Advantix Promise:
- Kills 98-100% of the fleas on dogs within 12 hours and continues to prevent infestations for at least four weeks
- Repels and kills mosquitoes for up to four weeks
- Remains effective after bathing and swimming
Sniffing Snout Review:
I distinctly remember my first interaction with a tick. My neighborhood friend and I had been doing some hiking in my parents’ backyard but was cut short because I had to go to math tutoring. During my class, my scalp started to irritate me and I found myself running my fingers over this odd little bump on the back of my head. The more I tried to ignore this hard little mound, the more I wanted to pop or push it out. Eventually my index finger and thumb won and upon scrutiny of the offensive intruder I realized it was animated. It had legs. I felt nauseous and quickly stabbed my Sanrio lead pencil through its soft underbelly.
My dogs spent the majority of their time outdoors and soon after my own confrontation with these little pests, i realized that Hanna and Mr.Brown will plagued with the same problems. I relished in tweezing the little bastards from my poor dogs’ epidermis and searing them in my mom’s cooktop, but knew that this was a temporary solution. About the same time, I began working as a veterinary assistant for a doctor and she introduced me to Advantix.
Objectively, has Advantix worked successfully for prevention and treatment of fleas and ticks for both of my dogs. I have read many tragic and unfortunate reviews of dogs that have had adverse reactions to this medication. One of the active ingredients, Permethrin, is a insecticide and is widely use to treat wheat, corn, alfalfa and other crops. As a neurotoxin, possible side effects include tremors, incoordination, elevated body temperature, increased aggressive behavior. Scary, I know. The instructions of many topical ointments and lotions suggest that you apply a minor amount to the skin surface to test for allergies or sensitivity. I would highly suggest applying the same care when using this for the time on your pet.
Subjectively, I don’t like using chemicals on my dogs. I try my best to buy high quality foods and treats, so it seems counter intuitive for me to apply insecticides on them. However, I have justified my guilt by applying primarily during flea season (spring-fall), monitoring and frequent bathing during the off season. So far this has been effective in keeping my dogs flea and tick free.
I would suggest bathing your dog prior to application and making sure your dog is FULLY dry. The solution is meant to be absorbed into the skin but this process can take some time and causes and oily mess if it rubs on your clothing.
Also, for some reason this medication was not available to me over the counter in NYC, which I find annoying. Most of the veterinary hospitals required my dog to be given a physical examination by their doctor before issuing me the medication- a marketing ploy, I am assuming. I bypassed this by buying from 1800PetMeds.