline FAQ helpful.

[Signe]

My kitties will never have fleas.  I won't allow it.

[DarkSign]

I go back and forth betwee Sentinel and Frontline. Both work but have had issues with both.
Finally I just sprayed the backyard with malathion and was done with it.

[voodoolily]

NEVER use a product designed for dogs on a cat. Dog fleas and cat fleas are different species (cat fleas require the higher protein content of cat blood or sommat). But the cat version works just fine on our boys. Here you can buy it at any pet supply store or at the vet, but my vets know I'm a biologist and let me phone in scrips for my cat without a visit.

[Cheddar]

NEVER use a product designed for dogs on a cat. Dog fleas and cat fleas are different species (cat fleas require the higher protein content of cat blood or sommat). But the cat version works just fine on our boys. Here you can buy it at any pet supply store or at the vet, but my vets know I'm a biologist and let me phone in scrips for my cat without a visit.

Sure its 'cause you are a BIologist?