Bark ATL requires that your pet be on a flea and heartworm preventative to play or stay. We want your pet to stay healthy, plus an outbreak of fleas is not fun!! Since there are several great products I thought I would take a minute to explain the difference in some of the more popular products out there. We will start with flea products and continue with heartworm products next week. When in doubt, talk to your veterinarian to see which product is best for you and your pet.
In all of my years of being in veterinary medicine flea preventative has always been a hot topic. There are so many products, how do you choose?? The chart below will help you see what each product does and does not do. I have added my two cents about the products below the chart. For more information click on the product name below the chart. It will take you to the manufacturers website.
Advantage: Applied topically between the shoulder blades once a month. DOES NOT kill ticks. If you are using Frontline and it stops working I suggest switching to this product.
Frontline/Plus: I would NEVER use the regular Frontline as it DOES NOT control flea development. Neither Frontline products repel mosquitoes. This product is also applied topically between the shoulder blades once a month.
Advantix: Kills fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, lice and repels biting flies. It is also applied topically between the shoulder blades once a month.
Program: I personally would not use this product. It is a pill that is given orally once a month. This is the flea additive in the heartworm preventative Sentinel. I know several dog owners that still have to use a topical flea preventative when using this product, but then again there are folks who swear by it!
BioSpot: I am not familiar with this product but it claims to do the same thing as Frontline Plus. It IS NOT waterproof. Also a once a month topical.
Capstar: This is a one time use oral pill. It is said to kill 90% of the fleas on your pet within 4 hours. This is a fantastic product to use if you see fleas on your pet. A topical or oral monthly preventative is still needed.
Two products that are not listed are Advantage Multi and Revolution. They are both a monthly topical for fleas and ticks but are also a heartworm preventative! We will go over these products in more detail next week. I hope this information helped since flea and tick season is right around the corner!!
Thank you for the great information. I am not sure which one you think is best. Advantix seems to cover everything, but I do not think that is what I am currently using. (memory lapse here)
ReplyDeleteI think my vet has recommended another newer product??? (Just like most medications - vets and doctors tend to promote what the salesman is selling...)
I personally use Revolution on my animals. It is a heartworm preventative plus it kills fleas and flea eggs, treats and controls ear mites, a form of mange, and the American Dog Tick. It has always worked for my pets and it's easy to give. I had to wrestle with my dogs to give them a pill! I have used Frontline and Advantage/K9 Advantix and they all worked fine. I just like the convenience of an all in one. I think you just have to find what works best on your pet. :)
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of Vectra?
ReplyDeleteI have not but it looks like it takes care of everything but heartworms. I was at my vets office last week and they were not selling it. I know a lot of veterinarians stick with what they know works and don't like to recommend a new product until it has been out for a few years. I have seen several products come and go throughout my years in veterinary medicine. I like to stick with what I know works, too!
ReplyDelete