Review: Flea and Tick Products

Prevention to be placed on pet's back: FRONTLINE PLUS: Contains both fipronil and methoprene to control fleas, flea eggs, ticks, and chewing lice for 1-3 months. Safe for pups and kittens 8 wks and older. Comes in all sizes and contains 3-6 tubes for coverage of 3-6 months. What they don't tell you is that for smaller dogs, usually 25 lbs and under, you can save money by buying the largest package (Dogs 89-132 lbs) instead of the one you usually get (dogs up to 22 lbs) and split the tubes. I get one large tube individually from the pet store and empty it into a small container with a lid that tightens. Using a syringe with no needle, you can pull 0.67 ml for every dog under 22 lbs. This one large tube will last between my 3 small dogs for up to 3 months (that's about 9 applications) compaired to one small tube that is only used for one small dog and then it's gone. 3 month supply of 22lbs & under go for around $40. A 3 month supply of dogs 89-132 lbs is usually around the same price, sometimes a couple dollars more. ADVANTAGE: Kills fleas and flea eggs, works same as FRONTLINE but cannot be split and I personally think that this one smells horrible and leaves the fur/hair very oily because it is a waterproof formula. Costs are same as FRONTLINE. K9 ADVANTIX: This one kills fleas, ticks and repels mosquitoes. I don't think this one smells very good either, but it's not as oily as ADVANTAGE. Cannot be split. Costs are same as FRONTLINE. BIO SPOT: Also kills fleas, ticks, flea eggs, and repels mosquitoes. This brand is much cheaper than the others... dogs under 15 lbs for a 3 month supply usually runs around $15-$20, but this brand has never worked for my dogs. ZODIAC: Kills and repels fleas, ticks and mosquitoes on dogs only. This one comes in bulk though and in one size fits all. You will have to split these tubes and measure correctly to obtain the right amount to be placed on your dog. Package comes with 48 application tubes and cost is between $50-$60. Oral Flea and Tick prevention: CAPSTAR: Comes in packages for large and small dogs and usually contains 6 tablets. Plus about CAPSTAR is that it can be used with any other form of prevention but is for fleas only. You can give one pill when your pup is heavily infested to increase success of getting rid of those pesky fleas. Pills start working within 30 minutes. This product poisons the fleas, which in turn sends them into a ruckus, so when you notice that you pup starts to itch alittle more, it's only the pill WORKING. Can be given orally once a day. COMFORTIS: You can only get this pill at the Vet Office right now. It's a newer brand or flea and tick prevention that works alot like CAPSTAR, but is a montly pill intead or daily. This one has worked wonders for my dogs so far, and usually last for a month and a half to 2 months. This one is by far my favorite. AS WITH ANY PREVENTION, the fleas and ticks around your home may become immune to the spacific brand you are using if used constantly for long periods of time. For better success at killing these critters, I would suggest you switch up your brand every now and then. For instance, if you have been using FRONTLINE for the last 3 years and still notice you have a flea or tick problem, it's probably time to switch to COMFORTIS or ADVANTAGE, and same with any other prevention. Prevention should also be used with outside lawn preventions, such as ORTHO GRANUALS, etc, and also used with inside carpet preventions, such as NATURAL CHEMISTRY natural flea and tick spray (retail $17), which smells like cinnamon and is safe and natural around babies, puppies, kittens, etc. I use this at home and it works wonders.