Revolution vs. Trifexis: 2024 Comparison and Key Differences
Quick Guide
Most dogs or cats develop fleas at one time or another. Fast and efficient treatment is necessary to prevent the situation from becoming severe and causing discomfort and excessive itching. If your pet starts scratching himself regularly, look for fleas on his skin and take him to your vet for an exam.
It’s important to get your pet treated for fleas right away, especially if you have other pets. Fleas may travel from one animal to another, and you may have several pets scratching and suffering instead of one.
Keep your home clean to prevent fleas from burrowing in carpets or rugs and migrating to your pets’ skin. You’ll also want to check your dog’s fur and skin after you take him out to the dog park, as he may get fleas from other dogs. Some flea and tick powders can be used on your carpeting and upholstery to kill fleas and ticks at the source.
There are hundreds of popular prescription and non-prescription flea treatment brands on the market today. Learning all you can about these products will benefit you and your pet if he ever develops fleas.
What to Look for in a Good Flea Treatment
There are several treatment types for flea control. Many of these methods also treat roundworms, heartworms, hookworms, ticks, and other parasites. Always talk to your vet about the right treatment for your pet. For some dogs and cats, a broad-spectrum treatment that fights ticks, fleas, and worms may be appropriate. Other pets may only need a flea control product.
Your vet may recommend oral medication for ongoing or moderate to serious fleas. It’s best to use a flavored chewable that dogs or cats can eat like a treat. A medication that tastes like pork or beef is easier for a pet to eat. You won’t need to struggle with your dog to make sure he’s consumed all the medication.
You apply spot-on, or topical treatments, directly to the infected area. These solutions kill adult fleas and ticks, as well as eggs and larvae. Choose products that are easy to apply and have natural, non-toxic ingredients that won’t harm your pet’s skin. Some products come with special combs or handles to make it easier to spread the solution on your pet’s skin.
Oral medications and most topical solutions are available by prescription only. Non-prescription methods include flea collars, some topical solutions, and dips and shampoos. These methods require manual application at home, and you may have to struggle with your pet to apply shampoos or dips.
Research products and talk to your vet before deciding on a flea treatment. In some cases, an over-the-counter product may be more appropriate if your pet has a light case of fleas that can be easily remedied.
Here are some tips on applying and using flea and tick medication.
Revolution vs. Trifexis Similarities
Revolution and Trifexis are two popular medications to prevent or eliminate fleas and ticks. Both prescription medications contain neurotoxins to eliminate parasites on the skin surface and internally. Neither neurotoxin will harm your pet’s system.
Trifexis is a medication you give to your pet monthly to kill fleas, and Revolution is also applied to your pet once a month. Both treatments are easy to use and save you time. Your dog or cat won’t have trouble with either method. Both are specifically made to be easier for you to administer and your pet to take.
The once-a-month treatment method replaces messy dips, foggers, wipes, and hard-to-fit flea collars. You’ll find veterinarian recommendations for Revolution and Trifexis on each product’s website and on the websites for various private veterinary practices.
The ingredients used in both products are considered safe – milbemycin oxime and Spinosad for Trifexis and Selamectin for Revolution. Both products have garnered good to outstanding reviews from consumers.
There aren’t any known drug or food interactions with either medication. Talk to your vet before starting Revolution or Trifexis as your pet may have special circumstances.
Revolution and Trifexis offer different dosages depending on a dog’s weight in color-coded boxes. Both medications must be prescribed by a veterinarian.
Revolution vs. Trifexis Differences
Revolution and Trifexis both treat heartworms and other parasitic worms, but there are many differences between the products.
Trifexis contains Spinosad and Milbemycin Oxime. Soil has Spinosad, which interrupts the breeding and feeding cycle of heartworms and other pests.
Milbemycin Oxime is designed to control parasitic worms, including heartworms, hookworms, and roundworms. It is intended for dogs, but there are three versions you can use on cats, depending on the animal’s weight.
The topical solution Revolution has Selamectin is a neurotoxin that prevents parasites from feeding and breeding.
Revolution can control fleas by 90 percent within one month of use. This product protects your pet against fleas, heartworms, ear mites, and intestinal fleas. Trifexis doesn’t control ear mites.
Side effects of Revolution may include nausea, vomiting, drooling, diarrhea, muscle tremors, or rapid breathing. You may see hair discoloration, a powdery residue, or hair loss at the application site.
Trifexis is a beef-flavored chewable you give your dog once a month. Dogs consume the medicine like a treat, so you can administer it to your dog after or between meals. Pet parents don’t need to worry about applying topical solutions to a rambunctious or nervous dog. Chewables are better than tablets that you have to crumble or hide in your dog’s food.
Trifexis side effects include itching, red ears or skin, lethargy, reduced appetite, and diarrhea.
Revolution is safe for dogs six weeks and up, and for cats eight weeks or older. You can use Revolution on pregnant, nursing, or lactating pets, but check with your vet first. Use Trifexis for dogs that weigh five pounds or more, and are at least eight weeks old. Use the product cautiously in breeding female dogs.
Revolution vs. Trifexis Pricing Comparison
Revolution and Trifexis are available from many online sites and pet stores. You need a prescription for both products. Our price comparisons are taken from Chewy.com, although there are other outlets with similar prices.
Revolution
The Mauve Box, for puppies and kittens under five pounds, contains three treatments. The box costs $55, $52, with auto-ship. All other boxes contain either three or six treatments, depending on your needs. Here are prices for the six- treatment boxes for dogs and adult cats.
The Blue Box, for cats weighing one to five pounds, costs $122, $115 with auto-ship.
The Purple Box, for dogs 5.1 to 10 pounds, cost $110, or $104 for auto-ship.
The six-treatment Brown Box, for dogs 10.1 to 20 pounds, costs $113 or $108 for auto-ship.
The Red Box, for dogs 21.1 to 40 pounds, costs $119, $113 for auto-ship.
The Taupe Box for cats from 15.1 to 22 pounds costs $125, $118 with auto-ship.
Purchase the Teal Box for dogs weighing 40.1 to 85 pounds. The cost is $120, $114, with auto-ship. Buy the Plum Box for dogs 86 to 130 pounds. The cost is $153, $145 for auto-ship.
Trifexis
Trifexis is available in five color-coded sizes. Magenta is made for 5 to 10-pound dogs and costs $111 for a six month supply. The cost is $104 with auto-ship.
Orange, for dogs weighing 10.1 to 20 pounds, costs $115 for six months and $109 with auto-ship.
Green is designed for canines weighing 20.1 to 40 pounds. This product costs $118 or $112 for the auto-ship option.
Blue, for dogs weighing 40.1 to 60 pounds, has a price of $120 for six tablets and $114 for auto-ship.
Brown, for dogs from 60.1 to 120 pounds, costs $122 for a six-month supply and $116 for auto-ship.
Although Trifexis is only available for dogs, we choose it as our best value because it is a chewable. Topical solutions can be messy, and many cats and dogs won’t sit still for the application process.
Our Review of Revolution vs. Trifexis
Revolution is a topical treatment you use once a month. It comes in a tube, and you can part your dog’s hair down the middle with a comb affixed to the tube. This helps you apply the solution so it can be absorbed through the skin easily.
The waterproof solution should be applied indoors and away from pools or ponds, as the application takes time to set. After a few minutes, the solution becomes waterproof. Revolution contains the active ingredient Selamectin, plus Butylated Hydroxytoluene and Isopropyl Alcohol.
Trifexis destroys heartworms and other parasites. The three-in-one protection prevents heartworm disease for at least three months after your dog has been exposed to mosquitoes. Trifexis has the active ingredients Spinosad and Milbemycin Oxime.
Trifexis provides all-around protection for heartworms, fleas, hookworms, roundworms, and other parasites. You can save time and money by using this product. There’s no need to buy one product for fleas and another for heartworms. You shouldn’t use products containing ivermectin at the same time you use Trifexis, as this may cause harmful side effects.
Revolution is messier to use since it’s a topical solution, but it can be used on cats and has fewer overall side effects than Trifexis. However, since Trifexis is a flavored chewable you administer once a month, we think it’s a better flea (and heartworm) control product than Revolution.
Flea Treatment FAQs
How do I know if my dog needs flea treatment?
Examine your dog’s coat, and you may find tiny black insects crawling through his fur. Use a flea comb to remove dead fleas. Then take your dog to the vet to determine the best course of treatment. Vets usually prescribe oral medication for serious cases, and spot treatment for moderate problems confined to specific areas on your dog.
Your dog may scratch himself occasionally, while other dogs may have an allergic reaction to fleas. Canines with a severe reaction to fleas will constantly scratch themselves, or chew their tails bases, neck or ears. The skin may discolor or scale, and dogs may develop bacterial infections.
What is the quickest, most effective flea treatment?
The most effective treatment for your pet depends on the severity of the flea infestation and the animal’s temperament. Some cats and dogs won’t respond well to flea collars or topical solutions, while others don’t have a problem with these methods. Oral medications are the safest and easiest treatment, but this method might not work for some pets.
Talk to your vet about the best treatment for your pet.
Why is the topical solution I use not working?
You need to be sure the applicator with the solution touches your pet’s skin, not just the fur. The solution must be absorbed to work. Squeeze the tube till it’s completely empty and make sure the solution is positioned, so it gets on your pet’s skin and not your hands.
Conclusion
Both Trifexis and Revolution have garnered excellent reviews from pet parents and experts.
Trifexis treats dogs only, but it’s an oral medication that you give your pet once a month. For ease of use and effectiveness, we choose it over Revolution as the better choice for canines.
Keep in mind that Trifexis also treats ticks, heartworms, hookworms, whipworms, and roundworms.
If you have a cat that has fleas, however, Revolution is one of the best spot-on treatments you can use. Revolution gives you many dosage choices, depending on your cat or dog’s weight. This product also has a special application container to make application easier. If your vet recommends a topical treatment, this is one of the better options.
Check with your veterinarian before treating your pet for fleas, ticks or other parasites. If you have regularly treated your pet for fleas in the past and have a good grasp on treatment options, you may be able to treat light cases with over-the-counter products, but pet parents who are new to flea control should talk to a vet before beginning any treatment.
