Advantage not working for cat fleas. Can I switch to Comfortis?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Using Capstar is a great idea. Yes, you can use Capstar when you get back. If using another flea preventative like advantage 2 it is best to wait at least 3 weeks from the last dose of the Hartz product. Good luck and have a great day!

Hmm - it's odd that the Trifexis doesn't seem to be working as well, because it actually has the same active ingredient as Comfortis. The only difference is that it has an added ingredient for heartworm prevention, otherwise it's exactly the same drug. In my experience, both are extremely effective for fleas. I wonder if perhaps Tessa is continuing to pick up fleas from somewhere in the environment? It does take a few hours for a flea to die after biting her, so if she is continually being re-infested from the house or yard, it's very possible that you might see live fleas on her even if the medication is working properly. If you think this might be the case, I would recommend treating your house and yard with a premises spray such as Knock-Out. If you still want to get her something else for fleas, I would not recommend giving a Comfortis dose on top of the Trifexis, because this would just be giving a double dose of the same drug - I would be concerned about possible side effects from overdosing this medication. Instead, you could consider using a topical flea medication this month such as K9 Advantix, since this is a completely different medication that doesn't interact in any way with the Trifexis.

You can use both products on the same day so it is fine to start the Advantix at any time. There are better products that Advantix. Top products for dogs are oral products such as Simparica and Nexgard. Top products for cats are topicals such as Revolution and Cheristan. There is also an oral product called Comfortis that both dogs and cats can take. You will need to switch all the pets over to a good flea product. Make sure to discuss these products with your veterinarian first. These products are generally safe for all pets but there are some conditions which are contraindicated for the oral products. Cleaning up and treating the house and yard will also help but it will not clear all the fleas. The main control is making sure the pets are on good products. This is what will ultimately stop the infestation. Also remember every female fleas lays about 50 eggs a day and it could take up to 6 months before the eggs hatch. Therefore, you will need to treat for at least 6 months. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, The truth about expiration dates is that they are usually not based on any studies and the drug is likely to be just as effective years after. I can't say for sure, but it's likely that Comfortis will work. However, the fleas should all be dead within 24 hours, so if you are still seeing live ones jumping around, then it likely didn't work well. You can definitely use the flea collar with Comfortis and this may help to rid her of the remaining fleas. I recommend waiting another week after applying the collar to assess if the treatment worked. If you are still seeing fleas crawling around, then you can try a different flea product like Frontline. Avoid any products that contain ivermectin or any other avermectins for at-least 4 weeks after giving the Comfortis - you can check for this by looking at the active ingredients on the package...any name that ends in "-mectin" should be avoided. I hope that helps and Maggie if flea-free soon.

Congratulations on adopting Butterscotch! She's adorable! Good for you for having Advantage II on hand - this is a much more effective and safe medication than Hartz flea treatments. However, I generally advise waiting at least 2 weeks between applications of topical flea medications. Fortunately, there are a few other options for treatment at this point. The ideal option would be giving Butterscotch prescription-based Comfortis, which is an oral flea medication that works quickly and effectively, and can be given at the same time as topical medications due to different mechanisms of action. However, this may require a trip to the vet since Comfortis is prescription based. The other option would be to give Butterscotch a dose of oral Capstar (available through most pet stores) which will quickly kill adult fleas, but will not provide lasting prevention. After a dose of Capstar, you can also give her a bath in original Dawn dish soap to kill any lingering adult fleas and remove any flea dirt with the hopes of keeping the fleas at bay for the next week until you can apply Advantage II. Be sure to keep both of your cats (and any other pets) on good quality flea prevention regularly for at least the next few months. Also be aware that cats can acquire tapeworms from eating fleas infected with this parasite, so it may be worth discussing a deworming treatment with a praziquantel-based medication with Butterscotch's vet. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thankfully, you have a few options here. I recommend you consider using a product called Capstar which is to kill a lot of fleas at once to complement a flea preventative product like Advantage. You can go ahead and give another dose of Advantage now as well. I would not give up on Advantage just yet. Continue to use it for now as this flea may be was a one time occurrence and the Advantage was still being effective. Another option is switching to Bravecto now though again Advantage may still be effective so it may be best to exhaust its use. Good luck and have a great day!

I would not use the Advantage so close to applying another treatment. Wait at least 3 weeks since previous treatment. It may still be killing the fleas on the cat, but if fleas are still in the environment, new ones are jumping onto the cats. I would recommend treating the environment to help get rid of fleas more effectively. It will take at least 4 months to get rid of fleas if you are treating ONLY the pets. Make sure all pets are treated as well. Here are some articles for more info. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A