Flea and Tick Products

Frontline (also known as TopSpot): This is a topical oil that you can place on your dog or cat to kills fleas and ticks. It is applied in a single spot, usually between the shoulder blades, and it then automatically uses the bodies natural oils to spread evenly over the pet. It is the most effective product I have found to kill both fleas and ticks.

Pros: Kills fleas and ticks; relatively easy to apply.

Cons: Topical, so you have to have some concern with young children (need to keep the children away from the application spot for a day or so); cannot bathe the pet 2 days prior to or 2 days after application. Not a repellant, so ticks will still attach before they die. Designed to kill the tick before they can effectively transfer things like Lyme Disease.

Advantage: This is a topical oil that you can place on your dog or cat to kill fleas. Does not kill ticks. Applied the same way as Frontline. I have found this to be extremely effective against the fleas, more so in my experience than Frontline. If you do not have a tick problem in your area, this is a great product. I use this on nearly all of the cats.

Pros: Very effective in killing fleas quickly; relatively easy to apply. No bathing restrictions.

Cons: Does not kill ticks. Topical, so you have to have some concern with young children (need to keep the children away from the application spot for a day or so).

As a flea control/preventive product, I give Advantage 3 paws. Good product.

Revolution: This is the newest anti-parasitic product that has come out. It has some effectiveness against fleas, ticks, some internal parasites, heartworms in both cats and dogs, sarcoptic mange, and ear mites. It is also a topical that you can apply similar to the other products. We have now had enough time to evaluate the product and it works quite well. It is very good for use in pets that have multiple problems such as ear mites and fleas, and is the easiest way to prevent heartworms in cats. So in many puppies and kittens, this has become our first line of defense. I think we will find this to be revolutionary (thus the name!!) in helping preventive the often fatal heartworm disease, especially in our feline friends.

Pros: Effective against a lot of parasites; easy to apply.

Cons: Topical, so you have to keep the kids away from the area of application on the first day.

I am very pleased with the results of this relatively new product, and give it 3 Paws of Approval.