In the question of Revolution vs Advantage Multi, we’ll be looking at the features of these two heartworm and flea preventatives for dogs and cats. If you’re a pet owner, you’ve probably found yourself looking at these two products, wondering which is the best for you. 

Heartworms are parasites that a mosquito injects when it bites your dog or cat. They travel through the bloodstream and wind up crowding the heart and lungs, where they grow into adults. They also fill the animal’s blood vessels.

Fleas are nasty little devils that can infest your pet, furniture, yard, and carpet. They may bite you. When your dog scratches and chews at them, he can swallow them, ingesting tapeworm eggs or dangerous bacteria.

Ticks bite our animals and hold on. They spread diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme Disease. Your dog can get sick, and these diseases are zoonotic, which means they can pass to humans.

You might not think to give a dog or a cat medicine when they’re perfectly healthy. But these medications keep them healthy by killing insects and worms. Preventing an infestation is easier than dealing with it when it’s already happened. It may mean a trip to the vet and costly medication.

Revolution and Advantage Multi prevent these parasites so that they may be a good idea for your pet’s health maintenance. We’re going to look at these two medications and see what each one has to offer. Read on to find out more about Advantage Multi and Revolution.

Breaking it down

These products have different active ingredients that make them great at what they do. These are top-shelf products and prescribed by vets. They work from your dog or cat’s skin to kill or prevent parasites from developing.

I’m going to compare the Revolution Topical Solution to Advantage Multi Topical Solution. Packaging, how long they last, what they treat and prevent, and the ages of dogs they are for will be some of the things I’m looking at. 

Both of these prescriptions are waterproof, and the parasite toxins in these medications will not harm your pet. Of course, they are medication, so keep them out of reach of children and pets. Revolution and Advantage Multi are flammable, so keep them away from heat sources.

Please wash your hands after treating your pet, and don’t touch the treated area until it is dry. Gloves are not needed. If it gets in the eye, flush it with water.

The manufacturers break down flea, tick, and worm medications by species, either cats or dogs. Don’t give dog medicine to a cat, or vice versa. The makers also split them up by the weight of the animal giving them. The amount of medication increases with the weight of the animal.

You can find these products on Chewy.com.

Revolution

Revolution is a topical parasite control medication that kills fleas, prevents heartworms in animals, and kills ear mites. It treats sarcoptic mange (in dogs) and kills American dog ticks (in dogs). When it’s on cats, it treats intestinal hookworms and roundworms.

The active ingredient is selamectin, a neurotoxin that sends insects’ nervous systems into overdrive and kills them. It also keeps heartworms from developing and reaching adult stages. Selamectin will not harm your dog or cat. It won’t hurt you either.

Boxes come in different colors for dogs and cats of varying weight scales.

Revolution for Dogs:

• Mauve box – up to 5 lbs. (for puppies and kittens)
• Purple box – 5.1 lbs. to 10 lbs.
• Brown box – 10.1 lbs. to 20 lbs.
• Red box – 20.1 lbs. to 40 lbs.
• Teal box  – 40.1 lbs. to 85 lbs.
• Plum box – 85.1 lbs. to 130 lbs.

You’ll need to chat with your vet about what dosage strength you need for dogs more massive than 130 lbs.

Revolution for Cats

• Mauve box – up to 5 lbs. (for kittens and puppies)
• Blue box – 5.1 lbs. to 15 lbs.
• Taupe box – 15.1 lbs. to 22 lbs.

It would help to get in touch with your vet about dosage strength for cats heavier than 22 lbs.

While the medication is waterproof two hours after it dries, you still don’t want to apply it while your pet is wet. Let the coat and undercoat dry. It’s also made with alcohol, so don’t use it on broken skin.

Revolution enters the bloodstream from the skin. In the blood, it fights immature heartworms. The medication goes back to the skin and poisons the pests that bite the animal. The parasites experience nervous system overload and die.

You need to store Revolution below 86 degrees Fahrenheit or 30 degrees Celsius. It comes in tubes that are six to a box. You are going to need a prescription from your vet to get this medication. Your vet will help you with this. A negative heartworm test is required.

Your dog or cat will need an annual checkup before they can take Revolution. It doesn’t treat adult heartworms, and your pet may need heartworm treatment. After that, if your vet says it’s OK, your pet can take Revolution to prevent another infestation.

Talk to your veterinarian about the medications or herbal treatments your pet may take before using this medicine. It is not common for medications to interfere, but your vet can tell you what’s right for your pet.

You need to reapply the medication every 30 days. If you keep it in a pet’s system, it is effective against parasite re-infestation. 

This medicine protects pets from:

• Fleas
• Flea eggs
• Ear mites
• Heartworms
• American dog ticks (dogs)
• Sarcoptic mange (scabies) (dogs)
• Intestinal hookworms (cats)
• Roundworms (cats)

Features: 

Revolution starts to kill fleas in 36 hours.

You can give this medication to adults, senior animals, kittens at eight weeks, and puppies six weeks and older. Dosing at younger ages means better protection.

This product is available in topical form only. Part your pet’s hair at the back of the neck, between the shoulder blades, squeeze the tube and pull it away from the liquid. Make sure you get all the medicine on the animal.

One dose protects a cat or dog for 30 days, the standard amount of time for pest treatments.

This prescription medication treats the following parasites: fleas, flea eggs, ear mites, and heartworms.

Revolution treats the following pests that can be on dogs: sarcoptic mange and American dog ticks.

This product treats the following problems in cats: roundworms and intestinal hookworms. 

The box comes with six one-dose tubes. So, you’ve set your pet for the next six months.

We’ll compare the pros and cons below, and you can compare them side-by-side with the Advantage Multi pros and cons.

Advantage Multi

Advantage Multi is a product that has two active ingredients. It is useful in treating insect parasites and worms. Give this to a healthy pet to treat and prevent parasites.

This medication has two active ingredients that handle pests. One deals with worms, mange, and ear mites. The other kills fleas that bite your pet and can pass on bacteria or other parasites. Working together, they make a very effective medication that takes care of your cat or dog.

The first ingredient, moxidectin, prevents heartworm infestations. It does not treat adult heartworms but prevents juvenile heartworms from developing. Moxidectin also kills intestinal parasites like hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms. In cats, it treats ear mites.

This medication absorbs from the skin into the bloodstream. There it fights worms. It protects your pet from critters that don’t bite the skin. She’s covered on the inside too!

Imidacloprid, the second active ingredient, kills fleas. When you put the medication on the animal’s skin, it spreads across the body and collects in the hair follicles. It seeps onto the hair, and when fleas touch it, they die.

Advantage Multi comes in boxes split into different weight classes that have a colored block on the box. Don’t give the medicine designated for dogs to cats. Likewise, the dogs don’t want the cats’ treatment either.

Advantage Multi for Dogs

• Green box 3 lbs. to 9 lbs.
• Teal box 9.1 lbs. to 20 lbs.
• Red box 20.1 lbs. to 55 lbs.
• Blue box 55.1 lbs. to 88 lbs.
• Brown box 88.1 lbs. to 110 lbs.

Advantage Multi for Cats

• Orange box 5.1 lbs. to 9 lbs. (and Ferrets)
• Purple box 9.1 lbs. to 18 lbs.

Your pet will need an up-to-date heartworm test from your vet to make sure they don’t have any adult heartworms. If they do, the vet may schedule treatment until the pet is free of heartworms. Then the dog or cat should be able to take Advantage Multi for heartworm prevention.

Children should not touch the site of the treatment on the dog or cat for two hours. You’re also going to need to separate your pets once you medicate them to prevent any licking of the product. Neither animals nor humans should consume this product.

If your pet accidentally licks any Advantage Multi, be on the lookout for the following symptoms:

• Depression
• Salivation
• Dilated pupils
• Incoordination
• Panting
• Seizures

Get your vet on the line and let them know if your dog has these symptoms, particularly if your dog is sensitive to avermectins.

Try not to touch the liquid when you’re putting it on. This medicine can irritate the skin. Make sure you don’t smoke or eat before you wash your hands. It’s just as dangerous for you to consume this product as it is for your cat or dog.

This product can’t be used on cats that weigh less than 5.1 pounds. Kittens also need to be nine weeks of age or older before they can take Advantage Multi. The minimum weight for a dog to use this is three pounds, and puppies must be at least seven weeks old.

Advantage Multi lasts for 30 days before you need to retreat your pet. The box says you can go over by a few days if you miss a dose. By applying this treatment every 30 days, you can prevent re-infestation and heartworms.

When Rover gets his dose regularly, it protects him from sarcoptic mange, otherwise known as scabies. Mange can be transmitted to humans, too, so when you protect your four-legged friend, you’re protecting yourself.

Features: 

This medication treats adult fleas, hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, sarcoptic mange, ear mites in cats and prevents heartworms.

This product lasts for 30 days, which is the industry standard, but you can still treat your cat or dog if you go over a couple of days.

You can treat puppies with this medication at seven weeks. Give this prescription medicine to dogs that are three pounds and up. Cats that are 5.1 pounds and over can have this medicine. Kittens over nine weeks are safe to treat with Advantage Multi.

This box has six single-dose tubes inside. That will keep your pet safe for six months.

This product only comes in topical form. To apply, part the animal’s hair at the base of the skull or on the back of the neck, and squeeze the liquid above the skin. Make sure you use everything in the tube.

Advantage Multi starts to work in just 24 hours. That’s pretty quick for a flea and tick topical that’s not of the “gold standard” variety.

The pros and cons are listed below. You can compare them side-by-side with Revolution, above.

Winner – Revolution 

Final Verdict

Both of these products are high-quality. I’ve used each in the past. I like some of the things Advantage Multi does, but when it comes to the number of things Revolution treats and controls, it’s a better preventative. 

I love the heartworm protection in both brands. It’s vital to me. I don’t mind having my cats and dog tested for heartworms every year; I want the medication.

My dog goes into the woods on our property where ticks are a problem, and I need something to control them. I don’t want my dog to get ill, and I don’t want to get sick.

I may decide to get a puppy. Being able to treat younger puppies, like those at six weeks when they are weaned, is a must. Not to mention kittens that Revolution treats earlier at eight weeks.

My kitten is far and above the nine weeks required for treatment with Advantage Multi. But he’s not 5.1 pounds yet. I don’t know when he will be. 

I’d instead go ahead and treat him with Revolution, which doesn’t have a minimum weight. I want him protected. Pests don’t put kittens on a scale before they attack.

I can break the life cycle of fleas with Revolution because it stops the egg from maturing. Of course, I’ll have to treat again to kill the fleas I carry in on my shoes, the fleas that are in the carpet and furniture, and the fleas that are outside, but I’d have to do that anyway.

Advantage Multi provides protection from whipworms, but with the hookworm and roundworm protection in Revolution, I can wait and deworm my pets later if I need to. It’s not a trade-off I like, but it’s one I’m willing to make with everything that Revolution provides.

I’m a little uncomfortable giving my pets a medication that’s dangerous for them to lick. Revolution cautions you to put it where the animals won’t lick it off, but there’s no need to separate them.

Revolution is my preferred product here. I felt better with it on my pets. It’s the clear winner.

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