Flea Med Dosages for Cats & Dogs
Updated: November 2021.
I have dosed down flea meds for years and, knock on wood, have had no problems. Having several cats and dogs, this is the most economical way for me to do it. With all the cats and dogs there are in the world, HOW can flea meds be SO expensive? I recently came across this chart of dosages for several of the most common brands of flea meds and am reprinting it here for anyone else needing it.
Ask your vet for the correct dosing and medications for YOUR animal. This list is just a reference guide and is not intended to avoid veterinary guidance or advice.
Advantage & Advantage II (Imidacloprid)
Advantage required adult fleas to ingest the medication, at which point they would be impacted by the insect-specific neurotoxins and die. Advantage II kills fleas on contact, with the addition of three new chemicals to its formula, that makes your dog or cat’s skin an entirely inhospitable environment for pests. Eggs are killed before they hatch. Adult fleas are killed and will fall off, or will be washed off in your dog’s next bath.
Kittens and puppies must weigh at least 2 lbs AND must be at least 8 weeks old to use Advantage II.
Dog Product Insert | Cat Product Insert
Dose is 0.05ml/pound. Multiply 0.05 times your pet’s weight for more precise dosage.
| Weight | Dosage |
|---|---|
| Kittens/Puppies 2-5 pounds | 0.23 ml |
| Cats/Dogs 5-9 pounds | 0.4 ml |
| Cats 10+ pounds | 0.8 ml |
| Dogs 11-20 pounds | 1.0 ml |
| Dogs 21-30 pounds | 1.2 ml |
| Dogs 31-40 pounds | 1.6 ml |
| Dogs 41-50 pounds | 2.0 ml |
| Dogs 51-60 pounds | 2.4 ml |
| Dogs 61-70 pounds | 2.8 ml |
| Dogs 71-80 pounds | 3.2 ml |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Frontline Plus (Fipronil & (s)-methoprene)
Dog Product Info | Cat Product Info
The dose is 0.0305ml/pound. Multiply 0.0305 times your pet’s weight for more precise dosage.
| Weight | Dosage |
|---|---|
| 10 lbs | 0.3 ml |
| 15 lbs | 0.45 ml |
| 20 lbs | 0.6 ml |
| 25 lbs | 0.75 ml |
| 30 lbs | 0.9 ml |
| 40 lbs | 1.22 ml |
| 50 lbs | 1.5 ml |
| 60 lbs | 1.8 ml |
| 88 lbs | 2.68 ml |
| 90 lbs | 2.7 ml |
| 133 lbs | 4.0 ml |
NOTE: If you’re using Frontline Plus —
The amount of fipronil in the dog version is the same as in the cat version. The “Plus” is methoprene, an insect growth regulator. There’s LESS of it in the dog product than in the cat product, so it’s safe to use the dog product on the cats but do NOT use the cat product on a small dog.
Generic Frontline Plus for dogs may contain a different ingredient than the brand name. If a generic Frontline product contains something other than methoprene or fipronil it may not be safe on your cat.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Frontline Shield (Fipronil, Permethrin, & Pyriproxyfen)
The dose is 0.05ml/pound. Multiply 0.05 times your pet’s weight for more precise dosage.
| Weight | Dosage |
|---|---|
| 10 lbs | 0.5 ml |
| 15 lbs | 0.75 ml |
| 20 lbs | 1.0 ml |
| 25 lbs | 1.25 ml |
| 30 lbs | 1.5 ml |
| 40 lbs | 2.0 ml |
| 50 lbs | 2.5 ml |
| 60 lbs | 3.0 ml |
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Revolution (selamectin) / Stronghold
Revolution® has a single active, safe in both cat and dog, but it’s concentration varies: the formulation for puppies, kittens and cat is half strength. If splitting a large dog vial and applying the volume stated on the packaging for a cat, a double dose would be given. Take careful note of the half volumes shown below (concentration: 60mg/ml vs 120 mg/ml. Concentration amount is shown on the package.).
(General guideline based on 120mg per 1ml potency*. Dose is 0.025ml/pound. Multiply 0.025 times your pet’s weight for more precise dosage. Source.
| Weight | Dosage |
|---|---|
| 1.1-2.1 lb | 0.05 ml |
| 2.2-4.4 lb | 0.1 ml |
| 4.5-8.9 lb | 0.2 ml |
| 9.0-19.9 lb | 0.45 ml |
| 20.0-30.9 lb | 0.7 ml |
| 31.0-52.9 lb | 1.2 ml |
| 53.0-87.9 lb | 2.0 ml |
| 88.0-109.9 lb | 2.5 ml |
| 110.0-132.0 lb | 3.0 ml |
(based on 60mg per 1ml potency*. Dose is 0.05ml/pound. Multiply 0.05 times your pet’s weight for more precise dosage.)
| Weight | Dosage |
|---|---|
| Up to 5 lb cat/dog | 0.25 ml |
| 5.1-15lb cat | 0.75 ml |
- Potency/concentration is noted on the packaging.
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Advantage Multi
*Dose is 0.045ml/pound. Multiply 0.045 times your dog’s weight for more precise dosage.
The recommended minimum dose is 4.5 mg/lb (10.0 mg/kg) imidacloprid and 0.45 mg/lb (1.0 mg/kg) moxidectin, once a month, by topical administration
Product Info For Dogs | Product Insert for Dogs
| Dog’s Weight | Dosage | Imidacloprid | Moxidectin | Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-9 lbs | 0.4 ml | 40 | 10 | Advantage Multi 9 |
| 9.1-20 lbs | 1.0 ml | 100 | 25 | Advantage Multi 20 |
| 20.1-55 lbs | 2.5 ml | 250 | 62.5 | Advantage Multi 55 |
| 55.1-88 lbs | 4.0 ml | 400 | 100 | Advantage Multi 8 |
~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Dose is 0.045ml/lb. Multiply 0.045 times your cat’s weight for more precise dosage.
The recommended minimum dose is 4.5 mg/lb (10.0 mg/kg) imidacloprid and 0.45 mg/lb (1.0 mg/kg) moxidectin, once a month, by topical administration.
Product Info For Cats | Product Insert for Cats
| Cat’s Weight | Dosage | Imidacloprid | Moxidectin | Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-5 lbs | 0.23 ml | 23 | 2.3 | Advantage Multi 5 |
| 5.1-9 lbs | 0.4 ml | 40 | 4 | Advantage Multi 9 |
| 9.1-18 lbs | 0.8 ml | 80 | 8 | Advantage Multi 18 |
*dosage is approximate. My math calculations came out to be 0.05ml/lb, but there is a discrepancy with packaged dosages. Also there is more Moxidectin in the dog formula than in the cat formula, so I would not put the dog product on cats.
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Advantix®
NEVER USE THIS ON CATS. If you get Advantix® on your hands when splitting a vial for the dogs, do not touch your cat before thoroughly washing your hands with warm soapy water. Advantix causes permethrin toxicity in cats because they cannot metabolize the permethrin in Advantix. More info permethrin toxicity.
(Dose is 0.04ml/lb. Multiply 0.04 times your dog’s weight for more precise dosage.)
| Weight | Dosage |
|---|---|
| 0-10 lb dog | 0.4 ml |
| 11-20 lb dog | 0.8 ml |
| 21-30 lb dog | 1.2 ml |
| 31-40 lb dog | 1.6 ml |
| 41-50 lb dog | 2.0 ml |
| 51-60 lb dog | 2.4 ml |
| 61-70 lb dog | 2.8 ml |
| 71-80 lb dog | 3.2 ml |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using K9 Advantix II? Here’s a list of generic alternatives to help you save money.
Flea Allergic pets, like those of us allergic to mosquito bites, will incessantly itch and pull out all their hair if just one flea gets past the flea control. Given most spot on agents only achieve high kill rates, above 95%, for the first 2 weeks of the month, twice monthly application is often recommended by dermatologists when treating flea allergy.
Storage of Unused Topicals
Manufacturers packaging protects the product from 2 important things: light and air. Drugs and insecticides can be destroyed and rendered ineffective if mishandled. Keep in the vial and store in a cool, dark place. The fridge is ideal, but under the sink or any other ‘chemical repository’ is ok. Do not freeze. You may also decide to keep the entire flea medication in the syringe itself which is fine but far from ideal. I recommend an airtight glass vial. The key point is no air exposure, no light, and no heat and they will last a very long time.
reprinted from Starlight Boston Terriers, Global Watchdog, and others.
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I know this post is from a “few” years ago – I was wo during there have been any updates on adjustments to the dosing guidelines you listed? Also – I have 4 cats, all different weights & ages. I bought the 4 pa k of Nextstar Flea & Tick Topicsl for Cats. The active ingredients are:
Fipronil – 9.80%
Etofenprox – 15.00%
(S)-Methoprene – 11.80%
(Other Ingredients – 63.40%
Would you happen to know the dosing guidelines for this? Thank you for sharing this pot of gold information! You are making it for those of us that have much more love than money for their furbabys to help keep them healthy!!
In general, divide the total volume of a tube of Nextstar by the max pounds that tube is for. The resulting number will be how much to dose per pound of cat/dog. For example, Revolution for Puppies & Kittens up to 5 lbs comes in .25ml tubes. So .25 divided by 5 = .05. If the cat weighs 3 pounds, you would multiply .05 x 3 = .15ml.
Do you have the per pound dose for Frontline “Gold”?
Thank you
In general, divide the total volume of a tube of Frontline Gold by the max pounds that tube is for. The resulting number will be how much to dose per pound of cat/dog. For example, Frontline Gold for 48-88 lb Dogs comes in 16.08mL tubes. 16.08 divided by 88 = 0.18mL per pound. Multiply 0.18 by the number of pounds of the dog to get the dosage.
I have been givenActivyl to use on my foster dogs. Do you have a dosage chart for this topical medication? Thank you.
I’m sorry, we don’t have a more specific chart than this:
Activyl for Dogs dosage
Body weight —— Volume (ml) —— Indoxacarb (mg)
4-14 lbs (1.8-6.5 kg) —— .51 —— 100
14-22 lbs (6.6-10 kg) —— .77 —— 150
22-44 lbs (10-20 kg) —— 1.54 —— 300
44-88 lbs (20-40 kg) —— 3.08 —— 600
88-132 lbs (40-60 kg) —— 4.62 —— 900
Activyl Tick Plus for Dogs dosage
Body weight —— Volume (ml) —— Indoxacarb (mg) —— Permethrin (mg)
2.6-11 lbs (1.2-5 kg) —— 0.5 —— 75 —— 240
11-22 lbs (5-10 kg) —— 1 —— 150 —— 480
22-44 lbs (10-20 kg) —— 2 —— 300 —— 960
44-88 lbs (20-40 kg) —— 4 —— 600 —— 1920
88-132 lbs (40-60 kg) —— 6 —— 900 —— 2280
Activyl for Cats dosage
Body weight —— Volume (ml) —— Indoxacarb (mg)
2-9 lbs (0.9-4 kg) —— .51 —— 100
Over 9 lbs (4 kg) —— .77 —— 150
In the case of the first one:
Activyl for Dogs dosage
Body weight —— Volume (ml)
4-14 lbs (1.8-6.5 kg) —— .51
Divide .51 by 14 = .036. Multiple .036 by the number of pounds you are treating. For example, for a 20 pound dog: .036 x 20 = .72 mL.
Thank God there is a God, excellent charts and someone has the “guts” to list warnings but not instill fear. Like a previous comment. If you have brains more than a 10lb dog you might understand ingredients similar, percentage’s count, and have some understanding of .5ml and 3.5 ml. small dose gently portioned, maybe 1/2 or 1/4 of vial. You figure it out, do the math, and please don’t dump a bucket of Frontline on your kitty cat or give a thimble full to your Great Dane, “now we return to your regular program” and remember to smoke Camels, Carltons or Kents, you have a brain smaller than the fleas your treating. Amen
Can you please put a warning on Frontline Shield as it contains Permethrin and people who are unaware that that will kill a cat might try to use it on their cats.
Thank you so much for this info! Years ago when I lived in the Pacific NW my vet had given me the correct dose using Advantage for our dogs and cats, but I’d since forgotten what it was. I’ve lived in AZ since 2009 and this is the first time I’ve ever seen fleas on my dog in the desert. With the info provided here, along with some of the comments, I’m reassured my housecats can be safely treated along with my dog using the appropriate dosage of Advantage II.
How about dosage with Bayer advanced tree and shrub with .74% Imidacloprid?
I don’t think I would recommend using Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub solution for your pets. I don’t know what other products are in it that may harm your pets.
On the Advantage and Advantage 2 you have the dosage wrong for the cats/dogs up to 9 lbs.-.4 ml. There’s also one for smaller animals
….for cats 2 – 5 lbs dosage is .23 ml. Some people may go by your “up to 9 lb” and overdose their pet by thinking that means between 0 and 9 lbs. Your kitten should weigh at least 2 lbs AND be over 8 was old.
So you should first caution that kittens and puppies weighing no less than 2 lbs AND must be at least 8 weeks old to use advantage 2.
Kittens and puppies 2-5 lbs. – .23ml
Cats and dogs 5-9 lbs. – .4 ml
Thank you!
I’m looking for what the dose would be for cats on flevox x-large dog
I’m sorry, I don’t know.
WHAT ABOUT ADVANTIX 2 ???..
What is a dose fo 4 month old puppies weighing, and 3 lbs! ?? They may not get much bigger so
I NEED TO KNOW! There is 4 of them.
We live out on a farm with a lot of trees and grass in our 2 acre fenced yard with lots of rabbits, coons, squirrels, coyotes, etc etc that come by with their FcN FLEAS. I had an exterminator come by just 2 weeks ago, and it seemed great… until last night when I flipped over my yorkie bed companion and they were all over him! WTH? The bug guy said he did the yard extra heavy, but….
please help, it may be my fault because I put drops on the big dogs, but nothin on the adult 3 lb. dog or the 4 puppies that were only 12 wks. at that time
Help, please , the bug man will be back in 2 weeks.
Grateful, Elinore
yorkees1@yahoo.com.
You should be fine if you follow the dosing for Advantix I. Please note that when using Advantix II, apply it in 2 to 3 areas along the spine. Good luck!
I have 46 cats. Everybody goes to the vet when there is a problem. The charts posted are very helpful. I’ve found that if I change flea medications from Frontline plus to revolution when the fleas are at there worse it helps a lot. Keep in mind they are our hearts more is not always better. Give the medication time to do its job. It takes 2 to 3 months for people to notice a difference but your pet will notice a lot sooner and love you for it.
46, eh? Bet that keeps you busy.
Thanks for the tip.
All the topical flea/tick treatments on the dog packages say, “Do Not Use On Cats.” For years
I have purchased the extra-large dog flea and tick treatments and divided it among all the dogs and cats I need to treat. I despise that the companies want to instill fear like that rather than being practical and no-nonsense and leave the warning off the package unless it really is the truth!
Thank you for posting these great charts!! Valuable information!
I saw Advantix cannot be used on cats. Is that the only spot treatment that cannot be used on cats?
Can Pet Armor Plus be used on cats?
I live in the country and the spot treatment works pretty well for ticks, but I need to know what works best for fleas, they seemed to be the bigger problem and the spot treatments don’t work so well on them. Is there a spot treatment that ranks among the best?
Check the label on Pet Armor Plus to see if it contains permethrin.
Advantix is a topical solution for the treatment and prevention of fleas, ticks, biting flies, mosquitoes, and lice on dogs only. The product’s active ingredients are imidacloprid and permethrin. It’s the addition of permethrin to the recipe that makes the deadly difference for cats.
Dogs can metabolize permethrin effectively, resulting in a safe product for them. However, cats cannot metabolize this ingredient and will suffer from toxic effects if exposed. Cats may be exposed to Advantix in a variety of ways, including direct application, close contact with a dog who has been treated within 48 hours, or if they have groomed a dog’s fur after an application.
More info.
Thank you for posting this very useful guide.
I have a but if adivice to add and I also noticed a possible miscalculation in one of the comments on the dosage for bravecto. Unless I’m wrong it seems like the calculation doesn’t take into account the conversion from mg/lb to ml/lb then divides a number that should be the devisor, but fortunately the end result wasn’t too far off just a little under.
For dogs there are tablets, so the dosage is in mg, and also topical, which is in mg/vial on the website. As far as I can tell there is only topical for cats so it’s probably not good to give cats the tablet form. The website actually specifies for cats “a minimum dose of 18.2 mg/lb (40 mg/kg) body weight. Each milliliter contains 280 mg of fluralaner.”
So it’s 1 (ml)/280(mg)=0.0035 ml/mg. 18.2 mg/lb x 0.0035=0.06ml/lb.
Dogs get 11.4mg/lb using the exact same 280mg/ml formulation, so the dog dosage is lower. 0.0035 x 11.4mg/lb=0.04ml/lb.
The large dog tube, which contains 1400 mg, or 4.2ml, treats 7 10lb cats or 12 10lb dogs.
Also, for pets with flea allergies or bad infestations, it’s probably safe to say you can calculate the maximum dosage of any given flea treatment based on the lowest weight listed per dose (probably better not to use the smallest weight group cuz sometimes it just says “up to X lb”) so frontline plus for 23-44lb dogs is 1.34ml. 1.34/23 is about 0.06ml/lb rather than 0.05, which is still within the range of normal prescribed doses. A veterinarian told me these flea treatments have proven to be pretty safe and you’d have to overdose them a lot to cause harm so, in extreme situations, going even a little higher than that is probably safe.