Pros and Cons of Advantage, Frontline and Other Flea Products
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Pros and Cons of Advantage, Frontline and Other Flea Products
The Pros of Advantage:
• Ease of use. Advantage packaging is simple and the instructions are well done and easy to follow.
• You can use Advantage whenever you want. (i.e. no bathing restrictions)
• Advantage is a little less expensive if you use the product as the manufacturer recommends.
The Pros of Frontline:
• Frontline is longer lasting. When you are using Frontline for flea control in dogs, it is actually good for about three months. More frequent application instructions are related to tick protection more than just flea protection.
• If you use Frontline every month, it does a good job of tick control but it does allow ticks to attach and you still may have to remove the ticks individually from your dog.
• Frontline is much harder to wash off, which means fewer application on dogs that get regular baths at home or like to spend time in the water.
• If you use Frontline every two months (less than recommended by the manufacturer but arguably as effective), it is less expensive.
Cons of Frontline
• You should not bathe your dog for three days before application, or for three days after.
• The packaging is more cumbersome and complicated and your vet will usually have to give you additional instructions to make the application location and guidelines clearer.
Other monthly flea and tick control products include:
• Hartz Control
• Bio-Spot
• Sargeant's Pretect
• Zodiac Spot-on
• Powerspot
• Defy
These products all contain an insecticide called permethrin, a frequently used flea spray ingredient. This, like flea collars, is a good preventative option but if your dog already has a flea problem, Frontline or Advantage are a better bet. Additionally, Advantage and Frontline are safe puppies.
