By now, most long term pet owners have come to realize, those on the shelf retail store flea products simply do not work. I am referring to the messy and smelly, sprays, powder, soaps, shampoos collars, bombs and so forth.

All you are doing is polluting your home and contaminating you and your pet with unnecessary insecticides and the Fleas will still be there! The only products that DO work are the expensive ones you can get from your Vet and or sometimes Pet Store.

I do however personally have a problem with the weight range on these products, how can something that can protect a dog size 21 pounds also cover a dog 55 pounds same DOSE amount?

Either it will be inadequate for the big dog or really way more than double the dose for the smaller dog. I have inquired to both Advantage and Frontline about this and have not yet recieved a satisfactory answer.

It's like saying a half teaspoon of medicine for a child will be as effective on an adult OR an adult tablespoon dose will be safe for a baby. I dunno. does this make sense to you?

I hate using chemicals period on our pets. Since it must be strong enough to kill fleas what must it be doing to thier internal organs? So I only use it from May-October and let thier bodies recover from these pesticides over the Winter months. But if you frequent dog parks, where your pet must mingle with others, whose owners may not trat them properly for fleas, they may hop on your dog and reinfest your home. so whether to treat all year for 2/3rds a year, you will have to decide.

I am not saying I do not Like or not Use these Products, Advantage and Frontline, I do, it does make the quality of life better for your pet(s), even though, it may or may not be shortening it.

Please be aware you cannot use Advantix if you have a cat in the house. Advantage YES, the extra ingredient in the "tix" version is highly toxic to cats and even if they come in contact with a dog that is on it, they may become contaminated and die!!!

HOW.... if it rubs off from your dog's fur onto your cats, as they play or mingle or from you handling your dog then holding your cat, without washing in between, or it rubs off on the furniture and the cat lays in the same spot...and then your cat grooms itself.. that is how this happens.

This isn't just ME saying making up this statement, Bayer states it on thier webpage.

Since 2 out of 3 people own a pet, the flea product industry is in the billions and unfortunately... the counterfeit and black market has also jumped on the bandwagon, on the war against fleas frenzy!

I know from experience and in talking with Bayer's investigative spokesperson that Advantage is sold ONLY to Licenced Veterinarians.  NOT to stores, Not to groomers, Not to Ebay dealers.

It is up the the VET, if they wish to redistribute this product, by offering it to a pet store or or even to a catalog so they may offer this to the pet owners and make it more available and I am sure a tidy profit for them as well.

Advantage has released a stated at:

http://www.nofleas.com/Press-Release.asp

This is MUST READING before you buy any Flea Product anywhere other than your Vet! Regarding their war against the Multi Million Dollar Counterfeiting sales and marketing of their products.

I myself fell victim to an ebayer who was selling these bad, Advantage products. The boxes look REAL!! With computer technology anyone can duplicate anything, boxes, logos, labels you name it. It is what's inside that is important, and what IS inside???

Is it the Real chemical makeup? At the proper strength or dosage for that size box? Is it watered down, thus will not be effective and your Pet still suffering and you wasting big bucks? Or is it something else? Another chemical all together than what is printed that can make your pet sick!!!

YES.. my dog became seriously ill, in 2005 after his dose of the counterfeit flea product I did not know I had. and He suffered horribly...convulsions and fever and vomitting and ended up with a stroke.

Is it worth the RISK? Do you Love your Pet as much as you hate the Fleas???? It wasn't until I wrote Bayer and sent them the product did I find out I was duked!!!!

But I do understand, I own 2 dogs and 2 cats. and Yes Flea protection can get pretty expensive and I do look for great bargains, esp. so on Ebay, but you Must ask... where do THEY get the flea product?

Can they show you a picture of the TUBE so you may compare it to Bayer / Advantage's check list to see if it is legit. It isn't just some ebay sellers of flea products, even a certain major on-line pet medicine company got into trouble a few years ago for also, unbeknownst to them, selling black market products.

What I mean by Black Market verses Counterfeit is, according to the spokesperson, Trisha at Bayer, quite often international shipments of their flea products are hijacked or come up short, with cases missing or stolen, in which case it will be the real product but of foreign origins and will not have a USA EPA number.

But now the counterfeiters have since bought some real packages so they will have a list of EPA numbers to use to look legit. Sigh!!!!

It is really really tough. Everyone tries to make a quick buck... sometimes at our exspense.

My Vet reccomended Frontline PLUS for my dogs, its' chemical makeup that combats Ticks is not the same as Advantix nor toxic to cats. but I have found that Advantage works better on my cats though, than Frontline.

I used the pill form Sentinal, on one of my dogs once, years back and my dog would have these tremendous hyper fits, running around like a lunitic, I then came to realize, after I read the label of side effects, that was one of them! so if you choose a pill form, chances are, your pet may suffer other various side effects as well...be sure to read all of the labels, so when your Pet begins to act "funny", you'll have a clue as to why.

I am speaking from an overall, 29 years + experience with pets and fleas, various products, talking to the companies themselves and my Vet. During the summer months I also give my pets baths on the last day between doses to help ease up, on any chemical build up on the skin.

Also keep an eye on your pet to see if they have any skin flair ups after dosing any product. Also keep in mind, other things that can cause skin allergies, are; vaccinations, and corn meal in thier food and treats.

So when buying flea products,

I know You and your Pet Hate FLEAS, but you Love your Pet!

Be Smart, Be Cautious and don't waste your Money!!!