Is it safe to use flea meds if my pet is near the weight limit?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sophie. First, you need to ensure the flea medication is labeled for use in puppies. Second, if you do not give medication for the correct weight, it will likely be ineffective. If she already weighs 30 pounds and the medication only covers up to 25 pounds, you will be under dosing her. I hope this information helps!

It is likely to be safe but poorly effective as it would not have enough active ingredients for the size of cat. This would mean you would be undertreating and encouraging drug resistance in fleas (but not reducing the risk of any side effects should they occur). I strongly recommend using the correct size and strength for each cat

Sentinel has no tick coverage and does not kill fleas. It only sterilizes the eggs. I always go up a size to be safe as most dogs gain weight but rarely lose weight. It has a good safety margin so using the 25-50 pounds medicine would be best. You will continue to need the Simparica or nexgard with this

She'll probably be fine for this month if she's just a pound or two over. But in the future, if she's gained a bit of weight and is now borderline or just over the maximum weight for her current dose, I would get the next size up. Nexgard has a very wide margin of safety, so the manufacturer recommends "rounding up" if a dog is near the upper limit of the weight range. :)

Hi there, and thank you for posting this question. I think the answer depends on the exact medication and what the margin of safety is for that particular medication. Most likely it would be fine as the weight is so close, but I would want to know what medication it was and then overdose concerns as well as what the margin of safety is. All of this information should be in the package insert. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is a common question and issue with preventatives in growing puppies. Often times veterinarians may opt for the higher weight range in these preventative products when the weight is borderline between two dosages or when rapid weight gain is expected within the next 30 days. You definitely want to ask Milo's prescribing veterinarian what they think is best for Milo and if going up a weight range would be OK.

I wouldn't recommend using it on Sunny since she weighs less than the dose range. While dogs aren't as sensitive to flea treatment overdose as cats are, the potential is still there to cause toxic symptoms such as muscle twitches and loss of coordination. It's best to strictly follow the weight guidelines to prevent any toxicity from occurring. I would exchange the Frontline for a dose in her weight range.