Ticks and fleas are a complete nuisance for dogs, not to mention dangerous to their health. If you are like me, you’ll want to protect your dog using only the best flea and tick control medication. Do many people wonder what is the difference between Frontline and Advantix?
Frontline Plus and Advantix II are top medications for preventing and controlling fleas. This article compares Frontline vs. Advantix to help you buy the best option for your dog and prevent those pesky fleas and ticks.
How Do Frontline and Advantix Work?
The goal of both of these products is to remove and kill parasites that are living on the skin and hiding in the fur of your dog. It will alive your dog from the severe itching your dog is having due to the fleas or ticks on the skin.
They blend ingredients that make fleas and ticks die when they come into contact with your dog. Both Flea treatments end the flea life cycle by killing adults and eggs on your dog.
Frontline and Advantix are two of the best flea treatments you can use for your dog without a veterinarian’s prescription. They are both very reputable and used by many people for their dogs.
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Frontline vs. Advantix Comparison Chart
The chart below compares Frontline and Advantix features and effectiveness. We used 15 benchmarks that are important in evaluating the two medications.
| Feature | Frontline Plus | K9 Advantix II |
| Waterproof | Yes | Yes |
| Repels & Kills Sand Flies | No | Yes |
| Repels Biting & Stable Flies | No | Yes |
| Repels & Kills Mosquitoes | No | Yes |
| Kills Lice | Yes | Yes |
| Kills Flea Eggs & Larvae | Yes | Yes |
| Repels Ticks | No | Yes |
| Kills Ticks | Yes | Yes |
| Repels Fleas | No | Yes |
| Kills Fleas | Yes | Yes |
| Safe for Pregnant Dogs | Yes | No |
| Usage | Applied to Dog’s Skin | Applied to Dog’s Skin |
| Rx Prescription Required | No | No |
| Active Ingredient(s) | Fipronil/(S)-Methoprene | Permethrin, Pyriproxyfen, Imidacloprid |
| Duration to take effect | Kills Fleas in 12 hours | Kills Fleas in 12 hours |
| Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Frontline Plus Review
Frontline plus is an extremely popular flea and tick medicine I’m sure you have heard of. It uses two exceptional ingredients that work effectively to kill fleas and ticks as well as larvae and eggs.
The first ingredient Fipronil, works to kill and attack the larger adult fleas and ticks. The second ingredient S-Methoprene works to kill the flea’s eggs and larvae that have hatched, preventing a future infestation on your dog.
The medicine is applied to your dog topically by the shoulder blade areas and gets absorbed into the skin. The solution will start to work twelve hours after applied to your dog’s skin, and you will see dead fleas and ticks.
You can reapply the solution to keep up the preventive measure every thirty days so your dog doesn’t develop another infestation.
Pros
- Designed to kill adult fleas as well as eggs and larvae to ensure your dog doesn’t produce any more infestations of fleas.
- It is also made to kill ticks and lice that may latch onto your dog.
- Can be used on dogs eight weeks and older.
- Works for thirty days to give your dog flea protection.
- You can get 2, 3, or even six months’ worth of flea and tick protection.
- The solution gets absorbed into the dog’s skin glands to last a long time.
- This is a waterproof formula that is fast-acting to work right away.
Cons
- If your dog has sensitive skin, the ingredients may irritate your dog or give it a rash.
Overall
This is a very effective and affordable method to contain and remove the fleas off of your dog. This solution doesn’t work with other pests such as mosquitoes and biting horse flies. You can rest easy knowing that the medicine will kill fleas, ticks, eggs, and larvae off of your dog.
Make sure when you do choose Frontline that you pick the correct dosage/package based on your dogs’ weight. They offer small dog, medium, large, and extra-large.
K9 Advantix II Review
The K9 Advantix is a product made by the company Bayer. This company also makes another Flea and tick product, but this one is far more superior.
The K9 Advantix is designed to repel and kill fleas and ticks and repel mosquitoes and those horrible biting flies. This is a must if you live in rural America, where there are many mosquitos and horse flies.
This medicine solution has three major ingredients. Imidacloprid attacks the adult and larvae flea stages and paralyzes them until they eventually die. Permethrin is another helpful ingredient in which it repels the fleas, ticks, mosquitos, and flies from landing on your dog. The final important ingredient called pyriproxyfen is used to stop the growth of larvae or eggs on your dog’s body. No growth means it will eventually die.
Once the topical solution is applied to your dog’s fur and skin, it will work magic in about twelve hours. The solution should stay effective for four weeks, and then it will time to reapply to keep your dog flea free.
Pros
- Easy to apply topical solution that will work monthly to keep fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes away from your dog.
- It starts working within 12 hours after applying.
- Can be used on dogs eight weeks of age and older.
- Waterproof formula will not come off after applied if your dog gets wet.
- Kills fleas, ticks, flea eggs, and larvae. It also stops mosquitoes and biting flies.
- Can be reapplied after the product has been on your dog for four weeks.
Cons
- Ingredients inside the formula is extremely toxic to cats. You should keep your cat away from your dog for a few hours after applying.
Overall
This product works just as advertised. If your dog is highly infested, it may take a few months before you notice significant changes. Permethrin is very toxic to cats, so if you have a cat, keep it away from your dog if using it.
One of the best features is that this product will help protect against mosquitos as, during those hot summer months, mosquitos can be unbearable. The same goes for the flies. This is again another affordable way to give your dog some relief not to get eaten up.
Frontline vs. Advantix – Differences
You must look closely at the chart above to decide which product will work best for you and your dog.
They are extremely similar, with just a few differences in each brand.
Repels Mosquitos and Biting Flies
One of the key differences is that the K9 Advantix II not only does the regular things like killing and repelling fleas and ticks but also goes the extra mile and repels mosquitos and flies from biting your dog.
Even if your dog isn’t bothered by these bugs, it is an awesome feature to have in a product, especially if live out in farm land or country areas like my mother-in-law does.
She has many critters, big and small, and mosquitoes in the summertime are a real bother at her house. If you also live out in a rural area, then I suggest choosing the K9 Advantix II over Frontline Plus.
Toxic Ingredient for Cats
Another important difference is the K9 Advantix II contains an ingredient called Permethrin. This ingredient works great as advertised to keep the fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and flies away from your dog.
However, this ingredient is actually extremely toxic for cats. So, for one, you shouldn’t put a product on your cat that is advertised for dogs. Second, if you own a cat and still put this medicine on your dog, your cat could still become sick from it.
Sometimes cats rub up against or may even lick your dog where you spread on the treatment. This will make your cat very sick. So, my suggestion for you is to simply keep your cat away from your dog for at least twelve hours, or you can go with Frontline, that doesn’t contain this ingredient, to be on the safe side.
Safe for Pregnant Dogs
If your dog is going to have a litter of puppies or has currently just had one and still lactating to feed the puppies milk, then you should choose the Frontline Plus brand.
The K9 Advantix II is unsafe for a pregnant or lactating dog to use. If you are currently using the K9 Advantix II and your dog becomes pregnant, consult your veterinarian as you may have to stop using that until your dog is done having puppies and feeding them milk.
If you are using Frontline Plus and your dog is pregnant, it should be fine to keep using that
How Effective is Frontline Plus at Killing Fleas?
Frontline Plus will begin working four hours after it is applied, but you will really see a difference after the treatment has been on your dog for twelve hours.
Frontline says after twelve hours, the fleas should be dead and easy to remove off your dog. When the fleas and ticks die, they come to the top of your dog’s coat, and it makes it appear as your dog has more fleas, but they are the dead ones that have come up from the skin.
Fleas and ticks do not need to bite your dog for the solution to work. Just the contact of the flea and ticks on your dogs’ skin will kill them.
How Effective is K9 Advantix at Killing Fleas?
K9 Advantix II says their topical solution will effectively kill fleas after twelve hours of it being applied. If new fleas or ticks jump on your dog, they will be dead within two hours. This cycle will continue to protect your dog for four weeks.
The K9 Advantix II solution works for one month and then will need to be applied again to keep your dog flea free.
How to Apply Flea and Tick Drops
Here are simple steps to help you apply your dog’s flea medication easily:
- Before applying the solution, you need to make sure the hair is parted; that way you can see your dog’s skin.
- The solutions works best when applied directly to the dog’s skin rather than the hair.
- Make sure the solution applicator can touch your dog’s skin.
- Based on your dog’s size, it is best to put the solution in a few spots down your dog’s back where it cannot reach the solution.
- Squeeze the product gently and spread it down your dog’s back on its skin. Do not rub it in as it will give you the medication and not your dog.
- Let the medication spread naturally and keep your dog away from licking the area it was applied in.
- If your dog behaved well during the application process, praise your dog with love or even a tasty treat to teach your dog that it was a good experience.
Conclusion
In the end, the answer to Frontline vs Advantix really comes down to personal preference. Which brand do you feel like will work best for you based on our review and each one’s differences?
Both brands have excellent reputations and cost around the same price. The biggest difference is Frontline can be used for pregnant dogs, and K9 Advantix can also repel mosquitos and biting flies but is very dangerous for cats.
So, the debate of Frontline vs Advantix is over. Which one do you use? Let us know in the comments below we would love to discuss it with you.
Check out another type of flea protection here: Seresto Flea Dog Collar Review