I have some more info on Frontline and Advantage.
 
Since someone claimed that Frontline was not safe for ferrets, I will
address that first.  "Fipronil spray (Frontline) has been found to be safe
and effective for ferrets."  That is from the book Muller and Kirk's Small
Animal Dermatology 6th edition 2001.  The reference for that quote was
Lewington J : Frontline for ferret fleas.  University of Sydney,
Postgraduate Foundation Veterinary Science Control Therapy Series
189:856, 1996.
 
The second source is Vet Clinics of North America, Exotic Animal Practice:
Therapeutics Jan.  2000.  This article was by Dr Bruce Williams.  He list
both Frontline and Advantage for use on ferrets.
 
As for which one is better- both products work well on fleas!  Frontline
will also kill ticks and when put into the ear will also kill ear mites.
Advantage just kills fleas.  Which one last longer?  Frontline will last
for 30+ days; however, Advantage does not.  In 2 recent studies of
Advantage on ferrets by 2 different groups (University of London's vet
school and University of Georgia's vet school) it was both safe and
effective.  In the first study (London) they applied 0.1ml/kg of the cat
Advantage to the ferrets.  It worked well for 1 week.  In the second study
(Georgia) they applied the full 0.4ml tube of Advantage for small cats
to the ferrets.  It lasted for 3 weeks.  Duration of activity therefore
appears to be dose related.  Something to think about if you are dividing
the tube into smaller amounts.  In addition baths will remove some of the
Advantage as well.  The another thing to consider (since they both are safe
and effective) is cost.  Frontline spray is by far the least cost of the 2
products.
 
BTW- No I do not work for either company.  I do not own stock in either
company, and yes my clinic carries both products.
 
I hope that clears up some of the confusion,
Jerry Murray, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3407]