Advocate + Interceptor Or Advocate + Advantix?

[funnychat1]

So we've been giving our dogs advocate + advantix but when i visited a local pet shop today they recommended me to use advocate and interceptor together instead as advantix in conjunction with advocate would be overdosing them

I just want the best in my dogs so any advice/help would be great

Thankyou

[Willem]

both (Advantix and Advocate) contain Imidacloprid - so yes, you administer the double dose, and because it is a toxic pesticide overdosing is not recommended.

You may also ask your pet shop to clarify whether they really recommended Advocate and Interceptor as the combination of choice: Advocate contains also Moxydectin (against Heartworms) while the ingredient against Heartworm in Interceptor is Milbemycin oxime - while not the same you still would administer an additional pesticide that is not required. Hence I assume that the shop recommended the combination Advantix and Interceptor that covers fleas & ticks (Advantix) and Heartworm and other worms (Interceptor).

Note: the development of the Heartworm larva is pretty complex and temperature dependent and requires a longer period of higher temperature - one cold night below 14 deg C and the larvae dies in the mosquito that transmits otherwise the disease. Hence for many areas Heartworm is only a seasonal threat and doesn't require any drugs at all for the colder months.

[Papillon Kisses]

Hi Funnychat,

Selecting these products is a bit like putting together a jigsaw puzzle!

- Advocate covers heartworm, intestinal worms and fleas

- Advantix covers fleas for 4 weeks and ticks for 2 weeks

- Interceptor covers heartworm and intestinal worms

- There are other products which cover various combinations too.

The pet shop rightly pointed out that with Advocate + Advantix you're doubling up on flea treatment. However, if you went with Advocate + Interceptor you'd then double up on heartworm and intestinal worm coverage!

I give my dog Interceptor Spectrum (heartworm + intestinal worms) and Advantix (fleas + ticks). I'm happy with Advantix as I'm not too concerned about my dog's exposure to ticks, his short coat is easy to check, and I can just apply it sooner if we're going somewhere riskier. However, Nexgard might be a better option instead of Advantix if you live in or take your dog to tick prone areas. Nexgard covers both fleas and ticks for a month, so it works out cheaper.

[karly101]

I'm really not sure why you would use advocate and interceptor together?? Interceptor and Advantage would be ok (but doesn't do ticks).

Interceptor monthly and bravecto (3 monthly) would cover everything and not double up if you are looking for tick protection.

Interceptor and Advantix also a good combination (if you want a spot on for one of them)

Interceptor and Nexgaurd also would work! (monthly)

[Dobermanic]

I use the combination of interceptor for all worms and Nexgaurd for fleas and ticks. I was using Advantix but my dog swims a lot.