Activyl vs. Advantage Multi Comparison

Activyl

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Advantage Multi

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Comfortis

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Kills Fleas

Repels Fleas

Kills Flea eggs and Larvae

Kills Ticks

Repels Ticks

Kills and/or Repels Mosquitoes

Prevents Heartworm

Other Parasites Information

Controls ear mites, hookworms and roundworms.

Waterproof (shampooing once a week can reduce effectiveness)

N/A

Safe for pregnant or nursing Pets

Consult your veterinarian

How long does it take to work

Reapply Activyl every 30 days.

Kills fleas within 12 hours.

Kills fleas within 30 minutes.

Taste

Applied to skin

Applied To Skin

Beef Flavor

Active Ingredient(s)

indoxacarb

Imidacloprid/Moxidectin

Spinosad

RX Required

Dosage

Usage

Video

Coming soon

Vet Review

Another recently available new topical flea preventative for dogs and cats. This new product works by being activated by only the flea's enzyme systems into a flea specific mechanism which paralyzes and kills the adult flea. The company claims that it does not get into the blood stream, but stays only in the superficial skin layers of the pet. Any adult fleas which come into contact with this product are quickly killed so that fleas do not have to actually bite the pet, which is tremendously helpful in those flea-allergic pets, where it only takes a few flea bites to set off an extensive itchy allergic reaction. Another wonderful benefit of this product is that it is waterproof, which is especially helpful in those active outside pets who are exposed to rain or like to swim. This effective product starts working within 12 hours of application, where over 90% of adult fleas are killed. Another excellent benefit of this product is that it also inhibits the development of flea eggs and larvae in the environment, which is a big bonus since much of the flea life cycle occurs in the home environment. While Activyl is very safe and effective for most pets, I have seen occasional rare reactions in sensitive pets, which most commonly is seen as irritation or excessive itchiness at the site of application. While the company says that it is odorless, some of my clients have said that they do sense an odor within the first several days of application, as well as leaving an occasional oily film for the first day or two following application. This film, however usually quickly disappears. The only other very rare reactions include digestive upset and/or drooling/neurological reactions, and certainly if a pet has any chronic digestive weaknesses or history of seizures, etc then the local veterinarian should be consulted before applying the product. I give this product an overall rating of 4, with an ease of use of 4.

By combining imidacloprid and moxidectin, Advantage Multi offers the wonderful benefit of broad protection against BOTH common internal and external parasites in dogs and cats. An important area of coverage includes not only adult stages, but the immature stages of roundworms and hookworms, two parasites that are a risk to people if not prevented in our pets. It also treats and controls, and prevents whipworms, which are difficult to eradicate in both dogs and the environment. When applied monthly, it is almost 100 percent effective in preventing heartworm disease in dogs and cats. Additional benefits of treating scabies and demodectic mange and ear mites make this a very attractive product. All of this with the wonderful flea control benefits of the product advantage. The greatest benefit I see with this versatile product is that it takes the labor out of administering a myriad of medications to dogs to control these varied internal and external parasites. I also find that it kills the larval stages of fleas in the home surroundings of treated pets, which is a wonderful added benefit. I have on rare occasions seen topical irritation and sensitivity at the site of application, and even more scarce neurological reactions in hypersensitive pets. The only other downside would be the potential high cost of this product, as well as the need for clients to obtain a prescription from their veterinarian. Overall, however, I have found this product to be an excellent and safe all around internal and external parasite control manager in our dogs and cats.

I have started to use this product over the past several months and have mixed feelings about it. A big advantage is the ease of administering the beef and pork flavored tablet but it should be administered on full stomach. And while it avoids the oily liquid pesticides on the back that many clients don ' t like, if a pet is allergic to beef or pork this is a big disadvantage. The best thing about this product (which is similar to Capstar) is the quick kill of adult fleas working within 30 minutes and being almost 100 percent effective against fleas within 4 hours of giving it, and lasting for a month!!! (much longer than a Capstar pill.) A big problem is not only the expense but it also has no tick coverage. In my experience and opinion, I have also seen several dogs vomit when given this pill and it is really not supposed to be used in patients with seizure disorders, which is also a concern of mine in terms of safety. Along the same line, it is not supposed to be used in pregnant or nursing females, as from what I understand when the product was tested there were supposed loss of litter during pregnancy, poor weight gain of puppies and vomiting, the latter symptom which I have seen in clinical practice. In general I am always a little worried about products not approved for young puppies, as the puppies have to be at least 14 weeks of old, according to the label use of this product. It is not a cheap product, and for the above reasons I don't use it often even though it is tremendously effective against fleas. For the reasons stated above, I therefore give this product an overall rating of 2 with effectiveness (for fleas) of 4, the ease of use a 5, and the taste a 4. I still prefer Front line, Advantage and K9 Advantix despite the oily spot because of the increased coverage of parasites, and my concerns about safety

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