Flea season is in full swing. The first thing you have to realize in your war against these pesky critters is nothing is 100% effective. If anyone tells you otherwise, they are lying. Whatever you use will only work for a certain period of time and it is best to use a variety in combination. Flea treatments can be extremely expensive but this article will help save you big money if you have smaller dogs or cats. For people with larger dogs you can also keep reading for some other tips. By buying the flea medicine intended for large dogs and multi-dosing on small dogs or even cats you can save anywhere from 50% to as much as 200% or more.I have been using this method for over four years now and have saved hundreds of dollars on my pets. Here are my three very happy pets because they are flea-free and loving life.
This tutorial is intended to:
- Eradicate Fleas from your Pets
- Eradicate Fleas from your Home
- Eradicate Fleas from your Yard
- Safe and effective treatment for Severe Flea Allergies, mites, mange, lice, ringworm, and severe skin rashes
- And Save you a ton of Money!
Yuki: American shorthair on Frontline Plus and montthly Lufenuron capsules
Aries: Pomeranian with fresh hair cut on K9 Advantix along with vinegar sprays and Adams spray as needed.
Miniature Pomeranian on K9 Advantix with occasional vinegar sprays and Adams spray as needed. Cured of severe skin rash and hair loss from lime sulfur dip below.
Split Dosages to save Money
Many people wonder if it is safe to buy spot treatments like Frontline for 45-88 pound dogs and use it on your Pomeranian. The answer is yes, it is absolutely safe as long as you give them the correct dosage. This would apply to all flea medications. I will provide a chart below for the three leading flea treatments. I have consulted with my own vet, numerous other vets online, as well as having worked with animal volunteer groups that use this method to save money. I also have been using this method on my own dogs and cat at home for years now. The ingredients for large dogs or small dogs are exactly the same but unfortunately so are the prices which means killing fleas can get very expensive very fast. But by splitting doses you can save hundreds of dollars.
Note for Ticks: If you have a bad tick problem I strongly suggest this tick collar as well. Spot type treatments really aren’t great for ticks.
Supplies you will Need
1) Glass Vials to hold excess medication for future use. Here is a set of 12 for $3.74 You should be able to buy these locally but if not here are the links on Amazon. For some reason I could not find these small glass vials anywhere locally.
2) Syringe with stub nose to deliver accurate dosage. I recommend these. You want to buy a lot because they will break, you will lose some, and the writing of ml on side will wear off. Here is a 10 pack for $5.20
3) The last thing you need is the flea spot treatment. This really is up to you. Everyone has their own preferences. I am currently using K9 Advantix II because it works for fleas, mosquitoes, and ticks on my dogs and Frontline plus for my cat. For extra large dogs a 6 month supply is around $60. (Warning: Do not use K9 Advantix on cats, it can cause illness even death on cats) You can click on images below to go directly to the page on Amazon. Here are the three most popular and in my opinion most effective ones.
4) The final step is you need to determine the correct dosage. Simply open your flea treatment above and empty it into a glass vial. I would suggest washing the vials with soap and water and let them dry first. Then take your syringe and take out the correct dosage depending on the weight of your dog or cat based on the chart below.
MULTI-DOSING CHARTS
Frontline Plus (Cats and Dogs)
If you’re using Frontline Plus: The amount of fipronil in the dog version is the same as in the cat version. The “Plus” is methoprene, an insect growth regulator. There’s LESS of it in the dog product than in the cat product, so it’s safe to use the dog product on the cats but do NOT use the cat product on a small dog. Using a dog formulation on a cat will underdose this ingredient. An insect growth regulator, methoprene effects development of the baby fleas and may reduce long-term flea control, but not anti-tick efficacy. If you have an indoor cat, the Frontline Plus for dogs should be more than adequate if your home is flea-free. If your cat also goes outdoors, it should still be enough, just use a flea comb to check for fleas and also consider using these monthly flea pills as well to supplement the Frontline. Even with the flea pills it will still be far cheaper than buying the cat version of Frontline plus and also more effective.
One more warning: Generic Frontline Plus for dogs may contain a different ingredient than the brand name. If a generic Fronline product contains something other than methoprene or fipronil it may not be safe on your cat. Always look at the key ingredients for your animal and confirm online from a trusted source they are safe for your cat if you buy the dog version. Cats are far more sensitive than dogs and more at risk.
Saving money on flea medicine is great but that means we have to be twice as careful to confirm not only we are using the correct dosage but also to double check the ingredients. Please check your ingredients prior to using on an animal it wasn’t made specifically for before use to ensure safety.
The dose is 0.03ml/pound. A 10-pound cat only needs 0.3ml, not a whole 0.5 ml but up to .5 ml on a cat is perfectly safe. The largest Frontline Plus vial contains 4.0ml, that’s enough to treat 133 pounds’ worth of cats. The dog chart below can also be slightly modified. If you have a very small dog of around 5 lbs you would be safe at .55 ml for example. Or a dog at 22 lbs around 1 ml. If they are near the middle range between two categories you can spit the difference to be more accurate.
FRONTLINE DOSAGE CHART
Cats 0.5ml most cats or use .03ml per pound
Dogs 0-22 pounds – 0.67ml.
Dogs 23-44 pounds – 1.34ml
Dogs 45-88 pounds – 2.68ml
Dogs 89-132 pounds – 4.0ml
Advantage(cats and dogs) and Advantage II (cats and dogs)
A Flea medication by Bayer sold as Advocate or also sold as Advantage Multi and another product called K-9 Advantix have similar names but don’t use these on cats.
To be clear for dogs you can use Advantage, Advantage II, K-9 Advantix, or Advantage Multi.
For cats sticks with only Advantage or Advantage II. If you buy generic dog topicals ALWAYS check that the ingredients are safe on your cat before you apply and I can’t stress this enough. If you are in doubt contact your vet or email me. A generic to Frontline or Advantage OFTEN have unsafe ingredients for cats.
Advantage and Advantage II Dosage Chart
Cats up to 9 pounds – 0.4 ml
Cats 10+ pounds – 0.8 ml
Dogs 11-20 pounds – 1.0 ml (Advantage Multi can use this same chart but for dogs only)
Dogs 21-55 pounds – 2.5 ml
Dogs 55+ pounds – 4.0 ml
To further break down the Advantage dosage by weight alone:
0.4ml = 0-10 pounds
0.8ml = 11-20#
1.2ml = 21-30#
1.6ml = 31-40#
2.0ml = 41-50#
2.4ml = 51-60#
2.8ml = 61-70#
3.2ml = 71-80#
Notice that for an 80 lb dog that chart only suggests 3.2 ml versus 4.0 ml in the other chart. So that gives you some leeway but try and stick to no more than 4.0ml unless your dog weighs more than 80lbs. For over 80 lbs use .4ML additional per every addition 10 pounds for their weight. So a 110 lb. dog for example would be around 4.4 ml but then you aren’t splitting doses so you probably won’t need any chart.
K9 Advantix or Advantix (Dogs Only) LET ME REPEAT, DOGS ONLY!
(NEVER USE ON CATS) Advantix® just to say it again – NEVER USE THIS ON CATS. If you get Advantix® on your hands when splitting a vial for the dogs, do not touch your cat before thoroughly washing your hands with warm soapy water. And if you have a dog and cat and use this on your dog keep them separated until it completely dries.
.4ML Dogs under 9 lbs/4kg
1 ml Dogs 9lbs to 22lbs/ 4-10kg
2.5ml Dogs 22lbs to 55lbs. /10-25kg
4ml Dogs 55+ lbs/ 25+kg
Selamectin (Revolution®) Dosing Chart (Prescription by vet only)
The largest packet of Revolution® is PLUM colored (for Extra Large Dogs) and is labeled for dogs 85.1 – 130 lbs. The volume of each dose of topical solution is 3 mL and the concentration of the drug is 120 mg/ml. THUS, each dose of PLUM Revolution® for Extra Large Dogs (360 mg) can treat 24 kittens or 8 cats!
| What is Revolution? Revolution is a safe and simple monthly topical medication used to protect your pet from heartworms, fleas, and ear mites. It also protects dogs from ticks and sarcoptic mange and cats from roundworms and hookworms. Revolution for Dogs and Cats requires a prescription from your veterinarian. (3 Pack = 3 doses which lasts 3 months.) |  | |||||||||||||||||
| For: Dogs (6 weeks of age or older and no weight requirement) Cats (8 weeks of age or older and no weight requirement)
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Cats | Dose neeed | mL needed |
| <5 lb | 15 mg | 0.13 ml |
| 5-15 lb | 45 mg | 0.38 ml |
| Dogs | Dose needed | mL needed |
| 5.1-10 lb | 30 mg | 0.25 ml |
| 10.1-20 lb | 60 mg | 0.5 ml |
| 20.1 -40 lb | 120 mg | 1.0 ml |
| 40.1- 85 lb | 240 mg | 2.0 ml |
| 85.1- 130 lb | 360 mg | 3.0 ml |
Storage of Unused Topicals
Manufacturers packaging protects the product from 2 important things: light and air. Drugs and insecticides can be destroyed and rendered ineffective if mishandled. Keep in the vial and store in a cool, dark place. The fridge is ideal, but under the sink or any other ‘chemical repository’ is ok. Do not freeze. You may also decide to keep the entire flea medication in the syringe itself which is fine but far from ideal. I recommend an airtight glass vial. The key point is no air exposure, no light, and no heat and they will last a very long time.
A warning if you use Trifexis for flea/heartworm control
There have been some reports that Trifexis has caused illness or death. Like with any new medicine you need to be cautious. I like to use the method of just giving half a dose of something new at first to see how well they tolerate it. Then after 5 or 6 hours give the rest of the dose. I have not used or even seen a Trifexis tablet so I am not sure if that is possible. My main reason I have not used it is simply based on price. It is around $20 per tablet which adds up fast if you have more than one pet. And even with one pet that is far more expensive than topicals and a heart worm treatment.
Eradicate Indoor Fleas Infestation Safely And Effectively
If the fleas keep coming you may have a flea infestation. Simply keeping them off the pets won’t work if your house is infested. Flea sprays and flea bombs will also likely not stop them from coming back. It will kill the live ones but the eggs will hatch. I will tell you the absolute best methods to completely eradicate fleas from your home. At least for a while because they will always return sooner or later but this will give you seven months protection.
First thing you will need is Precor. There are multiple options. I suggest the concentrate which is only around $7. You mix it with one gallon of water so that will easily treat your whole house. This has a growth inhibitor so effects the fleas life cycle and stops them from reaching adulthood and laying eggs. At the bottom of this page there is pre-mixed can of Precor Spray if you don’t want to mix your own.
Unless you use a flea product like Precor that breaks their life cycle you are guaranteed to get reinfested every few weeks. It only takes one flea to reinfest your home. Precor protects your home for around seven months. All those flea bombs, Raid for fleas, and other sprays will not work for more than two weeks because most lack the IGR ingredient which disrupts their life and egg laying cycle. Precor is widely recognized as a best-in-class IGR flea inhibitor.
Precor also comes in a flea bomb/fogger if you prefer that. Over the counter foggers will work for a week or two but the fleas will return. Precor will eradicate them for good. One fogger treats 750 sq ft Also well-suited to get rid of fleas cluttered areas like basements and garages Contains (S) Methropene Insect growth regulators to prevent flea reinfestations for up to seven months, plus Permethrin for quick knockdown of adult fleas. Kills Adult Fleas And Their Hatching Eggs Water-based, no-odor formulation won’t stain or leave an unsightly residue. Long lasting flea control as this prevents flea reinfestation for 7 months No lingering odor or stains Easy to apply Effectively breaks the flea life cycle Each 6 oz can covers 750 square feet. The Permethrin in Precor Plus Fogger immediately kills adult fleas, while Precor IGR prevents pre-adult fleas from creating new infestations of breeding, biting adults. Precor IGR molecules penetrate down to the hard-to-reach places where pre-adult fleas hide – especially carpet and upholstery fibers, rugs, drapes, pet bedding and floor cracks. Application Sites Large indoor treatment areas Cluttered areas like basements and garages.
The next products you will need are good old fashioned Boric acid and Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade. You should be able to buy these locally from a lawn and garden supply store or Wal-Mart or similar but I included the links to Amazon if you can’t find them locally. Finally you will need a dust dispenser. Here is the one I use. Simply combine about two or 3 parts Diatomaceous Earth Food Grade to 1 part Boric acid. Mix them up well. Then dust your carpet, floors, under beds, chairs, anywhere you think fleas might live. Personally I like to leave the powder on a full day. Some people say a few hours are enough but I rather err on the side of caution and 24 hours to kill as many as possible. Then vacuum and clean the powder. This combination seems to work far better than either powder alone. The powder coats the fleas and basically desiccates and kills them. This will do a good job of quickly and safely eradicating the adult live fleas. Then spray your house with the Precor for any stragglers that survived. Putting a flea collar in your vacuum bag is also a good idea to make sure none survive. Boric acid or Diatomaceous Earth alone will both kill fleas but together they are far more effective.
If you want to periodically test if the fleas are back a flea trap is a good idea. Here is the one I use but as a cost saving tip I suggest you do not buy those re-fill disks. Instead, I simply pour some soapy water in the dish instead. The fleas are attracted to the warmth and light and drown in the soapy water. You can also make your own in a pinch. A dish with some soapy water and a tea candle will also work but you have to be careful to watch the candle as a fire hazard. Or maybe you have an old desk lamp you could use and convert into a flea trap with a dish. Just make sure the dish is not too high so the fleas can jump in easily and drown.
The soapy water is actually far more effective than the sticky paper also which can dry out quickly allowing fleas to escape. The water is 100% effective. You need the soap though or they will jump out of the water so don’t forget a few drops.
Flea Allergies and Untreatable Skin Problems
If your dog or cat develops rashes, spots, blisters, brown spots and no matter what expensive medicated shampoo, spray, or medicine you try doesn’t work I have great tip for you to try. Now I am not suggesting you skip your vet visit. Let the veterinarian have a look at take a skin scrape. If your vet tells you that it is a nonspecific dermatitis or non-specific allergies that is usually a code for they don’t have a clue and simply want to give it a name. Now sometimes a shampoo that contains Chlorhexadine like Malaseb and many others will do the trick, but often times they won’t heal the skin problems completely and they might come back. In those cases I would strongly recommend you try a lime sulfur dip.
A lime sulfur dip is extremely safe and it also kills fleas better than anything! It is also very cheap so nothing to lose. At the worse you will kill all the fleas and it might also clear up those skin problems that wouldn’t go away with any other product. One 16 OZ bottle will make a total of 4 gallons of solution which will last a long time.
My suggestion is to use a sponge or spray to soak your dog or cat well. Be careful around the head with your sponge not to get it in the eyes, nose, or mouth but you do want to get the head area because fleas love to inhabit this area of your pet. You do not wash it off, it dries on your pet and you can reapply around once a week. It sort of reminds me of a Tea Tree oil smell. But the smell only last an hour or two so don’t worry that it will smell bad all week.
It really isn’t all that bad and just remember the agony and pain your pet is suffering from the flea bites and skin rashes so that will allow you to tolerate the smell till your pet is is cured. If I had simply went with a lime sulfur dip right away I would have saved around $150 on all those other shampoos, conditioners, spray, and ointments that simply reduced the inflammation for a few days but never cured it. Learn from my experience and give a ime sulfur dip a chance.
It is great for demodex mites, ringworm, mange, scabies, flea allergies, lice, anti-microbial, anti-parasitic, anti-fungal. It is also just a great all purpose skin treatment for your dog or cat when nothing else seems to work. Try it your pet will thank you.
Additional Weapons in your war against Fleas
I would love to tell you that that flea topical alone will cure your pets of fleas but chances are it won’t. Here are a few more tips and steps to take. I have to use K9 Advantix, flea pills, vinegar sprays, shampoos, and occasionally even flea dips or Adams spray as well. Fleas here are terrible this summer.
Keep your house clean. Mop with vinegar on hard floors or vacuum often on carpet and put a flea collar in your bag to kill them. Find a pet safe flea bomb or spray for the house and also one for the yard if infestation especially bad.
Vinegar really is a wonderful tool in your flea arsenal. make a spray of 50/50 water and white apple cider vinegar and you can spray your dogs or cats daily and it will kill them on contact and also act as a repellant. You can safely spray them once a day and it has added benefit of making their coats soft and shine. It is also a great all purpose cleaner especially for laminate flooring.
Last but not least a few other great products to complete your arsenal in your war with the fleas.
Kills fleas, ticks and mosquitoes on contact Safe around dogs and cats 12 weeks or older Fresh natural scent Contains absolutely no Pyrethrins or Cedar Oil 32 fluid ounces. For people that prefer a natural alternative with no insecticides.
Thank you so much for this wonderful guide. I read and followed your recommendations a month ago and I am happy to say my home and pets are now 100% flea free. I had worried about the correct dosage and also if it remained effective but your tutorial answered all my questions. It doesn’t surprise me that these companies charge nearly as much for a 10lb dog as one that weighs 100 lbs. I went with Frontline since I can treat my dogs and cats with the same topical. In fact, one tube for the large dog treats all four of my pets. With all the money I have saved I decided to donate a little to you by Paypal. The thing about fleas as you mentioned is that you are fighting a never ending war and not a battle.
I decided to order the flea trap, the precor, Diatomaceous Earth and Boric acid also. Even though I don’t have a problem now I want to get the jump and prevent them. Far easier to prevent an infestation that destroy them later when they invade. These little suckers were especially bad this year. I live in south Florida so they are bad year round here. Thank you so much for writing this and I have told all my friends to come here and make sure and click your amazon link so you will get the commission. You have not only saved me so much money you have made some cats and dogs very happy.
I can vouch for the Precor. Though I will tell you the Precor 2000 spray in the 16OZ can you have towards the bottom is probably a better buy than the Precor concentrate because it includes a lot more than just s-methropene. It will kill all the fleas and every other creepie crawlie in your house. What I recommend is to get the spray in the can to treat your house if you have a lot of fleas, then mix up some of that solution with a gallon of water and use that to treat every month or two to keep them from breeding or coming back. That is what I have dome and it worked very well.
Also wanted to say thanks for the lime sulfur tip. My poor baby had what the vet called non-specific dermatitis or allergies and gave her clavamox and anti-biotic which was useless. Only have treated her with lime sulfur 3 times but already a big improvement. much less itching and scratching and redness has gone away.
Thanks for the tip. yes, I noticed that the 16oz Precor Spray contains several other ingredients so that is a good idea to kill all the fleas first then use the much cheaper concentrate to treat occasionally as a sort of booster shot.
On reading the labels on Advantage II – Large Dogs, it has the same ingredients as Advantage II – Small Cats…..
9.1% Imidacloprid, 0.46% Pyriproxyfen
So other than the amount, what’s the difference?
It looks like I need to edit my article to clear up that point. A Flea medication by Bayer sold as Advocate or also as Advantage Multi contains moxidectin. The normal Advantage II does not contain any moxidectin.
Look Here for Multi then click Ingredients tab
http://www.1800petmeds.com/Advantage+Multi-prod10945.html
Moxidectin in the dog dose is too high for cats.
Advantage II replaced just plain Advantage.
Take a look here for Advantage II then click Ingredients tab
http://www.1800petmeds.com/Advantage+II+-prod10433.html
The percentages for the two main ingredients for dogs and cats are the same for Advantage II. So if you are using this product on a dog or cat you are fine.
If you are using the Multi which contains moxidectin then that is riskier for a cat use because it is higher. I would advise against using multi-dose dog products containing moxidectin on a cat. Stick with Frontline or Advantage II on a cat.
One more warning: Generic Frontline Plus for dogs may contain a different ingredient than the brand name. If a generic Fronline product contains something other than methoprene or fipronil it may not be safe on your cat. Always look at the key ingredients for your animal and confirm online from a trusted source they are safe for your cat if you buy the dog version. Cats are far more sensitive than dogs and more at risk.
Saving money on flea medicine is great but that means we have to be twice as careful to confirm not only we are using the correct dosage but also to double check the ingredients. I am glad you asked and hope this helps.
Thank you for clearing up the Advantage II confusion. When the package changed they put a warning on the front “Do Not Use on Cats” and I wondered if they had added something toxic to cats. So I’ll continue using the Advantage II on the cats.
Your’e very welcome Mary. Since most people will be buying a dog flea product we all have to double or even triple check all the ingredients are safe on cats since they are more sensitive. If anyone has doubt please post your product name or ingredients here and I will also check for you.
I have three dogs. I can also read and can easily figure out the dosage required for each dog. I asked my vet if I could split a pill between the three dogs. I got the standard reply that a full tablet is guaranteed to have the correct dosage but any fraction can not be guaranteed. In the pill making process how can they guarantee a whole tablet and not any fraction? Doesn’t make sense to me since pills are made from well mixed batches subject to quality control. I split Comfortis between the three dogs and have had no problems. Let’s take this argument a step further. Say splitting does affect the quality distribution within the tablet. Then grind up the tablet, weigh the remains and dose each dog by mg/wt as perscribed. Sprinkle it on their food. If that isn’t acceptable you can buy a cheap pill presser on ebay or fill gelatin capsules with the stuff.
Hi Bob and thanks for info. I would love to include a good Trifexis dosage chart but no good info out there. If you can help with that and get reliable data I can edit my article. Splitting the dosage on a tablet flea med might be a little trickier but if you have two medium sized dogs that would be the same dosage as 1 large dog that wouldn’t be hard to do with a pill cutter. The hard part might be getting it from the vet. For that you might need to know someone with a large dog that is registered with the vet if they check records and ask for pet’s name.
I have a problem with telling someone to split Trifexis, it contains medication to prevent heartworms and intestinal worms not just fleas.
The VA gives double dose tablets to outpatients and makes us split them at home to save the VA money. Dosages are very imprecise to start with, since weight varies dramatically for a given dosage. I think where the concern comes in, assuming it is not greed, is that a pharmaceutical company or vet cannot guarantee that a given person is going to do a good job accurately splitting a pill because they have no control over that detail. If your math is good and you do a good job splitting the pill- some of which will crumble when split, by the way- you should be fine.
I was told today Frontline lost their patent and Pet Lock came out with same product, same ingredients. Evidently cheaper. I didn’t want to try it yet as this is my first time using Frontline dog on my cats. Any thoughts?
The key is to look at the ingredients. There are usually two main ones in Frontline that is the same for the dog or cat version.If the generic uses something other than methoprene or fipronil it may not be safe on your cat. If it uses methoprene or fipronil it is safe. But always double check by googling the ingredients as being safe on cats if in doubt or post them here and I can check for you. Or ask your Vet. Also make sure the percentages of the ingredients in your generic are the same as Frontline which is safe.
One more tip. Give a very small, like 1/4th normal dose as a test on your cat to make sure there is no reaction if in doubt. You can give the remaining 3/4 dose in a day or two.
I can’t believe I finally found your very informative and valuable information. I’ve been searching for anything on dosage for flea meds for quite a while. I have taken in cats and dogs that were homeless and the medications are extremely costly for me; 83 and on a low income budget. Thank you for such valuable info, this will certainly help both the animals and my pocketbook.
Thanks Jo Anne. I am so happy to help and I know how expensive flea meds can be but also how important it is to keep fleas off our pets. It is a long article because I tried to be as thorough and detailed as possible and glad to know so many people are finding it useful.
Great info Alan… We’ve been fighting fleas this summer worse than I can remember… I was familiar with some of your info but so much more was added that I can try… Thanks again, I sharing and following ?
Why does the new packaging (august 2015) for Advantage II say “Do Not Use on Cats”? I see that the active ingredients are the same ( same percentages, too), but are there now inactive ingredients that should not be used on cats? Thank you, great site and information!
I have the same question as Lisa, I have been using Advantage II on my cats and dogs for years. The new box states, “do not use on cats” however the ingredients shown on the box appear the be the same as on the older box. Will it hurt my cats if I use the new box version for dogs of Advantage II on my cats?????
hi Howard. Read this info from parasitipedia.net : http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2688&Itemid=2995
Advantage II happens to be one of the products whole formulation is exactly the same for dogs and cats. There is some difference in dosing. There are 2 ingredients: Imidicloprid (9.1%) and pyriproxyfen (0.46%). pyriproxyfen is non-toxic to dogs and cats. When the dosage pipettes are made for dogs and cats, the imidicloprid dose range for dogs is 8.1-25mg/kg depending on weight (larger dogs need less per kilogram than smaller dogs), the range for cats is 9.3-17.8mg/kg imidicloprid. The bigger issue is with cats ingesting the product orally. I assume what caused the change is there there were reports of a cat grooming a dog (or self, or both) and having a reaction. Since there is more product on a dog in general, the risk of ingesting more is higher. The “official recommendation” from the advantage supplier is to separate cats from a dog for 24 hours after application. If you are just using the product on a cat, put it somewhere they cannot lick – base of skull rather than neck. Dogs do not have as severe a reaction to licking the product as cats – the will likely drool a lot though – it tastes awful (not that I’ve tried it on purpose).
I am a veterinarian and I am all for multi dosing flea products. but it drives me INSANE to see inaccurate info on the subject posted online. I am going to touch on a few things from this particular article. Using advantage multi or advantage II for dogs at 0.4mL for 0-10# is not OK. You cannot use this product for dogs less than 3 pounds at any dose. The same applies for the cat version – not less than 2# for a cat. Doesn’t seem like much but if you have a toy or teacup version of any dog, you could overdose quite easily. I would not multi dose for these breeds at all actually – not without a veterinarian actually doing it for you and perhaps the use of an insulin syringe for accuracy. The end of the article is particularly risky. Precor is methoprene. The reason frontline for cats has less methoprene is because they are more sensitive to it. Putting it everywhere in their environment is not a good idea. Also using a topical flea product plus a shampoo, and or a spray, and or a flea bomb, and or yard treatment…is going to be toxic, even if there are no acute overdose symptoms, that is too much for any animal to deal with. Much more risky than having fleas for a few months. If you use a monthly product or similar (there is a 90 day product for dogs- Bravetco, and a 6 month product for cats – Program) that has a growth regulator, you will eliminate fleas. The adult fleas will no longer make eggs and the eggs that hatch will die as adults and they wont make viable eggs. And you prevent reinfestation by staying on the flea product that kills the adults and prevents them from making babies it is not inevitable that a flea issue will recur. Boric acid is toxic to pets. Other notes: if you are worried about Lyme disease, make sure the product is effective against deer ticks (also known as Ixodes, black legged tick..) many products say kills ticks but have no effect on the deer tick. BTW it takes 18 hours (probably more) that a tick needs to be attached to transmit disease. Check your dog frequently and pull the ticks to prevent transmission – and get your dog a lyme vaccine too. Any product that is not made in the US does not necessarily have any regulations. It may say Fipronil and be actually mineral oil + water. If you use any product that includes heartworm prevention (revolution, advantage multi, etc) your dog must have a negative heartworm test before starting. Also, herding and collie/sheltie breeds can have a reaction to any avermectin based heartworm preventative because many lack a gene. The BIGGEST reason people have flea issues (actually the animals have the issues) is that they do not maintain a monthly treatment product (or 90 day/6month depending on product). This includes the winter if you have had a flea problem because the eggs in the home will hatch in the winter. There is some resistance staring to happen with many flea products, so rotating between products as recommended by your vet can prevent this. Under dosing also leads to resistance, a common mistake when people multi dose (get an accurate weight). One final thing – if you are using a dog product in a cat – other than it MUST NOT have any permetrhin or pyrethroid in it – it may not be effective against the same things it works for in dogs. EX: revolution works for some ticks in dogs, none in cats; scabies in dogs, not in cats; hookworm and roundworms in cats, not in dogs. Even though it is the exact same medication at the exact same concentration and dosage. Cats are not small dogs! Best idea – get your vet to tell you the best plan – if they resist – tell them you are going to multi dose and would prefer to do it correctly. If they won’t help, call someone else – I advise people on this several times a week, and for free! Vets (most of them) are not trying to be difficult, but multi dosing is an “off label” use of a drug and opens the vet up to liability. They will likely note in the chart the recommended not multi dosing as a protective measure. Hope you made it to the end, sorry to ramble. Good, accurate information available online at parisitpedia.net. Happy flea killing!
Hello Jenn, glad to have a vet’s response on here. One question I cannot find the answer to is: How long can I store excess Frontline Plus in a glass vial? For example, can I store 3 months worth of doses in a vial, only opening it once per month to extract the dose for that month? I’ve read that exposure to air can reduce efficacy but I’m not sure exactly what that means since the product is exposed to air immediately once you cut open the original applicator.
I’m considering using Advantage II on my indoor cats that are 10# and up. The vials suggested via the Amazon link are 1 dram which (according to my research) equals 3.697 ml. Won’t they be too small for the 4.0 ml contents from one applicator of Advantage II for large dogs? Thank you for your help.
ADVANTAGE AND ADVANTAGE II DOSAGE CHART
Cats up to 9 pounds – 0.4 ml
Cats 10+ pounds – 0.8 ml
Please, READ the article and all comments. If you don’t know what you are doing, just use the cat product for the weight of your cat. thanks!
You can buy larger vials. But since your seem to have more than one cat you will likely use a few applications based on the weight right away. Then the vial should easily hold the remainder of the liquid. But if you are worried, empty some into two vials. Just remember to store it cool and shake when you use it again. And dose your cats based on the chart above for Advantage II. Always better to use too little than too much if you are concerned.
I treated my 10 pound cat and my 12 pound dog with Advantage II, using the dosage recommended in this article. Even though the new package says do not use on cats, the ingredients and % are the same, and I had no problems. I applied to cat at base of skull so she could not lick it, and made sure she did not get close to the dog for a few days. All are well, healthy, and basically flealess! Occassionaly I find a flea, but the flea appears to be dying. The cat probably pcked-up the flea, brought it in, and I found it before it died. This works great! and is a real cost savings~!! Thanks so much for all your help! *Smile*
Great tip. And yes, the ingredients for advantage II haven’t changed. It is still safe on cats and glad you are saving money while protecting your fur babies. win win
My question was about the capacity of the vials sold on Amazon through the link provided by Dr. Wood. I’m not sure they’re big enough to hold 4 ml of Advantage II, since they are 1 dram vials which equals only 3.697 ml.
Open the Advantage II packet, fill half the glass vial, dose your cat(s) and whatever is left in the Advantage II packet will now fit into the glass vial. Keep the remaining Advantage II in a dark cool place for best storage.
I found some 5 ml vials on eBay. Should minimize the mess.
I treat my indoor only cats, and some outdoor strays which are part of a spay/neuter trap release. Last month I spent $170 for one month of flea treatment with coupons. This covered 10 cats total; 2 kittens, 2 cats over 10 lbs, and the rest up to 10 lbs. I had two kitten doses & two large cat doses left for the following month. For the last month I have been reading and researching this and consulting with other people. Checking and double checking. Your site was the most informative.
This month I bought the large dog Advantage II from my local pet supply store. It was $55.00 and I had a coupon for $6.00 off my purchase. One tube of large dog cost me roughly $10.00 with my coupon and I was able to dose 5 cats and 1 kitten! Talk about a money saver! I adjusted doses based on weight. Weighed myself and then weighed myself holding the cat. I was actually surprised that I had been underdosing one cat. I can actually afford to dose everyone, indoor/outdoor year round. After discussing this with others I am going to save even more money by splitting the cost of a box of Advantage II with a neighbor that has two large dogs.
One thing I do wish to point out, and I may have missed it on here, is many sites suggested to shake the vials between doses as the ingredients may settle.
Thank you again for the information, and thank you to those that have made comments which were also helpful!
Thanks Christina. happy to save you money and also get all your cats protected against fleas.
Good tip on remembering to shake the flea solution vials again as well.
I have been battling a flea infestation for a little over a month. I have it mostly taken care of, but have noticed my dog scratching lately. So I decided to give him his flea drops (PetCo’s version of Frontline Plus) a week early. When I separated the fur on his back to give it to him, I saw about 5 fleas in just that spot!!! I am thinking about giving him another dose to make sure it gets them all! Is that a bad idea?
Thank you for your website, it is very informational. I was looking into getting the advantage ii (extra large) to dose correctly for my cat and dog. I noticed that the ingredients are the same on the cat and dog packages, but on the dog package it specifically states “do not use on cats.” You mentioned if given the right dosage, it is the same. Is this correct?
Also, athough the ingredients are same on both the cat and dog packages, roughly 90% of the ingredients is labeled as “other ingredients.” How do we know if the “other ingredients” are safe for both cats and dogs. Your insight is much appreciated. Thanks.
Hello, thank you for this informative post. We just adopted a kitty and his information sheet at the adoption center said he was a 6month old kitten so we bought Advantage II for Kittens (0.23ml) without really reading the fine print about weight (my bad). Turns out, he is almost a whopping eight pounds. Anyway, we brought him home 4 days ago and put the kitten flea medicine on day 2. Now it’s day 4 and he’s still scratching constantly. Is it safe to apply another dose of kitten flea medicine since that will only add up to 0.46ml? Do I need to wait for 2weeks like the packaging insists? We would appreciate any advice we can get on this – just hope kitty stops scratching so much. Thanks.
Hello, thank you for this informative post. We just adopted a cat 4 days ago. His information sheet at the adoption center said he was a 6month old kitten so I went and bought Advantage II for Kittens without really reading the details about weight (my bad!). And that was before I read this post too. Turns out he is nearly a whopping eight pounds. Now I am worried that his dosage was too little because we put the kitten flea medicine (0.23ml) on him 2 days ago but he is still constantly scratching. Should I give him a second dose of the kitten flea medicine since that will only add up to 0.43ml? Or should I wait two weeks like the packaging insists? We really just hope kitty stops scratching and biting himself so much. Please advise. Thanks!
I have done this for years, I worked rescue for almost 15 years, and it is something we needed to do simply because our resources were so limited and I have continued to use this method at home. I have learned a great deal, consulted vets and manufacturers and this practice is generally sound. But I do notice some mistakes in you info that could cause some problems. Advantix and advantage dosing is 0.4ml for 4-10 lbs. It is not recommended for dogs under 4 lbs. I have a dog who’s weight fluctuates between 3.5 and 5 lbs, we do use advantix ii at the moment and she tolerates it just fine but I did first consult my vet, and I tend to do the same when we change up products. You also don’t want to apply doses consecutively, if you feel your initial dose was too low, wait the recommended time to apply the second. These treatments need about 3 months to completely disrupt the hatching cycle and it can be a few days before its fully effective on your pet. It’s also recommended to either apply your topicals 48hrs before or after grooming /bathing for the most effective treatments. I’ve done it closer myself, sometimes it works just fine sometimes not so much. And we love Revolution at our house, but cutting doses with the little dogs doesn’t apply. Revolution’s smallest pre-packaged dose is 50% of the concentration of the larger doses. Cutting doses is easy, cutting concentration is far more complicated. I wouldn’t recommend it with out access to a centrifuge. I have done it in a pinch but it is contraindicated and can lead to problems, under dosing, site reactions… And you may want to have a heartworm clearance if it’s your first time using Revolution as well, if you haven’t had one done recently. Lastly, dogs and cats can have a reaction to these products at any application, even if you have used the same brand and dose for a little while. Recently went through a intolerant reaction with one of my little guys, standard brand and we’d used it in rotation for a while. And he suddenly had a reaction to it. He’s perfectly fine, but we caught it quickly, even with years of experience using these treatments (completely) safely I still pay attention to their responses. This method has literally saved me thousands $$ over the years. And I wouldn’t be able to afford to single doses, with mine and fosters combined.
I’m going to try the Precor concentrate then the dusting treatments. How long do I wait to dust the boric acid/Diatomaceous after the Precor spray? I’m going to get everything on Amazon, so want to know what to do b4 I spend the money.
You can use the powder before or after the spray. The powder will likely kill a lot of them first and the Precor will take care of the rest.
Hey, thanks so much for this information. I have a question about Precor. I see that the active ingredient is methoprene and I’m wondering how dangerous it would be to spray our rugs and furniture with it. I can’t find anything saying that it’s carcinogenic, but my husband was diagnosed with a virulent cancer about four years ago and I’m extremely cautious about chemicals and our environment. He’s doing great, btw.
I have been wondering if I can apply Advantage II to my 21 cats! You’ve answered that for me, but since the package says “do not use on cats” I’m wondering if good old Bayer has added an ingredient to make a cat sick to stop us from saving money on treating our pets. Yes, I think that way!!!
No, they haven’t added anything to make it unsafe for cats. But just in case list your ingredients here or google them to make double sure. The reason they say that is the dosage size is very different.
DO NOT USE ADVANTAGE 2 (or PLUS) ON CATS! You are correct . They DID change the formula where it is now UNSAFE FIR CATS!! My vet told me this. Unfortunately many cat owners will find this out the sad, hard way.
Or is it just that they’ve gotten wise to people doing this and have strengthened their warnings as a result? Something that ‘might’ be convenient for some vets who also derive substantial profit from medication mark-ups? Before buying my last lot, I compared ingredients and their concentrations to the older version and they were the same, and so was the MSDS. Of course, you’ll want to verify that yourself every time you purchase it, because you can never be 100% sure there won’t be a formulation change. Perhaps unlikely for regular flea control, though, given how well their trusty (and apparently still patented) formula tends to work. It ‘may’ also be that they’re thinking of the idiot that might put too much on their cat, but that would have been a potential problem all along.
DO NOT USE ADVANTAGE 2 (or PLUS) ON CATS! You are correct . They DID change the formula where it is now UNSAFE FOR CATS!! My vet told me this. Unfortunately many cat owners will find this out the sad, hard way.
Thank you so very much for writing and sharing all this flea information. I have 8 rescue cats and now I can save money by safely using the advantage 11 for dogs. I love how you show where to buy the products, such as the glass vials. You make it so easy. Just click on the pictures. I read the entire article. It was great!!!
Thanks again, Pam 🙂
Thank you for the Advantage dosages by weight. According to the normal dosage chart I’ve been under dosing my animals for years. But it always worked so I saw no reason to give them more then what was needed to do the job. Your chart shows that I’ve been in the right range so yay. 🙂
We don’t use the glass vials. We cut the tube open SLOWLY so it’s not spilled. Cut the whole nozzle point off so that a 1 ml oral syringe fits inside and draw up the dose. I won’t take the chance that the glass jars will be handled after the chemical has been inside (even after washed). I like using COMPLETELY disposable items when we do flea meds so no chance of having anything lying around that a visiting child or one of my cats could find by ANY chance. We live out in the country and burn the items after use each month. You can buy the syringes super cheap on Amazon too. We are a sanctuary for special needs kitties and have a great routine for the cats in our “contained Fiv colony” habitat. We use colored concert style wristbands to keep track of who has the new month med on by choosing a color for the month. So as we put the meds on, we dispose of last month’s color collar (if they haven’t gotten it off themselves! Lol). and put the med and new collar on. We also dust the entire outdoor area with diatomaceous earth….
Suzie’s Zoo Sanctuary for Special Needs Kitties (on Facebook)
The only issue I have with this is that it makes it look like you inject the flea medication into the animal rather than apply it to their back. It should show a syringe WITHOUT the needle attached. There will always be the one person who will use the needle…
Is the dosage for Advantage Multi / Advocate the same as for K9 Advantix? If this was already answered then I missed it. Thanks
Yes, a petmeds website selling these lists the package sizes for all the variants and they are the same ml per pound as advantix ii
The 55+ pound dog packages are 4ml, for smaller dogs the package is fewer ml but the medication %’s are the same. This is what allows you to use this multi dose method; the 4ml package has the same %’s by volume as the 1ml.
The dosage is .1ml / kg. There are 0.453592 kg in one pound, multiply dogs weight by that and you’ll get kg. For instance my shepherd/mutt mix is 90 pounds, so he weighs 40.8 kg. Then multiply that by .1 for dosage and he needs 4.08 ml.
great info, to exact the dosage for k9 advantix it’s simply .1 ml/kg. Just convert your dogs weight to kg (1 pound = 0.4536 kilograms) then multiply by .1. My dogs are 90 and 120 pounds so I need 4.0824 and 5.4432 ml of k9 advantix. I usually buy the extra large dog product but now am wondering if it’s enough for my dane, seems she needs a whole additional ml and maybe 1.5 ml more than comes in the extra large dog package. Waiting to hear back from them.
You seem to make it sound like you can change to putting dog frontline on cats. I AM HORRIFIED! THE #1 CAUSE OF CAT DEATH IN THE U.S. IS THE PERMETHRIN IN DOG FRONTLINE WHICH IS A NEUROTOXIN TO CATS. CATS EVEN TOUCHING A DOG THAT HAS BEEN FRONTLINED CAN DIE. CAT FRONTLINE MUST BE USED ON CATS AND DOG FRONTLINE ON DOGS. THEY ARE DIFFERENT CHEMICALS AND the PERMETHRIN in DOG Frontline is the thing to watch! It can not touch a cat. Permethrin is killing cats because people are buying concentrated Permethrin on Amazon and spraying it for mosquitos. They are sending cats into seizures and painful death. I have seen videos and I wish I have never seen them as I can still see their pain and suffering in front of my eyes when I go to bed at night. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY A DOG OWNER AND KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CATS AND SO I NEED TO INFORM YOU OF THIS. LISTEN AND LEARN!!!!
you’re information is incorrect. My vet showed me the ingredients for front line for dogs and cats and it is the same. You simply adjust the dosage. Permethrin is in the one that this site said..DO NOT use.
Alan; I am wondering if the same dosages apply to sentry fiiproguard as to Topspot. I know that the active ingredients are the same, but was wondering if they contain the same volume of inert ingredients. Thanks
ray
Hello,
Would you kindly post the doses for using Sentry Pro? Thank you.
I am curious about the newer Advecta 2 that is allegedly the same as Advantage 2. Active ingredients appear to be the same. I was wondering if I could use the extra large dog drops with proper dosage on cats with this brand also? I couldn’t find the inactive ingredients to see if it was OK for the cats.
Someone please answer this 🙂
What is the most current info re using dog frontline plus on cats? The Frontline box says ingredients are Fiponil 9.8% and S-methoprene 8.8%. BUT the box says DO NOT USE ON CATS and says if a cat touches a dog that has frontline on its coat take the cat to the vet immediately. Why the warnings if this is safe?? Kitty
I’ve been dividing topicals for many years with much success. By doing so I’ve been able to help countless pet guardians eradicate parasite issues and bring much relief to their dearly loved pets. You don’t need to be a millionaire to properly care for any pet just a little common sense.
Thank you for sharing! You’ve done all the hard work for us…. Lol.
Seriously? Do you have ANY experience in the veterinarian field? None of your information is correct and you’re going to cause people to seriously cause people to get their pet either sick or even kill them! What is wrong with you? If you can’t afford to PROPERLY take care of your pet then don’t own one. $10-15/mo for flea preventative is not a lot…especially compared to the hundreds if not thousands of dollars of vet bills you will have if you follow this BS chart and do this to your pet and they get seriously ill, if you can even save them. I’ve worked in the vet field and I’ve seen animals not be able to be saved from people doing this. It’s NOT a pretty sight.
Being involved in the Cat Fancy, I know many, many people who flea treat their cats using Frontline plus for extra large dogs or Advantage 2 for extra large dogs. Some of these people have many cats and using the dog version is the only way they can afford to keep up with treatment. These people have been doing it safely for years. Advantage 2 and Frontline Plus have the same ingredients for dogs and cats, the dog version just comes with a lot more product per dose. As long as you know the dosage for a cat, you simply withdraw and apply that amount. You may think $15 per cat per month is not expensive, but it is if you have 5 to 10 cats or more. For about 55 dollars you can get a 6 month extra large dog supply of Advantage 2, a single tube will treat something like 8 adult cats. If you were treating 8 cats with the cat version, you’d be spending something like 120-150 a month, but with the dog version you are spending something like $10 a month if you get a six pack and use one tube a month to treat 8 cats. I have also discussed this with a couple of vets and they have also informed me that this is correct. As long as the dog version doesn’t contain anything harmful to cats, it can be used on cats in the correct dosage. But my all means, if you feel uncomfortable doing it this way then you shouldn’t do it.
CJ SAID IT PERFECTLY!!! BEEN DOING THIS METHOD PER MY VET. FOR OVER 11 YEARS ON 24 CATS AND IT WORKS WELL. GET THE DOSAGE RIGHT. GET THE BIG DOG ADVANTAGE 2 AND BREAK IT DOWN.
My former vet who had practiced longer or at least as long as I had been alive actually is the one that started me split dosing my cats (I had two at that time) using the flea prevention for extra large dogs. At that time, I bought it by the tube from him. I moved out of state for 2 years and when I returned, he had retired. I was very disappointed but new he was close to that decision before I left. But he was adamantly against using the prepackaged amounts of flea prevention medicine, even if it was the one labeled for cats or in the weight range for your dog or cat. He had seen pets brought in from overdoses with those little tubes. He told me it was more precise to dose the animal based on their individual weight. He was very repetitive in relaying the dosage and had his vet tech write it down on an index card for me along with the tube of flea meds every time I bought a tube. So this information is very helpful since I don’t want to pay the generic $65 vet office visit just to get flea meds and dosage when I know what to do from years of instruction from this former vet.
Here is the Advecta II SDS sheet: http://advecta2.com/product/advecta-ii-for-large-dogs/. Can someone verify for me that it is safe for cats? It claims to have the same ingredients as Advantage II. I just want to be completely sure, because it is half the price through Amazon.
Caution: for dogs less than 9 pounds the chart for Advantix should be made a lot clearer in the above chart…the dose for that size dog is 0.4ml…the zero in front of the decimal place is very important to show that it is less than 1/2 of 1 ml…very easily mistaken without a zero in front of the decimal for those not familiar with medication syringes, dosages, etc
Hello everyone, I’m on hour 4 of trying to find a split chart for Advecta II for Dogs, a 55lb tube. Can anyone tell me what the ml/lb would be for me to calculate? (17 lbs, haven’t weight the other one just yet since he isn’t in our living space as we figure this out, want to dose the 24/7 indoor asap) I keep seeing that Advantage II is identical in active ingredients, but I cannot find an Advecta specific chart to save my life, and I worry about the inactive stuff impacting this.
Thank you for posting this information, its nice to know that people are out there that share tips on how to save $$. Although, I didn’t see anything about oral chewables. A friend gave “NexGard” for 60.1-121.0 Lbs (pretty wide range) which contains 136 mg Afoxolaner. How would you calculate the amount to give to a 38 pound dog. Because the box shows such a wide range “60.1-121.0 Lbs” would I give her a half or a quarter of a chewable? Or would you suggest more of a specific amount?
Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Much respect and appreciation!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!! Put this in RED! (Warning: Do not use K9 Advantix on cats, it can cause illness even death on cats)! I almost killed all 6 of my cats and cost hundreds to bring them back to life. ?
Please change the pic of the syringe to eliminate the needle. While I didn’t read everything and maybe you stated it, some people might get the idea to shoot it into the animal. Just sayin’. Not everyone is an experienced animal owner. Thanks for your charts! I’ve used Advantage for years this way and have saved thousands of dollars as I have four little dogs.
I think some of the confusion here is the difference between Advantage II and ADVANTIX for dogs. Advantix does contain permethrin and WILL KILL your KITTY, even if he rubs on your dog. These are not the same thing. Advantage =good. Advantix = VERY BAD for cats! Don’t confuse them!
I think some of the confusion here is the difference between Advantage II and ADVANTIX for dogs. Advantix does contain permethrin and WILL KILL your KITTY, even if he rubs on your dog. These are NOT the same thing. Advantage =good. Advantix = VERY BAD for cats!
Thank you for this article! I am in the midst of a WAR with these little buggers ever since we got a cat. Our 7-yr-old toy poodle never had one flea with Frontline plus, but now it is a daily battle!
I used to buy the large frontline and use on dogs and cats. My question is can I use the advantage multi for dogs on the cats as well? Just adjust dosage? I can’t find the inert ingredients anywhere? The multi works wonderful but it was $206 for one month treatment! I just bought the multi for large dogs to split it between the dogs and saved a bunch of money. Any reply would help!
Revolution for cats is 60mg/ml, you are using the dog concentration (120mg/ml) for your dose for cats.
Revolution for cats is 60mg/ml, you are using the dog concentration (120mg/ml) for your dose for cats- thanks!!!!
I was curious if I can use advecta II for dogs in devided doses, the same as Advantage II, for my cats? The active ingredients seem to be the same. I can’t find anything about the alleged inactive ingredients in either product. Thank you ~
WHEN I tried to SHARE, it just automatically went to “about blank” window & didn’t share x2 today 12/5/17. linda
this article was useful & awesome. thank you.
Is this information still accurate as of 2018? Thank you!
The article claims Advantage II is safe for cats, but the picture of the Advantage II box says “DO NOT USE ON CATS”. You might wanna look into this!
I wondered the same thing. I used Advantage II for XL dogs all last summer, but I just ordered another box and it specifically says “Don’t use on cats”. Has something changed? I’ve had no problems using it in the past!
Hi I’m looking for dosage chart for Advecta II 41-55lb for dogs. My 2 smaller dogs are 12 & 14lbs. Thanks
Thank you for the info on using large dog advantage. I actually came after looking up sites to split up a large cat advantage pack between one fat cat, one medium and 4 kittens. I managed to dose all 6 and still have 1 tube and half. It really is ridiculous that a pack of 9+ lbs. advantage 2 is cheaper than the kitten pack when it amounts to one tube large cat all together. I knew about the trick of splitting it and had a dosing syringe but I think the vials could make it even easier. I did notice the kitten dose on your site is not specific enough as the recommended dose under 5lbs is .23 so thats what I dosed them at. I think anyone scared to use the dog advantage on a cat could at least do the splitting of the large cat if they have smaller cats but for me I think getting the large dog will save even more money bc these 4 kittens are growing fast and we plan to keep them.
I recently switched to Activyl for my cats when good ol’ Advantage II stopped being effective in my area. The first dose I bought from the vet at the usual premium, but would like to save some money this time they way I used to by multi-dosing the Advantage. The Activyl formula for cats and dogs (not the tick version) appears to be the same, both with 19.53% of the active ingredient. It is the 80.47% of “other ingredients” which have me worried since they don’t list what they are and the label does say not to use on cats. While I know it is likely just a legal measure in case of someone using too much on their cat, it gives me pause and I was hoping someone might have some insight into whether it is indeed the same formula.
Activyl (not the tick formula) is the same formula, I was informed by my vet. We have used it for multi-dosing on our cats. I am currently using Revolution in multi-dosing because we need tick protection for the cats now. Yes, Advantage doesn’t work in our area. I also really really like the Activyl mode of operation, very happy with it.
Hi did you ever figure out the correct dosage for Activyl for cats?
Advecta 3 dosing sizes:
5-10 lbs = 0.4 ml
11-20 lbs= 1 ml
21-55lbs= 2.5 ml
55 & up= 4.01 ml
ADVECTA 3 DOSAGE SIZES:
5-10 Lbs= 0.4 ml
11-20 lbs= 1 ml
21-55 lbs= 2.5 ml
55 & up= 4.01 ml
This was extremely thorough and by fafar the most helpful article I have seen on flea control
I may be a little obsessive about flea control. Ok. I am obsessive. Understand fleas love me though and I had a cat that was severely allergic to fleas, as in oozing open stores within hours of a flea bite, so it isn’t just obsessive.
According to my vet open stores + flea shampoo= horrible pain. She offered what was been by far the best way I found to deal with any skin problems she had, baby shampoo or plain dawn dish soap. She recommended trying the baby shampoo (not generic it honestly does not soothe the skin as well) first since it doesn’t hurt the eyes, and soothed the skin. My cat got very tense when she saw the shampoo, but as soon as I startewashing with the baby shampoo I was getting head bumps and purrs. After that any time she had a skin problem she gladly sat calmly for her bath, so I know it had to have felt good to her. I had not considered it as an option to kill fleas since we automatically go toward eradicate now, but it is a soap, so it makes sense. Plus she smelled far better than with flea shampoo, and no harsh chemicals.
I have been using Adams Plus flea and tick spot on for my dogs this year since the fleas have become immune to frontline and I was wondering if there is a chart to divide doses of this for my dogs. I did it with frontline and it was much less expensive.
This is May 2019, is the information on Advantage still correct? I want to use it on my four dogs and 10 cats. Fleas are breaking the bank!!!
Victoria Baker, I cannot find a dosage chart for splitting the large dog Activyl into smaller dosages for cats anywhere online. Would you please share how you do it for your cats? Thank you, I’m praying you see this as Revolution & Frontline Plus have quit working on our cats this flea season.
Hi did you ever figure out the correct dosage for Activyl for cats?
Hi, I’ve been doing feral cat/kitten rescue for 20 years and dosing for fleas is expensive…unless you buy x-large dog sizes for your cats.
Here’s what I’ve found on Activyl:
CATS:
The recommended dose for cats is 25 – 166.6 mg indoxacarb/kg bodyweight, equivalent to 0.128 – 0.85 mL/kg bodyweight.
The following table defines the pipette to be used according to the weight of the cat:
So, my roughly 8 pound cats get 100mg of Indoxacarb
I buy the tubes for X-large dogs. It’s safe as long as you don’t buy ‘plus’ or something else extra in the solution. Make sure it’s only Activyl.
A single 4.62ml tube holds 900mg of Indoxacarb.
I can dose 4 plus cats with one tube, a great savings.
Here’s the link so you can check for yourself: https://www.msd-animal-health.co.nz/products/Activyl_/020_Product_Details.aspx
It is useful to note that the dosage ranges for cats is rather large, with the standard Frontline product being recommended for cats from 1.5lbs and up. As the average cat is at least five times that, and since the product must be both safe and effective for all animals within that range, thus indicating that the dosage for a 12 pound cat is safe for a 1.5 pound kitten, it can be seen that it is perfectly safe to increase the first application dosage 34% (the difference between the methoprene dosage in the cat and dog formulation) to get the methoprene dosage to that recommended for cats using the dog formulation. After the first dosage, the flea life cycle will have been broken and one can reduce dosage to the recommended .034ml/pound. Or just keep using the larger dosage, since, again, the dosing range is so wide. Or just use the lower dosage, since, for the same reason, and especially for a cat on the lower end of the design range, the 8.8% methoprene dosage in the dog formulation should be enough for almost all cats.
This can also be seen in the fact that there is only one dosage size for cats, regardless of size, and clearly the dosage for a huge cat will have more than enough to treat an average sized animal.
It is useful to note that the dosage ranges for cats is rather large, with the standard Frontline product being recommended for cats from 1.5lbs and up. As the average cat is at least five times that, and since the product must be both safe and effective for all animals within that range, thus indicating that the dosage for a 12 pound cat is safe for a 1.5 pound kitten, it can be seen that it is perfectly safe to increase the first application dosage 34% (the difference between the methoprene dosage in the cat and dog formulation) to get the methoprene dosage to that recommended for cats using the dog formulation. After the first dosage, the flea life cycle will have been broken and one can reduce dosage to the recommended .034ml/pound. Or just keep using the larger dosage, since, again, the dosing range is so wide. Or just use the lower dosage, since, for the same reason, and especially for a cat on the lower end of the design range, the 8.8% methoprene dosage in the dog formulation should be enough for almost all cats.
This can also be seen in the fact that there is only one dosage size for cats, regardless of size, and clearly the dosage for a huge cat will have more than enough to fully treat an average sized animal.
I have pet armor advanced (contains imidaclorid and pyripoxfen, the active ingredients used in advantage II) for dogs. I noticed you said to be careful putting the generics on cats so I thought I’d ask your opinion on using this on my cats. I checked and all of the ingredients are the same. Do you think this is safe?
The post is nicely arranged. I see the author has a real knack
for this subject. I like that theme, and I am in constant search of new bits
and the most recent news. I truly enjoyed that one, as
it’s filled with fascinating facts and it’s a sort of easygoing article.
I spent just a couple of minutes reading, and because of well-structured text, I understand it totally.
Thanks!