Advantage, Frontline, Revolution ?

I live in a newer subdivision and we are starting to get more birds around, and some stray cats. I mention this coz I use a product called Beat It! that is an insect repellent. So far, neither cats or dog have gotten fleas. Down side is that it's only a repellent and necessitates spraying every 8 hours. None of them have gotten ill from it but really detest it being sprayed on them (sometimes I spray it in my hands before applying to them). Ingredients: Lemongrass, Cedar, Citronella, and Mint Oils blended in a base of Purified Water and Coconut Oil

If you're more interested in it, check out buybeatit.com

cindy san diego said:

Hi there,
Maybe I'm misunderstanding your post, but why are you paying '$300 extortion fee' in order to get a prescription for Revolution?  It's available on multiple internet sites - 3 months for about $45.  Again, maybe I'm missing something?
Regards!

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By law you have to have a "prescription" in the U.S. to buy that stuff.
I am aware one can order it from Canada or Australia WITHOUT a prescription,
but I just assumed the site management would frown on discussing illegal purchases,
so I didn't directly state that "maybe a cheaper alternative should be sought"...

I will say this much and no more though...one could catch a virus just looking for such a source,
and then she'd have to worry about it getting through customs unnoticed.
I guess I'm just a big chicken, cause such things scare me.

I found a Yelp review of that DREADFULLY BAD VET I first used here, wow.
It made me feel better to read people reporting the same awful experience I had
(not because I revel in their misfortune obviously, but at least it means I didn't imagine it!)
And the reviews gave me hope, because they gave the other vet here 5 stars, so..I got a
place to go now.

But as for paying "extortion fees", well, when an industry bribes legislators to law
enforce a revenue stream for them, rightfully OR wrongfully, no matter, "Here's some cash
for your *ahem "campaign", Senator!" ...you know. Well that kind of stinks, so I call it "extortion"..

But yea I'm chicken to send to Canada...I just wanna play by the rules and be safe, even if it does annoy me, lol.

I betcha the new vet I found wont charge as much just for the office visit anyway. I just got really unlucky the first place I went.

Very interesting about the law re: prescriptions.  I had no idea.  I recently bought Advantage II from Amazon Prime, it shipped from California, I was charged state sales tax, and I received my order within 24 hours.  Amazon has many US pet meds sellers, so I'm guessing the company is unaware of the law?  But thanks for your  useful information!

cindy san diego said:

Very interesting about the law re: prescriptions.  I had no idea.  I recently bought Advantage II from Amazon Prime, it shipped from California, I was charged state sales tax, and I received my order within 24 hours.  Amazon has many US pet meds sellers, so I'm guessing the company is unaware of the law?  But thanks for your  useful information!

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Hi Cindy

I did some looking...what it is is the Advantage II you bought does NOT require a prescription (in the U.S.), as it is a flea treatment only. re., Pet Meds

Revolution, on the other hand, kills not just fleas, but also ear mites and worms. It's a worming medicine, hence a prescription is required. re, Pet meds

My vet had recommended that a new cat be wormed, just for routine precaution (which seemed like a good idea to me).
But when she wanted me to give this to him again and again and again, when he's not even an outdoor cat, well I couldn't go along with that.
Medicine, when it's needed, sure (IMO), but to just repeatedly medicate an animal so the vet can buy another sailboat, mm...I don't think so!

But I did get concerned about him a couple years ago and worm him again, just for precaution (to rule worms out and because surely an OCCASIONAL
"booster" might be ok (these are just my guesses for me, not qualified recommendations at all). But this is what I did with the stuff. And I thought it
was really good stuff. I liked that you can squirt it oh so easily onto the back of his neck, between his shoulder blades, where he cant lick it. it really was easy!
And good to know my little guy doesnt have icky awful worms inside him (heart worms even! eeep. I had to protect him from that!!

We brought a pair of two-month old kittens home a few weeks ago. They had been given Advantage about a week prior to coming home with us. i didn't want to put poison on the dear babes as yet, so we just flea-combed them for a few weeks. About a month after we had them, we gave them Frontline--since obviously the Advantage had not worked. Two weeks after the Frontline application, we saw fleas! Big fat healthy ones.

I consulted with the vet, who recommended Revolution. I personally like it--the packaging is much more manageable than the other two, and it disappears almost instantly, rather than leaving an oil slick behind. That's been about four days, and no sign of fleas. Fingers crossed. other responses welcome . . . 

The other month I saw Revolution for cats OTC at a local Costco (Baltimore, MD region).  The price is the same as you would get from the vet, but not the "bonus dose" that is promoted through the vet.when buying two boxes ($114 total).  So I use sparingly through the Winter (every other month) then increase to monthly dosage for my three cats (all indoors) in the Summer.

I  don't think any of them are safe use but we do use one because my wife insists. I just try to spread it out more than a month. We were getting advantage but one of my cats had a skin condition that we couldn't get rid of. Two different vets said it was fleas but we never saw a flea on him. The last vet said Advantage has not worked in Florida for years, yet the keep selling it. He switched us to Activyl, which I buy on Amazon http://amzn.to/2aCFyS7, and his problem went away. If your cats don't have fleas, I would first try sprinkling food-grade diatomaceous earth on areas where they sleep as a preventative. It is non-toxic for cats and safer than medications.

Well,Katy does not like Revolution, jumps out of her skin when I apply, so I will be trying Advantage Multi.  I wish she would be happy staying inside 24/7, but since that is not the case, I must resort to one to these products.  I keep reading the least negative reactions with Advantage, so Advantage Multi it will be.

I use revolution. It is alcohol based and the cat probably jumps because of the odor and the feeling of something cool on the neck. I prefer revolution. Mine go outside and roll in the sand and dirt all day long and bring fleas in. The revolution also kills ticks. We have quite a bit of ticks here in NH so I rather treat them for the bugs. They were all outdoor kitties prior to adopting so its not like I tossed them outside. They want to go out and they have the woods behind my house to play in. They are getting older now and don't travel anymore thank goodness. One also eats mice so we use rev to worm her just in case.

I put the cat on the couch and play with them for awhile after the application to distract them. usually an hour later its all dissolved and they don't have any reactions. we don't use it in the winter months unless we see fleas. which I never have.

foxxycat said:

I use revolution. It is alcohol based and the cat probably jumps because of the odor and the feeling of something cool on the neck. I prefer revolution. Mine go outside and roll in the sand and dirt all day long and bring fleas in. The revolution also kills ticks. We have quite a bit of ticks here in NH so I rather treat them for the bugs. They were all outdoor kitties prior to adopting so its not like I tossed them outside. They want to go out and they have the woods behind my house to play in. They are getting older now and don't travel anymore thank goodness. One also eats mice so we use rev to worm her just in case.

I put the cat on the couch and play with them for awhile after the application to distract them. usually an hour later its all dissolved and they don't have any reactions. we don't use it in the winter months unless we see fleas. which I never have.

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Oh yea, the ticks! Gotta avoid those! I have a friend who had a great life she built, she was still in her prime and enjoying it. At some point she felt tired and confused and couldn't shake it. Went to the doctor: Lyme Disease! She's completely disabled, for the rest of her life now. She's confused and sickly all the time. I guess you could say it could be worse, because it could have killed her, but....I think when the life quality is that far taken from you, well, in a real sense she actually did "lose her life". *shakes head* Anyway, absolutely avoid the ticks in New England!! For the cat AND certainly one's self. You dont want those in your home!

((It's a shame. I used to love to hike in the forest and pick blueberries. But that's all she did! So..I stay entirely out of the woods now. And shower right away and check all over if I do go in any bushes.)) ..She didn't even go in the woods, she got this in her yard! mm Well, best not to dwell on that too much, just don't stay outdoors for too long at a time and take the shower when you get in and check all over for them before they can get their hooks into you. That's what we do around here. (We invented Lyme Disease. It's named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut where it was first identified.) I used to go the beach there. Real nice beach too. Well I guess life's a crap shoot at best anyway though, right? So don't worry too much, just do your best.

I've been wondering about using Revolution over a long term like you're doing. So I went and read up at Pet Meds, and it does recommend continued use.
But then I read: here, that Lyme disease is carried by deer ticks, and Revolution doesn't say it protects against those (at least not on the Pet Meds page (here). That only mentions the American Dog Ticks (which are different), and it doesn't say it will prevent them from biting your animal, it just says it will stop their eggs from hatching.

So does Revolution really keep them safe from ticks? Not the kind that cause Lyme Disease, and even the more harmless ones it does treat for, it doesn't kill them, it just sterilizes their eggs (but that's not a bad thing. I mean, you don't want a batch of tick eggs hatching IN your house, right?) And still I like Revolution anyway, because worming and even just preventing fleas is oh so worth it.

But if you live in the Northeast U.S...maybe you could brush your cat each night (in the warm months) and check for the little buggers. Word is they don't bite until they've been on you or your pet's body for 36 hours (I don't know how rock solid dependable a rule that is, but, here is a search page for ticks info.

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To avoid confusion, again:

The Deer Tick (also called The Black Legged Tick) is the one that carries Lyme Disease (in the northeast U.S., at least).
What Revolution mentions is not that type of tick, but The American Dog Tick, which does NOT carry Lyme Disease.
And Revolution doesn't promise to protect against those, just stop its eggs from hatching.

(But even a dog tick will latch on and suck blood until it blows up into something so creepy and wrong, it makes me shudder to see one.
So, that the Revolution will work to protect against you having tick eggs hatching, well that's at least something!)
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All manufacturers of flea treatments issue warnings about using them on both too-young and too-old cats. The too-young ages are spelled out but I've never seen too-old defined. I'd like to hear what folks here say  - at what age should we be having blood work done on our cats to determine if they're able to handle these products?  I wonder what kidney/liver levels veterinarians are trained to look for in this regard.

thanks, it was recommened for my 4month since it says good for over 8 weeks and less or equal to 5lbs.  But I still wouldn't have  given it if I knew it was absorbed in the blood. And yes it probably said that in the fine print but I thought it would be similar to other flea items.  I didn't need it to work for heartworm and parasites at this early stage. She had tested negative for leukemia.  And even tho it says it can be given, one of the side effects is loss of coordination. Am I supposed to just accept this side effect as "oh well" so much for that, she just won't walk.  And would like to know if regarding this "side effect" will it go away when not used.  I will not use it.

Revolution is more money, but you can purchase it online for less, but the online business will want the name of your vet to call. Your vet's staff can fax a prescription. I have used all three. Advantage and Frontline were not that effect over time and thus, in mt opinion not worth the money at all. Revolution has always been effective and it was our cat's vet recommendations.  

We buy Revolution online from Canada (totally legal). This has the advantage of them not requiring a prescription & you can buy 12 pipettes instead of the 6 sold at one time in America. Revolution is the best!

new situation, the vet now said the my kittens tail has a crimp in the bone and that she doesn't raise her tail. can the reason of her wobbly legs be that the tail doesn't raise? and if it is inflammed which she doesn't seem to have an issue, will steriods hurt her?

Had a flea infestation which takes constant combing, using DE everywhere, ACV on cats & in water, vacuuming, washing linens & clothes, etc if you try to stay natural. Even the holistic vet insisted all the cats get Revolution a while which knocked them out. That vet's office as well as my neighbors vet said it appears Advantage has not been effective lately even though it was a few years ago. Unknown if the fleas built up immunity, it is different strains of fleas, or if the product has a defect. I paid the price at the vets but that one left so not sure about getting more Revolution, etc if needed. I am still treating my environment to prevent fleas & hope to get some mint & other plants growing in the yard that I read fleas don't like.

I am still dealing with the girl kitty with flea allergy ripping open her neck every time it starts to heal & gets itchy.  Hate applying or injecting all the pet company poisons on my critters as they cause other problems. I just want happy, healthy cats more much more than wealthy pet product companies & vets....but have concerns that the wound has been open way too long since she won't let it completely heal. May go back to organic coconut oil but still need to keep it wrapped as she & her brother lick that off right away & those rough tongues tear the wound.