Advantage dosing

[sirrahbed]

Does anyone know how to properly dose Advatage other than the standard .4ml for cats up to nine pounds and then .8ml for cats over nine pounds? What about weaned kittens? What about a huge 20 pounder?
I have also noted that a .8ml (purple) single dose tube for cats is only pennies cheaper than a 4.0ml tube(blue) tube for extra large dogs, which would provide FIVE doses for my cats! I would like to buy the largest quantity and use an insulin syringe - but would like to have a better dosing schedule.

[catnapper]

I know that you should never use a dog's version of the Advantage on cats... it can be lethal

I know that you can also buy it online for much cheaper than you can from the vet's office. I myself haven't bought it but I've heard its much lower.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I've been using the large dog advantage and measuring it out for my cats without any problems for several years now. In fact my vet recommended that I buy the large dog formula to save me money. He said it's the same formula as the cats but dogs require a larger dosage since you go by weight. I've never heard that the advantage for dogs is bad for cats. I do know that you have to know the weight of your cats so you don't give them an overdose.

I squirt out one of the large dog advantage tubes into a test tube and then I use a syringe that has been taped off at .8ml so I won't go over that amount since all of my cats are over 9lbs. I then cap off the test tube and save the remaining advantage for the next time. I also mark the dates on the calendar so this will remind me when to give them their next dose.

The only problem that I've had is that Sunny and Storm's skin is a little sensitive so I squeeze out the advantage in about 3-4 different areas instead of just one. This helps to protect their skin. So far so good. Good luck.

[AmberLee]

There was a fatality several years ago with a PT family where the wrong dosage was given. I'm sure you'll be aware and take care when dosing. (Sorry to be a downer, but we should all be alert when dosing our darlings...)

[Laura's Babies]

At the shelter I help out at, they use it on kittens but just a drop or two per kitten (weaned ones only).

In a mulit cat household, it makes sense to buy the larger one for dogs and use it CORRECTLY on the cats but before I would even think about it, I would talk to several vets and see what they had to say.

[kimlovescats]

Deb... my vet always sells me the dog box as well, along with a tiny syringe and the proper dosage per weight of each cat. I'm sorry that I don't have an empty box on hand with those dosages, or I would gladly help!

[sirrahbed]

Originally posted by catnapper
I know that you should never use a dog's version of the Advantage on cats... it can be lethal

I know that you can also buy it online for much cheaper than you can from the vet's office. I myself haven't bought it but I've heard its much lower.

I finally got the straight story on this by calling Bayer and talking to an Advantage rep. 1-800-255-6826. She confirmed that the cat and dog versions are IDENTICAL and the dog tubes can be used for cats - but are just more trouble to carefully measure the dose. But, one purple tube of cat Advantage for a cat over 9 pounds is $13.50 and has .8ml. A blue extra large dog tube is $15 and has 4ml and will dose FIVE cats at .8ml each - fairly easily measured with an insulin syringe. The cat 4-pack is over $50!

[NoahsMommy]

Hmmm....in some of the literature that comes with the Frontline at work it says the fleas that go after cats, don't bother dogs as much.

We were also told not to dose out cat doses from a large dog pkg. I just hope Advantage is different than Frontline. It sounds scary.

[catfancier]

I would get 100% positive advice from a Vet about dosage guides. Advantage for dogs IS safe to use on cats - see if you can get a low mill-age syringe from the vets or a chemist (say 1ml) and use that.

There is a product from Bayer that should NEVER be used on cats however, and that is Advantix - be careful of the product you purchase. Luckily Advantix (here in NZ anyway) has something like 33 warnings on EACH box saying DO NOT USE ON CATS.

[sirrahbed]

I came back to this thread after reading more posts about using the dog packages for cats. I talked with my vet and a tech and both said they *thought* that the cat formula was different and that the dog packages were dangerous for cats. The tech is the one who gave me the Bayer number. After talking to the company - I called the vet back and told them what I had learned. Naturally - vets cannot *recommend* doing this...they also make much more profit by selling the cat packaging. Some vets will try to help those of us who need to save money for our multiple cats......as long as the product is safe. Just be certain that it is the regular Advantage and not the Advantix as catfancier mentioned above. Revolution also has different formulas for cats and dogs. NOT safe to use interchangeably.

I have purchased the extra large dog package online and have been using it for about a year now using KAK's directions above - all of mine can have the .8mg now so I use an insulin syringe (small 1cc) that is similarly marked.

I really wish that the product could be purchased in bulk this way - but the Bayer rep told me that *most* people prefer the convenience of the individually measured tubes. But - for those like me with multiple cats - this is a good alternative. I prefer the bulk method because I can adjust the dosage more accurately - such as using .6cc on a cat that is a few ounces short of the 9 pound mark. I dose Dylan last and can give him a few extra drops since he weighs 20 pounds and the .8cc dose is for 9 pounders.

One interesting note: the tubes I use are marked as containing 4cc (extra large dog) BUT I have noticed that the actual amount has been inaccurate. The last tube had 1cc leftover after I dosed out .8cc five (4cc) times. One tube was a little bit short of the stated 4cc.

[smokey the elder]

Bayer is the best source to go for the formula details; they made the product, after all. I have used dog Advantage on cats; in fact it's easier to more precisely dose by body weight than the rather crude 0.4 cc for under 9 lbs and 0.8 cc for over 9 lbs. It would be reasonable to suspect that a 8.9 lb cat could be underdosed, or a 9.1 cat overdosed. Raven was just over 9 lbs, and drooled after I applied the product, but showed no further effects (she may have licked another cat who had it on.)