Have you had any problems with it? I applied it to Winter yesterday (he had had it applied at the shelter a couple days before I brought him home), and, first of all, he acted like I was murdering him when I went to put it on him. Then, within an hour, he developed major itchiness at each of the sites where I applied it. The itchiness got worse throughout the evening, and I ended up giving him Benadryl, which helped. Still itchy this morning, so I gave him Bendadryl again; the itchies seem better this afternoon. He's having no neurological side effects. I guess I'm going back to Frontline, which is what I used on my last dog, but Advantix works great because not only does it kill ticks and fleas, it also repels them. We have a bad, bad tick problem in Massachusetts, and we walk in the woods every day. He has not had a tick come near him.

Any input? Thanks a bunch.

I have no idea, maybe find the ingredients of both and see what the difference between them is. he could be allergic to whatever they use to repel them..

I've used Advantix and Advantage on Drogo before and haven't had a problem. I've also used both on dogs in the past successfully.

It sounds like he might have had some sort of allergic reaction to the active (or possibly inactive) ingredient in Advantix (which is different from Frontline). Considering you've just applied it, I'd wait awhile before putting the Frontline on him - probably 1-2 weeks. I've never had to switch flea medication so soon after applying so that time frame is subject to debate. I like to err on the side of caution so I'd personally wait as long as possible before applying Frontline if it were my dog.

He's most likely allergic to whatever is in the advantix I should do some research on what other products can repel ticks that can be used on canines

Oh, I wasn't planning to put anything else on him until this month of Advantix is up, now that it's on him. I'm just thinking about the future since it seemed to make him so miserable. I'm wondering if that's why I got such a strong reaction from him when I was trying to put it on him? According to my vet, Frontline is supposed to be coming out with a similar product very soon. I can just use regular Frontline until the new stuff is out.

I use Advantix with no problem, though Siku does act like I'm killing her when I put it on her. She's such a baby and does that with any topical meds I put on her.

I wouldn't bother with the new stuff from frontline. The only difference from it and the old frontline is that it kills the ticks faster and it's more expensive. Learned all about it from a sales rep who came to one of our kennel club meetings. It's best for dogs who are already covered in ticks and you need to get them off fast. I think it kills them in 5hrs vs. 16hrs like the old kind and does not repel ticks or fleas from biting, just kills them after they've been on the dogs for a while (biting or not biting). Frontline's patent on their old stuff just ran out, so you can get the same stuff just the generic brand and it works fine and is a whole lot cheaper.

We are having a huge tick problem. We bought the new frontline stuff and can attest to it's effectiveness. I wouldn't get it unless you are currently having a huge tick problem even with the use of other topical applications.

FWIW I think frontline plus is more effective against ticks than advantix.

Thanks so much, everyone. Good to hear about everyone's experiences. We have a bad tick problem here, and the incidence of Lyme is hugely high, which is why I liked the repellent aspects of Advantix because it means fewer ticks in the house and fewer ticks on us. I doubt I'll use it again, though, and I'll probably go back to Frontline (or the generic - thanks, Sara!), and see what else comes along.

We use it on the dogs with no problem, but when hubby put it on Chili improperly, it ran onto our new hardwood floors and ate the finish AND the stain! Eeek! Made me think twice about putting it on the puppies.

Did you get Winter the Lyme Vaccination? Lyme's is huge in this area, so we have both of ours vaccinated against it. Definitely one of the more pricier vaccinations since it comes in 2 parts..

Jennet&Embry wrote:

Did you get Winter the Lyme Vaccination? Lyme's is huge in this area, so we have both of ours vaccinated against it. Definitely one of the more pricier vaccinations since it comes in 2 parts..

Yea that's a nasty disease I gotta get Kale the Crotalus (rattlesnake) vaccine too. Lots of snakes where were gonna be hiking.

eww Snakes! I hate them LOL. Luckily we don't have many in this area..

Bummer about the rattlesnakes. We don't have too many snakes around here - an occasional copperhead, but that's usually only in the deep woods. Jennet, yes, Winter has had the Lyme vaccine; it is pricey, but I feel it's really important. My dog before Winter, a Great Pyr, had Lyme before the vaccine came out, and it was really difficult to get rid of; I think she had some lasting effects from it, too. But I worry about my family getting it, since they tend to get a little lazy about tick checks.

I use Advantix every Summer, there haven´t been any problems until now. It is way better than frontline etc.

wintershuman wrote:

Have you had any problems with it? I applied it to Winter yesterday (he had had it applied at the shelter a couple days before I brought him home), and, first of all, he acted like I was murdering him when I went to put it on him. Then, within an hour, he developed major itchiness at each of the sites where I applied it. The itchiness got worse throughout the evening, and I ended up giving him Benadryl, which helped. Still itchy this morning, so I gave him Bendadryl again; the itchies seem better this afternoon. He's having no neurological side effects. I guess I'm going back to Frontline, which is what I used on my last dog, but Advantix works great because not only does it kill ticks and fleas, it also repels them. We have a bad, bad tick problem in Massachusetts, and we walk in the woods every day. He has not had a tick come near him.

Any input? Thanks a bunch.

Shiya got a rash from it. I tried it once the vet said it was the same as Vectra 3D but a little less expensive. Her skin turned red where I put it and she scratched to bad for days. I switched back to the Vectra. I have to be so careful, She's had Rocky Mnt Spotted and Ehrlichia from the very few ticks she's ever had. Only takes one! My vet stopped selling Frontline and sells Vectra in place of it. But the Avantix worked, her skin just didnt like it!

Shiya's momma wrote:

She's had Rocky Mnt Spotted and Ehrlichia from the very few ticks she's ever had.

Poor thing! Ugh! I LOATHE ticks... Disgusting creatures that serve no purpose, just like mosquitos.

Oh and Vectra 3D claims to also repel fleas, ticks, mosquitos, sand flies, lice and mites. I tried is just because of all the problems my poor Shiya has and still is going thru! Seizures was how I found out how she had Ehrlicia, showed no signs at all until then that she was even ill. Scary stuff and trust me it's truly a nightmare to see me baby in the throes of a grand mal seizure. I know there's a new flea collar, cant recall who makes it thats been working very well for ticks. Shiya's a collar chewer so I cant use it. I just have to be dilligent about checking her after being at the lake especially. The area I live in is so bad. i treat my yard(as much as possible I'm on 5 ac) but I am quite paranoid of those horrid little creatures!!

It's really hit and miss with flea/tick poisons. Some dogs will react to some and others not at all. Some cannot tolerate ANY chemical flea/tick preventatives. I used Advantix on my dogs for years and none of them ever had a reaction. I stopped using chemical treatments when Faith starting picking up ticks even while on Advantix. I know it's advisable to rotate different flea/tick preventatives as over time pests can become resistant to them. I think that's what was going on with Faith. Anyway, I had already been considering going natural for a while so when the ticks became a serious problem despite being on Advantix that was the last straw for me. I switched my dogs off chemical poisons and started using natural flea/tick control remedies and my dogs haven't had a problem since. In fact it was using natural remedies (a drop of Rose Geranium oil) that got rid of the tick problem that Advantix couldn't. Plus I feel a lot better not giving my dogs a dose of poison every month.

Huskyluv wrote:

In fact it was using natural remedies (a drop of Rose Geranium oil) that got rid of the tick problem that Advantix couldn't. Plus I feel a lot better not giving my dogs a dose of poison every month.

That's way cool! Gonna have to look into that!

I definitely hear you about the natural remedies, Val. I've thought long and hard about using the chemical flea/tick poisons. I've got some chronic health issues, and I need to minimize my risk of Lyme without giving up my walks in the woods. I use natural repellents on myself. Is it fair to use this stuff on my dog? No. It's an uneasy decision I've made, and I may yet change my mind again. Sigh.

i used frontline plus twice the last 2 yrs, many at the start of hiking season if i know were camping. CO does not really have a tick issue with how high we go and were never in the trees that long. both of mine act weird after giving them the dose. i don't like it at all. i remember the tick checks my whole family would do on our selves and the dogs while hiking in the woods in PA it sucked! dont miss that

Huskyluv wrote:

In fact it was using natural remedies (a drop of Rose Geranium oil) that got rid of the tick problem that Advantix couldn't. Plus I feel a lot better not giving my dogs a dose of poison every month.

Does this work on fleas too, or just ticks? I'm also interested in natural remedies for these pesky little buggers. I try to apply Advantage as infrequently as possible because even though they claim it's safe, I find it extremely hard to believe there aren't negative effects from long-term exposure. If I could find a subsitiute even for the winter months when they aren't as rampant, it would be better than applying a topical year round.

You try to do everything you can to make sure you give your dogs the best of everything (A+ food, top notch veterinary care) and it just seems counter productive to apply a pesticide each month. ;___;

Kimberly, Rose Geranium oil is for ticks, not fleas. Other essential oils can be used to repel fleas such as Cedarwood oil, Lavender oil, and Tea Tree Oil. I use Cedarwood oil to repel fleas on my dogs and it works very well. If I am going to a heavily wooded area hiking during the height of flea/tick season (like June-Sept) then I will often give the dogs a dose of Advantix for added protection but most of the year we rely on natural remedies including the Rose Geranium oil, Cedarwood oil, apple cider vinegar, and garlic. I've only given my dogs Advantix twice this year.

Val, do you apply these oils topically like you would Advantage? I assume the ACV and garlic is ingested.

No, the oils you do NOT want on their skin as it can be very irritating. For the oils I simply place 1 drop on the collar (the side facing out) once a week. If you use a harness for walks you could also place a drop of oil on the harness as well as, or instead of, the collar. Essential oils can be toxic to cats though if they interact regularly. I used the oils when we lived with cats (but the cats never really interacted with my sibe) and everyone was fine.

And you're right the ACV and garlic is ingested. I give my sibe 1 tbsp of ACV every other day and about 1/16th tsp of garlic every other day. Basically I alternate days that I give ACV and garlic, they had ACV mixed in with their food yesterday so today they had garlic mixed in, and so on.