Advantage II for Dogs

 Advantage II for Dogs is an updated version of Advantage for Dogs. It adds an ingredient to stop the development of flea eggs, while still killing adult fleas within 12 hours. It is effective against fleas and flea larvae for up to a month, but it can be reapplied after a week should fleas return. Advantage II for Dogs also works on chewing lice, but unlike its top competitor, Frontline Plus for Dogs (*Est. $75 for a six-month supply), it is not effective against ticks.

Advantage II is a liquid that is squeezed from a tube onto a dog's back -- between the shoulder blades for smaller dogs and at multiple points along the back for larger dogs. Although most users find it easy to apply, it does create more mess than oral products such as Capstar for Dogs and Cats (*Est. $30 for six doses). It also has more side effects than Capstar, most commonly skin irritation, but overall rates of side effects are still low. Although most users say they find this product effective, we saw multiple complaints that it didn't work at all or didn't remain effective for more than a week or so. Several dog owners complain that Advantage II is less effective on their dogs' fleas than the original version of Advantage.

Since it is relatively new, Advantage II for Dogs has not received much in the way of feedback from vets. Owners do weigh in at retail sites, however. We found more than 150 reviews of Advantage II for Dogs from dog owners at Petco.com. At 1800PetMeds.com, there are more than 1,800 reviews for Advantage II, but that includes feedback on Advantage II for Cats as well. The Veterinary Partner website has information about the ingredients in Advantage II. Though the information at sites like Dogster.com and Main Street Pet Care doesn't address the new ingredient added to kill flea larvae, the comments on the ingredients in the original version of Advantage -- and found in Advantage II as well -- can be helpful.