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Cat Forum / General Topics / May 2004Store vs Vet flea drops: worth the extra $ ???
What's the simple truth here? The brands like Advantage et al from the vets are quite a bit more expensive. Then there's the brands at the stores like Hartz et al. I 'think' they have the same active ingredients but I don't know for sure. Are the vet brands better? That much better and worth the added expense? Or not? thanks! PS: also how do drops rank compared to the other remedies such as: a) sprays b) powders c) collars The Advantage and Frontline products you get from the vet are the same products (by the same name) you can buy at some pet stores. While I have no personal experience with Hertz and the other brands, _everything_ I've read states that they are worthless. IMHO Frontline or Advantage are the way to go. I was going to buy all the sprays and powders for my cat and home and then the person at the store recommended Advantage. I no longer have a problem. I treat my cat once every other month now (she stays inside). The only other thing I have used was Borax many years ago. The apartment I was in was _infested_ with fleas. No store bought chemicals were working. Someone recommended 20 Mule Team Borax (a laundry detergent supplement found in some grocery stores). I put it all over the carpet and left it for a day. It was a pain to vacuum up but no more fleas. It certainly was cheaper then any chemicals aimed just at fleas. > What's the simple truth here? > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > b) powders > c) collars Thanks Todd! Appreciate the sanity check and I'm inclined to agree based on limited personal experience. I've just completed a little test of my own - I bathed the cat in fairly warm water w/ anti-flea shampoo - absolutely got 100% of the fleas off - not a speck of anything. After drying treated w/ store brand (think it was hartz but not sure - it certainly wasn't Advatnge/Frontline at only a few $). Within 5 days I've already spotted a handful of fleas w/ no effort. To be fair however I live in sand (no, not sandy soil but 100% pure sand) on my lot in the country in a hot climate so fleas are very prevalent in my area. She's an outdoor cat but I'll keep the Borax tip in mind - might come in handy someday - never know. In fact I think I have some. Wonder if it's got boric acid. anyway thanks again! >The Advantage and Frontline products you get from the vet are the same >products (by the same name) you can buy at some pet stores. While I have no [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> b) powders >> c) collars Fleas and their eggs can live anywhere in your home for quite some time. They will just continue to jump on the cat. And of course your cat will bring them in from outside. If not treated, you could have a big problem in just a few weeks. In the apartment I was in it got quite bad. I could place a piece of paper on the carpet and hear the fleas jumping against it. Yes, 20 Mule Team Borax contains boric acid. It's also sold to control insects... but why spend 4 times the money in this form :) Again, I'd strong recommend Advantage or Frontline if your going to let the cat outside. Flea and ticks carry nasty things that your cat should not be exposed to. > Thanks Todd! > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > in handy someday - never know. In fact I think I have some. Wonder if > it's got boric acid. Thanks again, Am going w/ Advantage. Interesting info about Hartz. While it's somewhat antecdotal it's compelling info - combine that w/ it's lack of efficacy - why bother? Luckily, while I live in pure sand and I'm sure it's a flea paradise outside - no probs indoors as of yet that I've noticed. I have noticed they have invaded the GA - the one place the cat (and dog) are let in. I think a thorough GA cleaning and sprinking of boric acid or Borax around the edges is in order. Probably time to toss out & replace their beds as well. I also did a little search on Advantage vs Frontline. One article gave points to one type simply because it contained more ounces and points to one because it contained more active ingredients - too simplistic IMHO. Basically they both came across as highly effective and comparable. One does have the advantage of also addressing ticks but that's not a problem for me (knock on wood!). Basically it seemed a toss up for me between those two. thanks, >Fleas and their eggs can live anywhere in your home for quite some time. >They will just continue to jump on the cat. And of course your cat will [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >> in handy someday - never know. In fact I think I have some. Wonder if >> it's got boric acid. DO NOT USE HARTZ products unless you want sick or dead cat (do a google on the product). Not all cats get sick, but enough to that I wouldn't be willing to take the chance. Flea products - flea shampoos will only kill what is on the animal at the time of the bath - as soon as the bath is over, the fleas can jump right back on. Flea sprays are great, but cats don't like getting sprayed. Powders are ok, need to treat frequently. Flea collars - seem to work ok on cats/small animals - usually collars only keep fleas off of the neck/head/shoulders, the further away from the collar, the less effective the collar will be. To effectively fight fleas you not only need to treat the animal, but your house as well. Try the borax - never used it myself, but I've heard it works. If you have flea powder you can sprinkle on your carpet and sweep up a little later. For the pet - Advantage and Frontline are GREAT, and IMHO worth the expense - starts working within 24 hours, kills fleas immediately. I had problem back in the fall, I used flea sprays to no avail - finally I got some Advantage, notice a difference the next day. Remember fleas are insects - there are three stages - egg, larva and adult. Most products will kill one or two of the stages, but not all, so you will need to retreat again. a flea can live in your house for up to two years without an animal being present. Hope this helps, and please, if you do have any Hartz products dump it in the garbage. > Thanks Todd! > [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > >> b) powders > >> c) collars
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