Using Advantage II for Dogs on cats

Hey Oleg,

Sorry for the late response. I was having hosting server issues.

Before answering your question, I want to state that I don’t recommend off label use of any kind, for any medication.

You’re correct. The ingredients are identical in Advantage II for both cats and dogs. And they’re in the same concentrations. The main difference is the amount of product used. Make sure you’re applying the correct dosage, or toxicity problems will likely occur.

Here are the dosage charts:

• Dosage for dogs
• Dosage for cats

I don’t think it’s necessarily a marketing tactic to label dog treatments with “Don’t use on cats”. It’s probably more of a safety/legal issue. If everyone did what you’ve been doing, I’m sure at least a handful would poison their pets by applying the wrong dosage through lack of diligence and care.

Additionally, while Advantage II doesn’t contain permethrin, many other flea products do (such as Advantix II). Permethrin is highly toxic to cats. This is probably another reason why Bayer doesn’t want pet-owners getting in the habit of swapping treatments.

Hope this was useful!

Adam

Oleg (or anybody else who may see this) please do not,  DO NOT use canine flea medications on a cat. Maybe people don’t know this but there ate a number of ingredients in canine flea medications that will kill your cat. Look up toxic shock syndrome in cats and you’ll see. This is a very expensive and often fatal condition where your cat will have seizures and need inpatient care from a veterinarian. Certainly not worth saving a few cents by buying the cheaper canine version if your beloved pet dies or you get the vet bill for thousands of dollars because your animal was in the hospital for a week. Please,  please do not use any amount of canine medication on a cat. 

Hi there! There are a couple of reasons not to do this. 1. Any off-label use of products regulated by the EPA is against federal law.  2. With most topical spot on treatments, the way the active ingredients are mixed in the liquid carrier are not homogenous. If you draw up 1 mL in a syringe, and 1mL in another syringe, there is no way to know how many mg’s of active ingredient are in either syringe. It could be an underdose, or an overdose. In order to get the labeled dose, the entire tube must be applied, and to the appropriately sized pet. Does that make sense? 🙂

I am a cat breeder, I also use the big dog tube, shake well before pulling out each does. I have even used 1 drop on newborn kittens.