The opinions in this article are my own. I do not work for, or with, any brand mentioned in this article, nor do I have any official relationship with them. I have a relationship with Gigasavvy, for whom I create original editorial content. This product was sent to me in exchange for my honest review.
I read so much about pug ownership and dog ownership before getting my dogs. I wanted to be as prepared as possible for taking care of my first dog. Most of the time, I could make up my mind about how to handle a problem or situation by reading dog owner forums online. With most subjects, the majority of pet owners would come to a general agreement.
Something that I wasn’t able to find a simple answer to online was flea medication. I saw some people swear that flea medication needs to be used year-round to avoid infestation. Others said it was unnecessary, and you should only treat during warm weather when it’s the most needed. Others said not to treat until you see fleas and are certain you have a problem. I didn’t know which method was right. However, I only had my dogs for about 3 weeks when I saw a flea.
We went to the vet and they helped us choose Frontline Plus. I liked how it was topical, so my dogs didn’t have to ingest anything. The flea life cycle is 3 months, so we knew it would be 3 months before the problem was cured and unfortunately things got worse before they got better. I very quickly regretted trying the ‘wait and see if we have a problem’ method because by the time we saw a flea the infestation was already on its way. That 3 month period where they had fleas was miserable for the dogs and me. I felt terrible for having let this happen to them.
After a few months of Frontline Plus we stopped seeing fleas and our dogs stopped itching. Since then I have kept them on topical flea treatment year round. My vet said certain climates do kill off fleas in the winter, but that doesn’t always happen here in Michigan so it’s better to be safe and treat/prevent during winter just in case. I had no interest in risking another infestation so I kept treating year-round.
However, I’ve always wished we could spend less on flea treatment. I was used to spending around $48 for a 3 pack of Frontline. Seems how I have two dogs, we use 2 packs a month so it was not cheap.
I was so excited to learn about Pet Action Plus recently. It’s a topical flea product that has the exact same active ingredient as frontline plus. However, Pet Action Plus has a suggested retail value that is about 30% less than the suggested retail value for Frontline Plus.
I usually buy flea medication on Amazon, and the savings difference between Frontline Plus and Pet Action Plus is about 50% for me!
The five main reasons why I’ve ditched Frontline Plus for Pet Action Plus.
- It’s the same active ingredient, but for a lot less cost. The active ingredients are Fipronil and (S)-methoprene, and they have the same levels in Pet Action Plus as Frontline Plus.
- The packages are easy to cut open, because there is excess space between the outer packaging and the dispenser. This was not the case with Frontline, so on multiple occasions I would puncture the dispenser while trying to get it out of the outer package.
- The dispenser has a unique design. You can pop the top of the dispenser out of the surrounding package, so it sticks out easily and the tip can be snipped with scissors. The tip of the dispenser is thicker so it doesnt’ work like a ‘straw’ and you don’t have to flick out the air bubbles like you do with Frontline Plus.
- Also thanks to the unique dispenser design, you can simply squeeze the bottom of the dispenser to dispense the medication very quickly. No waiting around for it to drip out due to gravity.
- It works well! My dogs have been on it for a month and we have no itching or other signs of irritation or fleas. This is the time of year when fleas really start to come back here in Michigan so I know we would have seen problematic symptoms if the last 4 weeks of medication were not up to par.
I enjoyed Frontline Plus and it worked well for us, but being able to save money on Pet Action Plus, a product that works just as well and is easier to dispense is a no-brainer for me.
You can purchase Pet Action Plus at Sam’s Club, Target, Amazon and many others.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
This post currently has 45 responses.
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Thanks for this post. We don’t have any pets but my in laws have a dog and their struggling to find the right flea treatment.
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I will have to let my mom know about this! she has two dogs that are always outside and live on a farm to so they should totally have this
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Love saving money on necessities!! So many “generic” brands work just as well as name brands and save s so much!! Thanks for sharing this awesome company!!
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This dog really cute
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Does not work at all! Waste of money! Used Front Line for years with great results then switched to save money. BIG MISTAKE! Like throwing money away! I’ll pay the extra for Front Line and not worry about fleas!
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Good for you Gerry.
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I am going to tell my sister about this. She talks about the issues with the flea medicine for her dog. I have not thought about getting it from Amazon either. That is such a money saving tip. Thanks.
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The cost savings alone would be enough for me to switch. I also usually have Amazon gift cards I can use to buy it and so convenient to have it shipped to me.
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every year i dread buying flea medicines because they cost so much and there is no gaurentee that they will work so i have done the frontline plus but i like saving money so i will have to look at the stores for this thanks for your review
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I have not tried this brand of flea medication; however, just started using Nexguard Flea Medication for my doxies because I hate dealing with the mess of regular flea meds.
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It is so nice to find alternative medications when you need one. Just the fact there are no irritating side effects from the product, is the biggest plus: who wants to have their precious dog scratching all the time and be uncomfortable?
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I have never heard of Pet Action Plus! It definitely sounds like it would ‘ve worth switching to, especially since it has the same ingredient but is way less in cost! Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂
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My great dane is allergic to frontline, we use the pill and they don’t have any issues.
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Do you still use and support Pet Action Plus right now? Ive read some bad reviews saying it doesn’t work which is weird since its the same active ingredients as Frontline Plus.
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ive been using it for 2 years and i am here because i wanted to research others experience before going BACK to frontline , here is my experience on petaction
first i have 5 adopted dogs ,so it was the price and the claim it utilizes the same ingredients as frontline that drew me to it , i used frontline for about 17 years with amazing results , my first 2 dogs were strays that wandered into the yard that were infested with fleas to the point when i flea bathed them you could actually see the fleas running INSIDE their eye sockets and ear canals , the ticks were so bad they were clumped into balls, they were skin draped over bone
once the vet got them healthy we started them on frontline , he was concerned about weakened immune and open sores and infections using topicals so we waited to get them healthy and happy , once they were on frontline , not a single flea or tick ever again , nor on the hard cases i took in in addition for the next 17 years
this was treating them one dose every 2 to 3 months , thats right two to three months between doses and no ticks or fleas , gnats would still bother , but i had no expectations with the flying insects claim anyway , then i switched to pet action , i quickly found myself dosing every month and still finding fleas , 2 of my pups are white pittbulls (total love bugs) that trap me (not being crude) on the toilet to get scratching s , so as i was scratching their rump i noticed fleas scurrying as i raised the grain of their short white hair ,no mistaken against pink skin , FLEAS !!!!
so i started to think about tricky marketing practices ,and this is of my own opinion and conjecture based on my 17 years of frontline and 2 years of petaction usage , it would not be in the rhelm of impossibility for a new company to play and take advantage of the success of similar product
its all in the wording , “the same active ingredients of Frontline Plus” , this claim legally only requires one thing , that it contains the same ingredients as frontline , there is NO CLAIM that it uses the same amounts of the ingredients allowing them to dilute each dose in turn allowing them to cut the cost dramatically because water is cheap
one observation i noticed but did not think much about until fleas popped back up was how quickly the dose area of the dog dried , in addition when frontline does finally dry the two white dogs kept a noticeable stain for about a week in the dose area where as the petaction stain was completely gone in 2 days on the same 2 dogs
i am convinced that petaction not only dilutes their dosage ,but does so to the point that it can not keep up with flea deterrent on a monthly basis , i will gladly return to frontline at the greater cost , in the long run and when its all said and done is a better deal as i can get worry free usage for 2-3 months where as petaction allowed fleas to return dosing every month
i am a construction contractor , i work for neither company in any capacity , simply sharing observations and conclusions of extensive use of each product for fellow animal lovers to draw on , for me my pups all have been let down by humans for the first part of their life and i only want to give them the best and happiest life possible for the rest of their time
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I just found out about Petaction Plus while looking for the best deal I noticed that there is difference in packaging.
For example a box of three application for dogs 89 – 132 lbs there is two different packaging. How do I know which one is legit?
I would really appreciate it if you could show me what the ‘real’ one is. I don’t want to be putting some counterfeit drug on my dogs.
Thank you in advance. -
You can also buy Pet Action Plus (3 boxes) at Sam’s clubs. There are different breeds of dogs on the packages due to the size dog(s) you may have. Different boxes for their weight.
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i saw petaction plus at the publix supermarket and bought a box for my king charles. he had some fleas and i killed them off with capguard which is the same as capstar but cheaper. btw, capguard and petactionplus are available through chewey.com. i reccommend petactionplus and it seems as effective as the other products i have tried
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I used my first dose of Pet Action Plus on April 20, 2018. I expected it to take a while for the fleas to disappear. However, today is the 10th of May and when I bathed my two poodles, one had fleas and the other was infested with fleas. I saw over 50 or more when I bathed her and they started jumping off. Following her bath I checked her again and she had double what I had killed when I bathed her. I am confused by the posts. Does it take 3 months before you stop seeing fleas or not? I understand you will see those that jump on your dog before they bite the dog and die. I am talking daily infestation forever and ever ad nauseum. Will it ever end if I faithfully dose my dogs with Pet Action Plus monthly?
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HMMMMMMMMMMMM
if you bathe your dog according to the Hartz shampoo products frequently
how does a dog get double fleas after it has just been bathed?
I have owned dogs forever (short hair, long hair, small dogs, even a lab and bathe them with Hartz products then have use
even simple flea collars, with time to time the liquid doses. I have
never had a flea on a dog. Could it be the preventive care that prevents
fleas?
just a simple grandma around dogs and zero connection to product promotion. -
HMMMMMMMMMMMM
if you bathe your dog according to the Hartz shampoo products frequently
how does a dog get double fleas after it has just been bathed?
I have owned dogs forever (short hair, long hair, small dogs, even a lab and bathe them with Hartz products then have use
even simple flea collars, with time to time the liquid doses. I have
never had a flea on a dog. Could it be the preventive care that prevents
fleas?
just a simple grandma around dogs and zero connection to product promotion.
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Sorry Emily and others who think PETACTION works, IT DOES NOT! We have a Siamese Manx cat
and for 9 years have used FRONTLINE and NEVER ONCE DID SHE HAVE ANY FLEAS! We live in an are with lots of deer wandering through still NO FLEAS. We purchased PETACTION at Sam’s Club where we normally bough FRONTLINE. We have used Petaction for 2 months and she is now covered with FLEAS and she’s throwing up!! Not sure if it’s the Petaction causing her to throw up, but it’s certainly PETACTION not doing it’s job to keep fleas off of her! We will return the product and go back to FRONTLINE! We are also taking her to her VET today to see what’s what! There certainly must be a reason 1. it doesn’t work, probably as Dave said, it’s diluted and 2. The cost is so much less it can’t be the same amount of ingredients. I DO NOT RECOMMEND PETACTION.-
you are correct , it does not work , i have written several lengthy posts here stating so “Dave B” , to sum up , i would dose Frontline every 3 months , never a single flea , figured i try petaction plus to save some money , bamb , got fleas , shortened the dose intervals , still fleas , shortened all the way to every 3 weeks still fleas , switched back to frontline and not only no more fleas but i was back to every 3 MONTHS not WEEKs and had no fleas , these people have price goggles on
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Well, here’s what none of them tell you. While I was waiting for the 3 month period to pass so I would be rid of fleas, I got a nice big vet bill because during that period, while your dog still has fleas, they will lick them and swallow them and that hatches tape worms! Needless to say, Pet Action or any of the ones that take months to get rid of fleas put your dog at risk. I immediately ordered Bravecto to get rid of the fleas NOW, it’s a pay me now, pay me later situation and if you sit around trying to save money you’ll just spend it on a vet bill and put your dog at risk!
Sent from my iPad-
well after the Petaction Plus debacle ,i switched back to Frontline , dosed them and then dosed them again in 4 weeks , no more fleas , then i started back to 3 month intervals , as for getting tape worms from fleas that’s a new one on me , in fact i have never had a dog with tape worms ever ,I’m 56 and have had multiple dogs mu entire life , the dogs i get are shelter dogs that are usually well on their way to a early demise and still no worms , my last adoptee had fleas so bad her ears were hardened , the vet wasn’t certain if they were viable and was considering amputation , from flea bite , hair missing and no worms , vets are like auto mechanics , you have to find the right one , some over charge some will do unnecessary stuff to jack the bill , i would look for a new vet
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Well, this is not one of those vets. No attempt to overcharge me. Charged me only for the medication, $20. Do some research on this issue instead of instantly blaming the vet just because you haven’t encountered the situation before. Perhaps, you don’t know everything.
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I guess it works different for everyone. If it didn’t work for some, it doesn’t mean it won’t work on others. I have been using it for 2 years now and it does wonders on my dogs, a Pomeranian and a Lab. I make sure that I apply every 4 weeks. Never had an issue.
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you are probably correct.
generic meds work wonders on people… they are 1/3 the cost of name
brand meds… DRS prescribe themI would imagine that generic products for pets are probably comparable.
Is it possible that food, bathing care, exposure care, all affect the results.
can’t have 50% claim it works and 50% say never…I have never used Frontline or Petaction Plus, as I have always used
flee collars and from time to time topical products from no specific sources
and have never had a flea on a dog, long hair, short hair, small dog, large dog
and we do not sit in a sanitized room. We are with other dogs, dog parks
public parks, back yards, huge family networks of dogs, rescued dogs etc.
If a dog that has been treated and cared for has disturbing infestations on
a regular basis I wonder how they are infested.
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I am curious–you don’t mention Lyme ticks–do you know how well it works against those?
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I was researching where PetAction is actually made and stumbled upon this blog and the argument that followed. Folks, at the end of the day flea & tick preventatives are exactly like birth control….NONE OF THEM ARE 100% GUARANTEED TO WORK. End of story. I’ve had success and failures over the years with both generic and name brands. I’ve had ticks with Frontline Plus as well as brands like PetArmor and PetAction. I’ve used expensive Advantix Plus and had fleas and I know people that have used Hartz products for years and never had a single flea. Nothing is 100% effective. It depends on where you live, what the environment around you is like, etc. Rural pets are more likely to see fleas than those that aren’t exposed to grass or areas where there are a lot of wild animals wandering around. Use what you want and what you can afford. But there’s no reason to publicly shame or be rude to others for their choices. Using a generic on your pet is better than choosing to do nothing. I’m getting off my soapbox now, but seriously…the only way to guaranteed your dog won’t bring fleas in your house is to give up the dog.
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I recently purchased the PetAction Plus for our dogs we were suffering with a infestation of fleas that we were batteling… we have 6 Boston Terriers & had tried everything went to Wal Mart looking for the brand the said they had in stock but found PetActionPlus instead we bought the 6-pack & came home & applied the product to our pack we started noticing a thinning of fleas in a matter of house it’s been a week not & I have 4 that are flea free & 2 who are still going out & coming back in with a few hitchhikers but I believe they are just that hitchhikers we have also treated out yard with a flea killing product … I am very pleased with the PetAction Plus drops my babies are all resting & not gnawing at themselves like they were… I believe in a few days all 6 will be flea free from using the drops GLAD I FOUND this product & I will buy & use them again
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For everyone debating Frontline plus and PetAction plus.
Both products have the exact same active ingredients (& same amounts) AND are made by the exact same company (Boehringer Ielheim).
For all pet medications you need to get the right amount for your pet’s weight and use it exactly as instructed.
I never thought to buy flea medication on Amazon,interesting.Thanks !