How Advantage Works
One of the major products that you should consider if you're going to buy flea medicine is called Advantage, which is from a great line of products by Bayer - their main competitor is Frontline, and you would do well with either one of these medicines. You can consult your vet specifically about any risks you might have with either of these flea control brands - in general they are very safe, but you should take extra caution with older pets or pets with specific health problems in the past. If you have a puppy or kitten, you definitely should wait until the suggested time for either product - 7 weeks for puppies with Advantage and 8 weeks for kittens. They are particularly vulnerable earlier because they are still developing.
How it works:
One of the things that makes it a particularly useful product is that it can start acting right away. Essentially, it damages the flea's nervous system - this prevents them from biting you or your pet within a few minutes of contact. It will kill them gradually over the course of 12 hours or so, so they will also be dead fairly rapidly as well. If you have a serious flea problem this alone is worth the cost - most of the other brands require at least a little while to get working, but if you absolutely need to have something done right away, you pretty much need to go with Advantage. In general, other flea killers just don't have this kind of speed.
Dosing: If you've got a dog, you'll need to weigh it
beforehand to get the right dose - they range from -
under 10 pounds
Sources and Other Links:
http://advantage.petparents.com/
http://www.drlarrypetvet.com/shop_fleasandyou.html
http://www.beaveranimalclinic.com/pethealthinfo.html
http://www1.epinions.com/content_226472136324
http://www.placervillevet.com/flea_control.htm
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