tiff-689 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Don't know if this has been brought up before but i couldn't find much info on it. I usually use advocate but have decided to switch over to sentinel spectrum this month as the chews are much more convenient than on the spot treatment. I get the impression that sentinel spectrum is an all in one but is there anything it doesn't cover that i should be concerned about? I'm also questioning what pack to get. Medium dogs is 11-22kg and Large 22-45kg. The thing is one of my dogs is 22kg and the other is 25kg mark. In which case could i then just buy the large chews and split them in half seeing as they cover up to 45kg? Or would it be ok to give them a medium chew each? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Don't know if this has been brought up before but i couldn't find much info on it. I usually use advocate but have decided to switch over to sentinel spectrum this month as the chews are much more convenient than on the spot treatment. I get the impression that sentinel spectrum is an all in one but is there anything it doesn't cover that i should be concerned about? I'm also questioning what pack to get. Medium dogs is 11-22kg and Large 22-45kg. The thing is one of my dogs is 22kg and the other is 25kg mark. In which case could i then just buy the large chews and split them in half seeing as they cover up to 45kg? Or would it be ok to give them a medium chew each? I buy the medium and cut them in half for my mini schnauzers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 (edited) Don't know if this has been brought up before but i couldn't find much info on it. I usually use advocate but have decided to switch over to sentinel spectrum this month as the chews are much more convenient than on the spot treatment. I get the impression that sentinel spectrum is an all in one but is there anything it doesn't cover that i should be concerned about? I'm also questioning what pack to get. Medium dogs is 11-22kg and Large 22-45kg. The thing is one of my dogs is 22kg and the other is 25kg mark. In which case could i then just buy the large chews and split them in half seeing as they cover up to 45kg? Or would it be ok to give them a medium chew each? I buy the medium and cut them in half for my mini schnauzers. I was told that this is a really bad idea? Not giving them the proper treatment or something like that. Edited October 24, 2011 by CW EW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrm88 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 The company cant guarantee that the drug is equal throughout the chew, therefore one dog may not get the full dosage while the other does and you basically dont know. Alot of people do it and never have a problem, but its up to you whether you want to take the risk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Fair enough... I hear lots of version what is good and what is bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dju Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 The company cant guarantee that the drug is equal throughout the chew, therefore one dog may not get the full dosage while the other does and you basically dont know. Alot of people do it and never have a problem, but its up to you whether you want to take the risk I thought this too and then I realised that it's not like the medicine is syringed in, they mix everything up together fairly well (I mean even a chew is pretty small, it would have to be dispersed evenly through many many many chews, hence mixed very very well), so the chances that it's not pretty evenly dispersed are.. minimal. I'd get the two large and divide them. We do this for Comfortis for Hugo--we get him double the dosage and cut it in half and just give him a half tablet whenever we dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Don't know if this has been brought up before but i couldn't find much info on it. I usually use advocate but have decided to switch over to sentinel spectrum this month as the chews are much more convenient than on the spot treatment. I get the impression that sentinel spectrum is an all in one but is there anything it doesn't cover that i should be concerned about? I'm also questioning what pack to get. Medium dogs is 11-22kg and Large 22-45kg. The thing is one of my dogs is 22kg and the other is 25kg mark. In which case could i then just buy the large chews and split them in half seeing as they cover up to 45kg? Or would it be ok to give them a medium chew each? I buy the medium and cut them in half for my mini schnauzers. I was told that this is a really bad idea? Not giving them the proper treatment or something like that. It was actually me vet who suggested this to me and also told me that you can give them every 6 weeks rather that every month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Don't know if this has been brought up before but i couldn't find much info on it. I usually use advocate but have decided to switch over to sentinel spectrum this month as the chews are much more convenient than on the spot treatment. I get the impression that sentinel spectrum is an all in one but is there anything it doesn't cover that i should be concerned about? I'm also questioning what pack to get. Medium dogs is 11-22kg and Large 22-45kg. The thing is one of my dogs is 22kg and the other is 25kg mark. In which case could i then just buy the large chews and split them in half seeing as they cover up to 45kg? Or would it be ok to give them a medium chew each? I buy the medium and cut them in half for my mini schnauzers. I was told that this is a really bad idea? Not giving them the proper treatment or something like that. It was actually me vet who suggested this to me and also told me that you can give them every 6 weeks rather that every month. A vet told me the total opposite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiff-689 Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 In that case i'de probably rather give a whole chew each seeing as it is covering my dogs from some of the some serious stuff like heartworm. As they are both just above the borderline for the medium chews, would it still be ok to give the smaller dose seeing as we are only talking the difference of a few kg's? Or better to be safe then sorry and give them the maximum cover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizT Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 My vet also told me it was fine to cut them up. If you think about anything that is produced in large numbers they will be mixed 'en mass' and poured into moulds or cut into size from a large roll so clearly they must have all the necesary ingredients in the mix ready to be divided for convenience/marketing sake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 The drug is mixed and it's a furphy put out by the pharmaceutical company saying it isn't mixed evenly I would guess. My Vets advised me to buy the larger size for my dogs and give them half each every 6 weeks. It has worked for me for around 3 or 4 years now and worked for my rescue as well. I do not dose during Winter at all either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dotdashdot Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Just to add - if the fleas aren't a worry, Interceptor is generally cheaper. Sentinel's flea fighting abilities are pretty limited - any eggs laid are sterile but the fleas themselves aren't killed. Just a tip =] I use interceptor and Advantix And I also never split dosage, know of a dog that died that way (spot on treatment) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I have a 45kg dog and a 22-23kg dog so I buy large and give them both large. As long as they're both in the weight range. As has already been mentioned it doesn't kill fleas all throughout their cycle, but if you have an outbreak, Dog forbid, you can administer Capstar (pretty cheap and easy) to kill any fleas on the skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss B Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 You can split a larger dose if you like, but the manufacturer does not recommend it. Technically it's off-label use, so any guarantee they make about their product would be voided if you chose to do so. Same goes for under-dosing them (eg giving the 11-22kg chew to a 25kg dog). Personally I'd just buy the 22-45kg size for both dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Rebel Wolf Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Okay, if I were in your shoes, I would buy the large dog Sentinel which has dosage from 23-45kgs, and give both your dogs that. A 22kg dog should have no ill effects from the higher dosage, it has a very good safety margin. Sentinel is an all wormer in that is does all intestionals, and heartworm. It also acts as flea control in that it sterilizes any adult fleas to prevent them breeding, and getting into your environment. But it does not kill the adult flea and you need to use something - collar, tablet, spray, wash - and use it any time you see any adult fleas. Understanding how it works and its limitations is the key to deciding if it is the product for you Advocate's main disadvantage is that it does not cover any of the tapeworm species, so you then need to either use Drontic (vet line) or give a full allwormer, and it is rarely the cost effective way to go. I find that Interceptor, which is heartworm and intestionals, combined with a separate flea treatment works best. Comfortis is the best flea treatment by a huge margin, better than the spot ons, but it is pricey. Novatris - the guys that make Sentinel - do NOT recommend that you split the tablets because as said earlier, there is no gaurentee the dosage will be enough. After all the research they put into their product and then you going and paying the money for it, it's best to do it by the book and ensure it works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 IMO it cant be good to use something that does intestional eorks monthly, surely it cant be good for the dog?? I use Revolution for heartworm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Yeah, like the average person can trust a drug company. I guess the companies making annual vaccines are also still on the right track according to that theory, even though it has now been shown that we have been over vaccinating dogs? Okay, if I were in your shoes, I would buy the large dog Sentinel which has dosage from 23-45kgs, and give both your dogs that. A 22kg dog should have no ill effects from the higher dosage, it has a very good safety margin. Sentinel is an all wormer in that is does all intestionals, and heartworm. It also acts as flea control in that it sterilizes any adult fleas to prevent them breeding, and getting into your environment. But it does not kill the adult flea and you need to use something - collar, tablet, spray, wash - and use it any time you see any adult fleas. Understanding how it works and its limitations is the key to deciding if it is the product for you Advocate's main disadvantage is that it does not cover any of the tapeworm species, so you then need to either use Drontic (vet line) or give a full allwormer, and it is rarely the cost effective way to go. I find that Interceptor, which is heartworm and intestionals, combined with a separate flea treatment works best. Comfortis is the best flea treatment by a huge margin, better than the spot ons, but it is pricey. Novatris - the guys that make Sentinel - do NOT recommend that you split the tablets because as said earlier, there is no gaurentee the dosage will be enough. After all the research they put into their product and then you going and paying the money for it, it's best to do it by the book and ensure it works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Rebel Wolf Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 If you are worried about frequent dosing M&G, the concentration required for spot on products is massively higher than the dosage for oral products, due to the fact it has to be absorbed through the skin. Especially since every heartworm prevention outside the injection is monthly, I don't consider it a huge leap to do intestionals monthly also. Personally I would rather see my dog cleared of any parasites they have picked up monthly, and place some amount of trust in a company I've researched and questioned. The way I look at it, I can't go through life suspicious of every drug company, I have to make the best educated decision for my dog and my situation, so that's what I do. If it emerges that the safety trails were not as described to me, or that the consumer was being lied to about safety, I would be furious and outspoken, for sure. But that's just my personal opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiff-689 Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 Ok great, I'll get the large dose chews and just give them one each. Are fleas fairly easy to spot? I've never actually had fleas on any of my dogs before so I'm worried i wouldn't know what to look for! In which case it's fine to use sentinel spectrum on it's own and then if i ever spot fleas, i can use a one off type thing like frontline..? Sorry if i sound daft. haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
**Super_Dogs** Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Ok great, I'll get the large dose chews and just give them one each. Are fleas fairly easy to spot? I've never actually had fleas on any of my dogs before so I'm worried i wouldn't know what to look for! In which case it's fine to use sentinel spectrum on it's own and then if i ever spot fleas, i can use a one off type thing like frontline..? Sorry if i sound daft. haha You do not need to use Frontline as well as Sentinal Spectrum. If you want to use Frontline get Sentinal Inteceptor which does not include flea treatment. However personally I would go with Sential Spectrum. I have been using Sentinal Spectrum now for many years and we never have fleas! Remember though Sentinal Spectrum does not kill adult fleas, it stops the lifecycle. So if your dogs are with other dogs and a flea jumps on them it will not kill this. I always keep capstar on hand, which kills adult fleas (in about 1 hour I think) just in case we have any tag alongs. I very rarely have to use this though. The makers of Sential make capstar and you can also get a version made by exelpet from the supermarket. Every year Sential bring out a summer pack with free capstar - so look out for this!! Also - if you are going to go with Sentinal Inteceptor and so a seperate flea treatment I would recommend Comfortis over Frontline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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