Advantage is for fleas only. Advantix is for fleas and ticks.

My vet thinks Advantage is easier on the environment and animal health.

And then there is also Zodiac Spot On. The owner of one of our little pet "boutiques" says that her vet recomends it. It is a lot cheaper than Frontline, but I don't know anybody who has actually used it.
Here is a link that compares Zodiac, Advantage, Frontline and Program but not BioSpot.
http://shop.petsmart.com/product-123/2534374302023689/2534374302032916/845524441775291.htm
Sorry about the long address, but t**nyurl is banned.
Katharina

Here is a link that might be useful: Zodiac

Our vet says Frontline Plus is best for ticks. Who knows. I do wish this stuff wasn't so expensive. To keep our dogs flea (and tick) free costs as much as our membership to the local gym (with swimming pool).

Our vet also says that it is more important than ever that we use this type of meds because more and more people are discontinuing their heavy use of toxic weed and pest killers for their lawns. This is good for the environment but means there are lots more bugs around to feast on our pups.

I don't know about Bio Spot but my thinking is if costs that much less, you get what you pay for.

My vet of 27 years sells Advantage but recommends Frontline. He sells both for less than what they cost anywhere online or at what I call Furry Family Member stores.

We use Frontline. We have a large dog, and 4 in/out cats. We also live in an area that is well known for its resident deer herd and nearly every year round resident on our road has had Lyme Disease at least once. (I've had it twice, so has the helpmeet). The first time I was told it was "summer flu"... until the bullseye appeared; hands down, it's the sickest I've ever felt in my life. Ditto the helpmeet. Ticks are the pits!

The stuff works and we can tell when it's coming up on time to reapply... we begin to see "walkers" on the animals or on us.

Here is a link that might be useful: From New England gardening forum

Does anyone buy this stuff over the net rather than from their vet? It's suppose to be cheaper...but is it the same stuff?

We have flea problems...keeping them out of our beds... UGH.

Be extremely careful buying online. I've heard horror stories about the wrong dose or product in a packet doing terrible things to the animal. Especially to cats, since they are very sensitive to many types of insecticides. It MAY be the same stuff, but be especially wary of non-US companies or if the product arrives and the packaging is in a different language. Animals have been seriously hurt and killed by phony (wrong product) and incorrectly dosed products. People have been ripped off by phony (inactive, expired) products. There are certain online sources that I have used for other products that I trust. If they demand a Rx for Rx products, that's probably a good sign.

Another thing to consider is that Frontline and Advantage may not support products purchased from non-vet sources. If you do end up having a problem- either the product doesn't work, or it harms your pet- the company won't do anything about it. Unlike if purchased from a vet, where they would cover the medical problems if there was a reaction and offer free product if it didn't work.

About 2 years ago I gave bio-spot to my then-8-year-old, 75 pound lab who was in great health. I think the smell (minty) was overpowering. Anyhow he went into a running fit and ran tight circles in what seemed like a panic for AN ENTIRE DAY! A month later, when i tried it again, he went into a full-on panic attack and promptly threw up (within 30 minutes). He had always been on frontline and has (after I returned the bio-spot to foster&smith) been on it ever since, never with any incident and taking it like a champ and never having fleas or ticks.

I always used Frontline Plus and this worked great for my dogs. I also lived in a area where there were ticks like crazy and this worked great to kill the ticks! The other day I was at my in law's house and she had put advantage on her dog last week and we found a flea on him that day so I'm going to have to give Advantage a thumbs down.

Bio-spot, zodiac, hartz, etc.-disaster waiting to happen and a huge waste of money. I've seen people come into vet clinics I've worked with that have applied these topicals and they had animals that were having seizures, labored breathing, and some that have died.

I like frontline for a lab that stays at my parents farm and the kids that are with me use advantix.

Are you splitting the large dose vials between your guys? If not this is a way to help save money- I do that for my shih tzus- I buy for the larger dog and based on the dosage they would get by their weight I can buy the next size up and there is enough for both dogs in one tube.

Please make sure you get the dosage correct and keep a list of weights and dosage amount. You can get an empty prescription bottle and empty the vial into it and draw the dosage out correctly with a syringe and then apply it.

***"You can get an empty prescription bottle and empty the vial into it and draw the dosage out correctly with a syringe and then apply it."***
What a wonderful idea...that was always a pete peeve is the vial they come in is hard to work with to get the liquid onto the skin. So even if you aren't seperating it, this would make application easier. As much as Frontine etc costs I think they could do a better job with the applicators!

I once tried the Hartz stuff and it's not any good...it was such a greasy mess on the hair and got on everything...don't use it! I couldn't even tell you if it worked because we had to wash the cat to get it off!!!!!

My dog was prone to flea bites. To save money and avoid a trip to the vets, I put a Hartz Mountain flea collar on her and dusted her bed with Hartz flea powder. She came down with lung cancer the following January and was put to sleep in February. I always thought the chemicals in the Hartz products caused her death.

Oh jannie I'm so sorry to hear about that.

I wish there was a way to put Hartz out of business or at least keep them from manufacturing their flea, tick, worming products. I have seen some of the most disturbing deaths of animals due to these products and I can't believe the company has not been sued and is able to keep producing this crap.

If I ever see people looking at it in a retail shop or they have it in their buggy- I stop them and tell them how bad it is. Most people have no idea and once you tell them that either you spend $15 for something that works or you spend just that much in a product that doesn't work and can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars or their pets lives- they usually change their mind quickly. I know I may look like some crazy person stalking out the potential Hartz buyers, but oh well, if it keeps a pet safe by all means I'll be that crazy hartz stalker :)

I believe I'm paying about $15.80 per month per dog for ♥guard + frontline.
That's supposedly cheaper than advantage. But still a lot. How does this compare to y'all?

My vet will match prices for online places like 1800petmeds with shipping.

quirky is that 15.80 total? that's cheap! I buy in the 6 month pkg- you usually get a free dose from the maker of the product or a rebate. Advantix is about $15 per tube and I use interceptor 6 months for my girls is about $25 each and for Kaiser it is about $55 for 6 months.

Yes. Well no.. actually it's $14.80 not $15.80. total per dog. I remember calculating heartguard at $9 per month then I remember the vet saying the 6 mo frontline box before any price matching was $35. I've been getting an additional packet of frontline under the free packet promotion too. So it might even be a little less. I skip a few months in the winter with the frontline.

I've used Frontline and Advantage. I like them both. Cost should NEVER be a consideration in keeping your pets safe and healthy. If you can't afford to care for them, you shouldn't have them. Imagine bargain hunting for medicine for your children. I don't have kids yet, but for now my cats are like my children. I love them quite a bit and will do anything within my financial means to keep them safe, healthy, and happy.

Adam ~

I haven't reread all the posts from over a couple of years but wanted to respond, specifically, to yours. I do keep my cats and dog healthy with the products that I choose to use. I, also, check out the place that offers these meds at the best price. I do not wish to overspend for products that are widely available. Wishing to save money does not mean you don't care about the welfare of your furkids.

FYI, I get the best price for meds for the humans that live in this household as well. Throwing away money because you don't comparison shop is foolish.

Robyn

I have a rescue for wayward pit-bulls, lol, here in Florida and this past fall I had my first encounter with the combat-ready-never-say-die "Fleas from Florida". "OMG", pretty much sums it up. I have one dog who is so obsessed with me that he refuses to sleep, eat or even drink water w/o me present.....so there is no escaping him........in fact, if he slept any closer to me he'd be on the other side of me!

I woke up one day and noticed he had these little brownish things all over his coat.....when I ran my hand over them, then realized what they were, I thought I was going to go down right then and there. It was SHOCKING. They were flea eggs and feces, and it was NASTY. I couldn't believe my eyes.....we had JUST been to the vet, and I ALWAYS have them check ALL of my dogs for fleas! Though, I am willing to bet that the vet was where he picked them up! Anyway, he was covered. So, I ordered Frontline Plus from Joespetmeds.com (best website EVER for flea and tick stuff for both cats and dogs, btw). It arrived within 4 days, and it absolutely DID NOT work. I used 2 packs on each dog (because all my Monkeys are over 120 pounds), and treated them all again 11 days later. Again, these Florida fleas seem to have become immune to Frontline, because it barely put a dent in that mess. I emailed Joe's Pet Meds and explained that it didn't work and because they are so wonderful, they sent me AK9 Advantix for free.... So, whilst I was awaiting its arrival, I went out and purchased Bio Spot. Pfffth. Crap. It did absolutely NOTHING that I could see. Don't waste your time or your money.

So, 4 days later, I received the K9 Advantix and with in ONE DAY there wasn't a SINGLE live Flea ANYWHERE on any of my dogs. I must say, in 15 years of dealing with the occasional flea outbreak, this blew me completely away. That K9 Advantix also repels mosquitoes and kills ticks.

Now, a couple months later I got 2 pit bull mastiff strays-covered in fleas and hundred of ticks (yuuuuck), so this time I used Advantix Multi (now, keep in mind, that because Joes Pet Meds is out of Australia, it is called Advocate over there, but it is THE EXACT same ingredient made by the exact same company). The Advocate or Advantage Multi also kills roundworms, hookworms, ear mites, whipworms, Sarcoptes and Demodex mites). Let me tell you, it killed everything in its path! Those poor dogs had to initially stay in a quarantine kennel, which they did not like at all, but after about 12 hours, but almost immediately there were dead ticks lying all over the ground: with in 3 days there wasn't a single live tick anywhere on either dog. Oh, and they were completely flea free with in about 1 day.

So for fleas and tick control with mosquito repellent-especially in dogs with allergic dermatitis, I recommend the K9 Advantix. But, if you want to prevent, or get rid of all those other nasty critters;roundworms, hookworms, ear mites, whipworms, sarcoptes and demodex mites, I definitely recommend the Advocate (Advantage Multi). And if you want to save some money, make sure you use www.joesPetMeds.com.

Below is a link to a great article about Flea Dermatitis and subsequent information regarding the way flea and tick medication works.

I also did a little research after having wasted my efforts on Frontline and found another good article.....here is the synopsis:

In a field trial 363 dogs naturally infested with ticks (n gE 1) and/or fleas (n gE 5) were enrolled at 23 centres in Germany, France and Italy. A total of 229 dogs were treated once with the test product, a topical formulation of imidacloprid 10% and permethrin 50%. 134 dogs were treated once with a registered control product, a topical fipronil 10% formulation, according to the label instructions. All dogs and cats living in the same household were treated with the control product. Cats living with the imidacloprid-permethrin treated dogs were treated with a mono imidacloprid formulation. Efficacy and safety of the products were assessed 2 days and 1,2,3 and 4 weeks after treatment by individual parasite counts and clinical examination. Continuous infestation pressure during the trial period was demonstrated by monitoring other dogs presented to the clinics. Efficacy calculations were based on geometric means of the individual parasite counts compared to pre-treatment infestation. The acute efficacy (day 2) of the imidacloprid permethrin combination vs. the control product was 91.1% vs. 89.7% against Ixodes. ricinus, 85.4% vs. 80.9% against Rhipicephalus spp. and 98.3% vs. 97.0% against Ctenocephalides spp. Residual efficacy (day 28) of the two products was 95.2% vs. 69.5% against I. ricinus, 98.5% vs. 89.4% against R.. spp. and 92.5% vs. 93.5% against C. spp. Results of the trial proved the safety of both products in treated dogs and in dogs and cats, living in the same household.
So, as for that BIO Spot........pfffftthhhh (blowing raspberry), it just doesn't work. And, again, Joes Pet Meds.....those people are just wonderful and I cannot recommend a better web site for ordering flea and tick meds!

Squwak!

Here is a link that might be useful: Allergic Dermatitis Fleas

Advantix and BioSpot contain the exact same active ingredient..read the ingredient label exact same thing only BioSpot also contains Nylar which is a growth inhibiter so the fleas are unable to reach adulthood and lay eggs..safe for your dog..DO NOT USE ON CATS as the main ingredient is Permetherin which cats cannot metabolize and it will make them very sick and even kill them. BioSpot like Advantix kills and repels fleas,ticks and mosquitos. Frontline does not repel,only kills which means your dog can still bring adult fleas in after going outside,they will die but it may take a few days which is why some people complain they still see live fleas on their dog after putting Frontline on them and they think the fleas are immune to the Frontline which they're not,it's simple,they bring them in after going out since it doesn't repel..as with any topical,which is basically a pesticide,it could potentially harm your dog. Most dogs tolerate it well but there are some that don't and they can have side affects. There are alot of people who don't understand that if your dogs is ALREADY infested with fleas(which means your home is infested as well)it takes several months of these treatments(once a month) to get rid of the fleas once and for all. All it will do the first dose,if dog is already infested,is lower the population. If you continue to use the once a month topical and be sure to vacuum your house top to bottom several times a week(a shop vac is a great investment for getting small corners and cracks)and be sure to either empty or throw the bag away after each vacuum since the fleas can escape,and it wouldn't hurt to spray your house with a flea killer..you should be able to get it under control in a few weeks. Don't forget that fleas have a life cycle and a new generation will hatch about every 3 weeks(in your carpet most likely)the vacuuming causes a vibration which helps pull the fleas out of the pupua stage,they can lie dormant for a few years if the house is uninhabited which is why sometimes an infestation of fleas occur after a family with animals moves out and a new family moves in..as soon as the pupua feel vibration on the surface of the carpet,they hatch..even if the new family has no pets,the house will have an infestation and the new owners will be eaten alive!..with a little work and some internet research you should be able to figure out what you feel is best for your dog. Of course the best thing to do is start treatment early to avoid an infestation all together..I live up north so I start about the beginning of March,I've always used Frontline and it has worked well for us however,I just switched to BioSpot since it also repels the fleas so the dogs won't bring them in the house after going out..it's also alot cheaper and has the IGR growth inhibitor(Nylar) plus the same active ingredient as Advantix only less costly..fleas have been especially bad this year so spraying your yard would help too! It's not too much work if you start before an infestation..once you get them in your house and they start to breed...it's a ton of work to get rid of them!

Trust me, if you see more than one or two fleas on your pet and consider the fleas a Real problem then Bio Spot IS NOT going to solve you'r problemand I'll explain why, it's simple the IGR ONLY begin's to work it's majick on the pest once you'r pet has been bitten by said pest, this is bio spot I'm reffering to. If you only see a flea or two here and there and often search your pet and find none than perhaps this will work for you, however seeing as how that is not the case all the time bio spot will do nothing for anyone with a real problem and trust me, I've been there. The truth is it will take hours to kill a flea after it has bitten the host (witch is the reason you don't want them right?). If you find a dozen or more fleas on your pet chances are that they are living in your bedding, curtains, front yard, backyard, carpet, drapes? NOT EVERY FLEA is going to Bite! But you can almost guarentee these discusting creatures will ALL be Most likely to reproduce. The only way to really get the pests under control is through routine MONTHLY doses of frontline or advantix/advantage AND you might want to go to LOWS NOT you'r local petstore for some Ortho Max, this product works better than anything you'll find at petco and costs are rounding the quarter of the cost, it is a proffessional grade pesticide and it will kill the fleas in you'r yard for a very affordable price it's GOOD stuff I promise. So figure to spend about twenty dollars a month on Othro for a larger yard or less, I recomend doing this monthly or bi-monthly. Next you should probobly keep a bottle of Zodiac flea and tick spray handy around the household, this one you can find at you'r local petco/petsmart, wallmart might even carry it. There is a website I would recomend to anyne using frontline called Thrifty Vet type it into you'r search bar and you'll see they sell frontline plus for less than any website i've ever seen, it costs about 90 dollars only for a 12 month supply! Thats twelve tubes and if you'r pet only need's it every other month like my cats thats enough to last you two years! They also have just as good a deal on the three and six mo. packs. A six month will last you for a year remember if they only need it every other. There are effective ways of keeping even the worste cases of fleas and ticks under control without braking the bank. buying you'r flea drop's yearly is a really good way to stay on top of the fleas and it IS and will feel a whole lot cheaper when all you will end up spending thereafter is about 20 to 35 dollars a month for you'r yard and a handy household spray you should only have to buy every 6-8 weeks or so. The spray is 15 dollars (Zoiak) it works, and Ortho like i said about twenty for enough to cover .4 acre that's a pretty big yard. ;)

If you want to save money than can buy the large dog dose of fronline plus. Talk to your vet. My Japanese Chin and my 2 pekingese get 0.67 ml. The 3 pack for over 55lb has enough medicine for an entire year for my babies. I just pull it up with a syringe. I was so grateful to my vet for showing how and supplying the syringes. Many dog breeders and shelters use this method. But please talk to your vet first.

I have used Biospot for years on my two dogs and have never had a problem with fleas or ticks.

I have used Biospot on my dogs and cats for over 10 years and have not had a flea problem since using it. If you have a mixed household of dogs and cats, just be careful when grooming your dogs or when your dogs shed to keep everything vaccuumed so that your cats don't get sick by ingesting the fur with the Biospot for dogs on it. I would recommend it to anyone.

Bio Spot is not a good product ! I bought it for both my border collies and it did nothing but give them rashes and hair loss.Please keep it away from your pet and go ahead and spend the xtra $ on frontline.trouble is my dogs have to suffer until the bio spot is gone from their system.

Florida resident: inside cats and outside dogs. Tried Advantix purchased online. Didn't work for either dogs or cats. Maybe (from what I read above from other posters) it was faulty packaging/product. I'll try Frontline next -- we'll see.

6 months ago I took in a stray 6week old kitten. (I already had 4 full grown indoor cats at home) The kitten spread fleas all over my apartment like wildfire. I applied Frontline Plus to my four cats and used an "organic spray" to the entire house. I wish i could remember the name of the spray but i cant figure it out for the life of me. I repeated the process for about 3 months. Everything was great until about a week ago, all at once, all four cats where itching. I applied frontline about 4 days ago. Still have itchy cats, and when i used the flea comb, they were still covered. Last time, i had much better results. I don't know what more to do.
I live in a basement apartment, and we only have one tiny window. Indoor flea sprays scare the crap out of me honestly, Its so hard to ventilate my apartment, and god only knows what kind of chemicals my poor cats are breathing in. Any suggestions?

Use any of the topical flea products for cats being discussed. I've had good results with Frontline Plus & Advantage. Haven't tried BioSpot (for limited budgets) yet, but I'm really not scared by all the negativity in this thread; just as many people on the Internet say BioSpot worked like a charm (if applied correctly)--& it has the same ingredients as expensive Advantix!

Correction: Only Biospot for Dogs has the same ingredients as Advantix. I cannot recommend Biospot's DOG products after reading mostly negative reviews from dog owners re safety & effectiveness (though I've never tried them). I apologize.

We had (have) a flea problem. We have a large dog and three cats, and all are ridden with the bothersome pests. They're all over the house, too, and aren't very picky with who they bite.

We tried Bio spot and it almost killed one of the cats - he stopped eating, was lethargic for the best of two weeks and lost a lot of weight. I finally took him to the bathtub and washed the bio spot off, and he slowly came back around.

Bio spot, on all three cats and the dog, just bunched up in the fur, did not spread, and did not do anything to kill the fleas. It was greasy and just stuck to the shoulder blades without any impact on the fleas.

It only made the one cat sick, but it sure didn't help the others or the dog. I would NOT recommend this product to anyone.

one of the posters states she has been using
bio-spot for 10 years. Bio spot has not been around that long.

For those of you who have been using Frontline, take a look at FIPROGUARD (available at pet specialty stores) or PRONYL OTC (available at grocery stores, drug stores and mass retailers). Both of them are EPA-approved generic equivalents to Frontline. They contain the same active ingredient, so they have the same effectiveness, safety profile, etc. But they cost less, which is always good news.

I had relied on Frontline and Advantage for my 2 cats for years. It was beginning to seem that Frontline didn't work quite as well.

But, one cat developed what we thought was flea dermatitis. Hair loss down each side of her spine, at its worst with sores, and smelling like dirty fungusy feet. The vet wasn't really much help-steroids controlled, but didn't cure; tried applying advantage more frequently (helped), tried topical anti-fungal (helped), steroid spray (meh)---this went on, waxing and waning but never gone, for 2+ years!

Finally, despite the warnings that I had read, I tried Biospot. The problem was completely gone within 10 days and has stayed gone for over a year. Now Biospot is part of the rotation. Both cats seem to tolerate it just fine.

I have been using biospot on my 80lb pit mix for 6 months now and have had no problems with illness, fleas or ticks. And we are talking about a hot, humid Alabama summer. I even brought in fleas from a renters apartment that had gotten on me and they were gone in a day. Keep giving it bad reviews and using advertised, expensive name brands so Bio Spot will remain inexpensive for those of us that appreciate its value. Ironically, it has good reviews on Amazon. I also use wormX and that seems to be working well too. All while saving me hundreds a year. Thank you Nay Sayers. Don't buy generic prescriptions either ;)

I bought Bio Spot Defense for my Cat 2 weeks ago. I didn't like the way it went on...ran down both sides of him.

We are picking ticks off of him daily. Just ordered Frontline Plus from 1800PetMeds.com (free Shipping on orders over $39). I should have renewed my order but was trying to save a few bucks. What a mistake. I'll stay with the Frontline Plus and cut a corner somewhere else.

Someone asked about ordering Meds for Pets online. I have
been ordering from 1800PetMeds.com for several years. Very reliable, fast shipping (usually the same day) and reduced prices.

Frontline Plus is available at Costco, 3 month supply, any weight, 37.99.

With 8 dogs you will have to use a few products. Wash dog bedding, towels, quilts, blankets and your own laundry with your regular detergent, but add Borax to each wash. Wash walls, ceilings and floors with a Borax solution of Borax and water. I usually use 1/4 cup to a gallon of hot water. Mix well.

on the rugs I use Bio Spot Carpet Spray. I also take the sofa cushions off the sofa, vacuum well the spray with Bio Spot Carpet Spray lightly, then place the cushions back on the sofa immediately.

You can also spray a grooming brush with flea and tick spray (the kind you can spray on the dog.) then brush the dog well outside.

im allergic to mites, so every 3 months the above is exactly what I do. Works well for me. My dog has never gotten fleas.

Hope this helps. I did extensive research and testing to come up with the recipe.

Used Bio Active Care for our 18 lb. dog. For 4 days now he has hid from us at times, from a small room he has barked for no reason, has been sick at stomach, stays outside a lot more time than normal and does not want to come in the house unless I go to him. He acts like it is the 4th of July as he does not like the noise, but it was only June 21, 2016 when we used BIO and this problem started.

I have used Bio-spot for 9 years in my 75lb Rot/mix.

I never had a problem. Although just recently i noticed she was itching a lot. I checked, and i found that she had Fleas (not alot, but i found a few).

I missed kast months treatment so im sure that was a cause... Anyways, i retreated her with Bio-Spot. It has been 2 weeks and i checked her, and darn it, i still found 2 Fleas.

How long does it take to kill them?