Flea and Tick Treatment for Dogs and Cats in Australia: What NexGard, Bravecto, Simparica, Advantage and the Others Cover, and How Often

Every product on this page is a registered veterinary chemical, and every claim below is attributed to the manufacturer's own Australian product page, accessed on 18 September 2026 (full list in Sources). None of this is medical advice; always read the product label and talk to a vet about a specific pet.

The choice is not really "which brand." It is four separate questions, and the label answers all four:

  • Which parasites does it cover? Some products treat fleas only. Others add paralysis tick. Others add heartworm prevention. Others add intestinal worms (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm). A handful cover all of the above in one chew or spot-on.
  • Which route? A chew, a spot-on applied to the skin, or a collar.
  • How often? Monthly is the most common interval, but several paralysis-tick products are dosed every two weeks for the tick claim specifically, and a collar can run for months on one application.
  • From what age and weight? Every label sets a minimum, and they are not all the same.

Products stocked in the dog flea and worming range and the cat flea and worming range are grouped below by what their manufacturer states they cover. The full range sits at flea, tick and worming.

Dogs: what each product covers

Built only from facts confirmed on each manufacturer's Australian page. "Yes" for paralysis tick means the label states control of Ixodes holocyclus; the duration in brackets is the manufacturer's stated coverage window where it differs from the main dosing interval.

Product Route Interval Fleas Paralysis tick Heartworm Intestinal worms Min age
NexGard Chew Monthly Yes Yes No No 8 weeks / 2 kg
NexGard Spectra Chew Monthly Yes Yes Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm) 8 weeks / 1.35 kg
Bravecto Chew Chew 3-monthly (fleas, paralysis tick) Yes Yes (3 months) No No 8 weeks / over 2 kg
Bravecto Spot-On (dogs) Spot-on 6-monthly (fleas, paralysis tick) Yes Yes (6 months) No No 8 weeks / 2 kg or more
Simparica Chew Monthly Yes Yes No No 8 weeks / 1.3 kg
Simparica Trio Chew Monthly Yes Yes Yes Yes (hookworm, roundworm) 8 weeks / 1.25 kg
Advantage Spot-on Monthly Yes No No No From birth
Advantix Spot-on Every 2 weeks for paralysis tick; monthly for fleas and the rest Yes Repels/kills (2-weekly dosing) No No 7 weeks
Advocate Spot-on Monthly Yes No Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm) 7 weeks
Credelio Plus Chew Monthly Yes Yes Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm) 8 weeks / 1.4 kg
Seresto Collar 8 months (fleas, paralysis tick); 4 months (brown dog, bush tick) Yes Yes (8 months) No No 7 weeks
Frontline Plus Spot-on Monthly (fleas); every 2 weeks (paralysis tick) Yes Yes (2-weekly dosing) No No 8 weeks
Revolution (dogs) Spot-on Monthly Yes Not stated Yes Not stated on this page 6 weeks
Drontal Tablet 3-monthly No No No Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm) Dosed by weight
Milbemax Tablet 3-monthly for worms; monthly if also used for heartworm No No Yes (if dosed monthly) Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm) 2 weeks / 0.5 kg
Interceptor Spectrum Chew Monthly No No Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm) 2 weeks, any weight
Heartgard Plus Chew Monthly No No Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm only) 6 weeks
ParaGard Tablet 3-monthly (puppies also at 2, 4, 8, 12 weeks) No No No Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm incl. hydatid) 2 weeks
Fido's All Wormer Tablet Not stated on the maker's page No No No Yes (roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm) Not stated

Cats: what each product covers

Product Route Interval Fleas Paralysis tick Heartworm Intestinal worms Min age
NexGard Spectra Spot-on Monthly Yes Yes Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm, lungworm) 8 weeks / 0.8 kg
Bravecto Spot-On Spot-on 3-monthly Yes Yes (3 months) No No 9 weeks / 1.2 kg
Bravecto Plus Spot-on 3 months flea and tick protection (pack claim); MSD directs every 2 months where heartworm prevention is needed Yes (3 months) Yes (approx. 10 weeks) Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm) 9 weeks / 1.2 kg
Advantage (cats) Spot-on Monthly Yes No No No From birth
Advocate (cats) Spot-on Monthly Yes No Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm) plus lungworm 9 weeks
Revolution Spot-on Monthly Yes Not stated Yes Not stated on this page 6 weeks
Revolution Plus Spot-on Monthly Yes Yes Yes Yes (roundworm, hookworm) 8 weeks / 1.25 kg
Frontline Plus Spot-on Monthly Yes No (label points to Frontline Spray for tick areas) No No 8 weeks
Drontal (cats) Tablet 3-monthly No No No Yes (roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm) 6 weeks
Milbemax (cats) Tablet 3-monthly for worms; monthly if also used for heartworm No No Yes (if dosed monthly) Yes (roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm) 6 weeks / 0.5 kg
Seresto (cats) Collar 8 months (fleas, paralysis tick); 4 months (bush, brown dog tick) Yes Yes (8 months) No No 10 weeks
Fido's All Wormer Tablet Not stated on the maker's page No No No Yes (roundworm, hookworm, tapeworm) Not stated

Paralysis tick: read the label

Paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) cover is not automatic just because a product treats fleas. On the manufacturer pages checked for this guide, NexGard, NexGard Spectra, Bravecto (all four variants), Simparica, Simparica Trio, Credelio Plus, Seresto, Frontline Plus and Revolution Plus all state paralysis tick control, each for the duration set out in the tables above. Advantix's label states it repels and kills ticks with a two-weekly dosing schedule for the tick claim specifically, shorter than its monthly flea interval. Advantage, Advocate, plain Revolution and Frontline Plus for cats do not carry a paralysis tick claim on the pages checked; Frontline's own cat page points owners toward Frontline Spray for tick protection instead of Frontline Plus. Products that are worming-only or heartworm-only (Drontal, Milbemax, Interceptor Spectrum, Heartgard Plus, ParaGard, Fido's All Wormer) do not claim any tick or flea control. Bravecto's dog pages add a standing caution regardless of duration: daily tick searching is recommended because, as the label states, "the risk of tick paralysis cannot be entirely eliminated."

Chews, spot-ons and collars

A chew is swallowed and works from inside the bloodstream; NexGard, NexGard Spectra, Bravecto Chew, Simparica, Simparica Trio, Credelio Plus, Interceptor Spectrum and Heartgard Plus are all chews. A spot-on is applied to the skin, usually between the shoulder blades, and several labels (Bravecto, Frontline Plus) ask for a dry period afterwards before bathing or swimming. A collar is a single application that keeps working for months: Seresto's label states up to 8 months of flea and paralysis tick protection from one collar, with a shorter 4-month window for brown dog tick, bush tick and the tick-borne diseases ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and anaplasmosis. None of these formats is universally faster or slower against every parasite; the manufacturer page for each specific product is what states its own speed and duration claims, and those are what is reproduced in the tables above.

Puppies and kittens

Minimum ages vary by product rather than by format. On the labels checked, Advantage states it is safe from birth for both puppies and kittens (via a treated nursing mother before weaning). ParaGard and Interceptor Spectrum allow puppies from 2 weeks of age, Milbemax for dogs from 2 weeks and 0.5 kg, Heartgard Plus and Revolution from 6 weeks, Milbemax for cats and Drontal for cats also from 6 weeks, Advantix from 7 weeks, Advocate for dogs from 7 weeks and Advocate for cats from 9 weeks, and NexGard, NexGard Spectra, Bravecto (dog and cat variants), Simparica, Simparica Trio, Credelio Plus, Revolution Plus and Frontline Plus all set an 8-week minimum. Seresto's label allows dogs from 7 weeks and cats from 10 weeks. Always check the specific product's own label rather than assuming a whole brand family shares one age cut-off.

Worming on its own

Three products in the range are all-wormers with no flea, tick or heartworm claim: Drontal, Milbemax and Fido's All Wormer. Drontal's Australian label (now published by Vetoquinol, which took over the Drontal and Profender brands for Australia from Elanco) states it is "fast and effective against roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm" for dogs, and against "roundworm, hookworm and tapeworms" for cats, dosed every 3 months for adults (more often in hydatid or whipworm-problem areas). Milbemax treats the same four dog worms and three cat worms every 3 months, and its label notes that dosing it monthly instead adds heartworm prevention. Fido's All Wormer, made by Mavlab, is a praziquantel and fenbendazole tablet covering roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm (including hydatid species) for both dogs and cats, dosed by body weight.

How to choose

  • Work out which parasites actually matter for the pet's area and lifestyle: fleas only, fleas plus paralysis tick, or fleas plus tick plus heartworm plus worms.
  • Check the label's stated interval against how reliably the treatment will actually be given; a monthly chew missed by a few weeks leaves a gap that an 8-month collar does not.
  • Confirm the pet's exact age and weight against the specific product's stated minimum, not a general assumption about the brand.
  • If there are cats in the house, note that Advantix's own label states it is dangerous to cats and calls for keeping a treated dog separated from cats for up to 48 hours.
  • If heartworm and intestinal worms both need covering alongside fleas and ticks, look at the combination products in the tables above (NexGard Spectra, Simparica Trio, Credelio Plus, Revolution Plus, Bravecto Plus) rather than stacking single-purpose products.

Browse the full range in flea, tick and worming, or go straight to dog flea and worming or cat flea and worming.

Sources

Product facts in this guide are taken from the manufacturers' own pages listed below and from the product listings on this site; general care points are given as practical guidance, not veterinary advice. Last reviewed 17 September 2026.

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