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Cat Forum / General Topics / March 2004Are Hartz Flea Drops Anygood???
The warm weather will soon be coming and flea and tick season will be upon us once again. I am the proud owner of 2 one year old cats ( 1 male, 1 female ). Last year, I adopted the 2 cats who are brother and sister and who were left as strays in a cardboard box on a boating dock. Anyway, even though they are both fixed, the male goes outside now because he is the bigger of the two, and he is a GREAT hunter because he catches mice for us that wander near the house and/or garage. But the thing that worries me is that the people who live next door to us ( about 10 feet separates our houses ), have about 20 sh.t Zu dogs running around in their yard ( chain fenced ). They also run a dog breeding and dog grooming service, so there are dogs constantly coming and going. I have seen both my cats starting to scatch themselves all over the past few days, and now I am worried. Hopefully its just dry skin, and not dredded fleas!!!!! But to be on the safe side, I still want to protect them with fleadops. I have read that "Advantage" is the best, but its also expensive, like $45 dollars I think. I have seen cheaper ones in the store such as "Zodiac" flea drops for as little as $7.99 which says 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back, as well as "Hartz Advanced Care" flea drops for $12.99 which claims to kill both fleas and flea eggs. But are these ones any good??? Do they work or are they a waste of money??? Are they safe??? I would like to get "Advantage" but I am currently only working part-time, and can't really afford it, but I don't want fleas in my home, but from the cats scatching up a storm, it may be to late??? Do the "Hartz Advanced Care" flea drops work, or do I need to buy the "Advantage"??? Any info. will greatly be appreciated!!! Thanks!!! They will give you your money back BUT will they replace your cat? Don't use any product other than Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution. The price you mentioned ($45) would be for a package of three. These can also be purchased on line. Try http:www/noahspets.com -MIKE >They will give you your money back BUT will they replace your cat? >Don't use any product other than Advantage, Frontline, or Revolution. >The price you mentioned ($45) would be for a package of three. These >can also be purchased on line. Try http:www/noahspets.com Over the counter preparations usually aren't as strong or effective as prescriptive ones. I got a big bottle of Frontline spray from the vet for £18 (what's that in dollars - about 40?) and it lasts for ages. Don't forget if your little furry friends do catch fleas, you have to treat the environment too. Most of the eggs lie in carpets and soft furnishings so if you remove them from your cat but not your sofa the wee buggers just lie dormant then hop right back on again and start the cycle all over. I have to disagree with Jaqueline. IF you catch the fleas early enough, treating the cats should be enough. Any fleas that hatch will jump on the cat for blood and promptly die. The treatment usually lasts about 6 weeks. I goofed on the site. It's http://www.noahspets.com -MIKE >I have to disagree with Jaqueline. IF you catch the fleas early enough, >treating the cats should be enough. Any fleas that hatch will jump on >the cat for blood and promptly die. The treatment usually lasts about 6 >weeks. I goofed on the site. It's http://www.noahspets.com If you catch the fleas early enough, but how do you know if you have? By the time you see one, chances are there are thousands of 'em hopping around. It's estimated that for every one on the cat there are 200 just waiting to hop on for a free meal. If you use one of the stronger preps (like Frontline), regularly every month or 6 weeks as instructed you'll kill the ones that hop back on the cat, but if they're still laying eggs and breeding in your carpets you could still get a few bites on the ankle! Fleas can lie dormant for up to 2 years in carpets without feasting. *shudder* Incidentally, quite worried by someone's suggestion to use dog preparations, as I know some flea treatments used on dogs are toxic to cats. I'd say check with your vet first. > Incidentally, quite worried by someone's suggestion to use dog > preparations, as I know some flea treatments used on dogs are toxic to > cats. I'd say check with your vet first. Actually, the formula (in Advantage & Revolution) is the same for cats as for dogs; it is a matter of quantity. But yes; always check with the vet first. Our vet showed me how to use the big dog formula Revolution to treat our houseful of fraidycat house ferals. It worked great! Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats First off I want to say thanks for all of your GREAT information, I really do appreciate it. But I have another question. Doesn't "Advantage" kill the flea eggs as well, or it does something to the fleas so that they can't lay eggs anymore, so in theory it breaks the lifecycle of the fleas, or do I have to flea bomb the house with one of those flea foggers??? Advantage kills on contact and keeps on killing for 3-4 weeks. As flea eggs hatch, they die. Like you, I hate to flea bomb. Advantage (or Frontline or Revolution) is effective enough that I don't have to bomb. As fleas jump from the rug to the cat they are killed. Vacuuming helps, as well, if you bag and discard the vacuum bag. I also heartily recommend taking up all cat bedding and giving it a good wash (bagging it tightly in plastic if you don't wash right away). Just as an aside, another great flea product is Capstar, which kills fleas immediately and kills for about 3 days. We use it in our rescue work, for new young arrivals. Capstar is safe even for very small kittens (4 weeks). Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats www.campuscats.org > Advantage kills on contact and keeps on killing for 3-4 weeks. As flea > eggs hatch, they die. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Friends of Campus Cats > www.campuscats.org In addition to the pointers listed here and in some other replies, you could cut a flea collar into fairly pieces and vacuum a couple of them in the vacuum bag or cannister. This would help to control any eggs or stray fleas that might be collected. Incidentally, I would *never* use a flea collar on my cats. Mine are indoor only, so I rarely need flea control -- but when I do, I use Advantage. MaryL >The warm weather will soon be coming and flea and tick season will be >upon us once again. I am the proud owner of 2 one year old cats ( 1 [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >may be to late??? Do the "Hartz Advanced Care" flea drops work, or do I >need to buy the "Advantage"??? Any info. will greatly be appreciated!!! I haven't looked at the current products, but a couple of years ago I used the Hartz drops with only one death and one illness, both due to losing control of the cat and the drops going down the side. With 12 cats, Frontline and Advantage were entirely too expensive: my vet sells them for about $10 US per cat dose. Someone here told me that I could use the large dog package and divide it up with a syringe or something. I just did 12 cats and two largish dogs for $40 and had a little left over. The formula's are nearly identical: there is a bit more of the flea egg ingredient in the cat dose. The cat dose for Frontline is 0.5ml and the large dog package is 4 ml. If you can find someone to sell you a single large dog dose, and you can get a small syringe or calibrated dropper and a thightly sealing bottle, you could apply that approach to your two and get four months worth for little more than the cost of one month of cat dose for one cat. T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. > I haven't looked at the current products, but a couple of years ago I > used the Hartz drops with only one death and one illness, both due to [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." > somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. You've *got* to be kidding!!! "Only" one death and one illness?! With 12 cats, that means almost 10 percent died and 10 percent became ill, and you refer to it as "only." Michelle, people have been working for a number of years in an attempt to have Hartz withdrawn from the market because of numerous reports of reactions, including death. You would be much better off to get the larger quantities of Advantage and dispense it for individual cats. Use google to search for correct dosage. MaryL >The warm weather will soon be coming and flea and tick season will be >upon us once again. I am the proud owner of 2 one year old cats ( 1 >male, 1 female ). Last year, I adopted the 2 cats who are brother and DO NOT USE ANY HARTZ INSECT CONTROL PRODUCTS! Their doses are far too high are you risk killing your pet if you aren't very carefull. Go to your vet and get something that'll actually work without sickening your animal. My vet sold me a pack of 6 for $85 for my cat. It appears that the non perscription purple is the same as the perscription I got. Am I missing something here? Phil > My vet sold me a pack of 6 for $85 for my cat. It appears that the non > perscription purple is the same as the perscription I got. Am I missing > something here? > > Phil I didn't know that there was a non-perscription, but $85 seems a ridiculously high price! I think I paid about $20 for a three month supply last time at my vet. How large is your cat? kili > > My vet sold me a pack of 6 for $85 for my cat. It appears that the non > > perscription purple is the same as the perscription I got. Am I missing [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > kili Okay, I take that back, I meant to write $30 for a three month supply - sorry. typo. kili > My vet sold me a pack of 6 for $85 for my cat. It appears that the non > perscription purple is the same as the perscription I got. Am I missing > something here? > > Phil I looked through some of my receipts and had to go back 6 months because I don't often need flea medication. However, my bill for 1 Advantage-orange was $11.98 from the vet. Your bill seems pretty high, and a 6-pack should be a little cheaper than 6 individual doses. Incidentally, I thought that all Advantage required a prescription. MaryL > > My vet sold me a pack of 6 for $85 for my cat. It appears that the non > > perscription purple is the same as the perscription I got. Am I missing [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > MaryL Yep, I totally agree. My dog's advantage (and he's over 50 pounds) is about $12 a month. I can't imagine paying $14 a month for a cat that can't weigh over 15 - 20 pounds! kili Here is what our vet recommended to keep cost down for our three cats and small dog. Buy the advantage for the largest dog you can get, then apply 3-4 drops on each cat. The advantage is the same but they jack the prices up for smaller animals as they base it on doses not volume of advantage. //\//\ >Here is what our vet recommended to keep cost down for our three cats >and small dog. Buy the advantage for the largest dog you can get, >then apply 3-4 drops on each cat. The advantage is the same but they >jack the prices up for smaller animals as they base it on doses not >volume of advantage. I use Frontline (I also have a tick problem) for twelve cats and two 50-70 pound dogs. In round numbers, cat doses for twelve cats would be about $120 per month ($30 per three-pack). One three-pack of the largest dog size package costs a bit under $40 and provides measured 0.5 ml doses for the cats and 2.5+ ml doses for the dogs. I do recommend measuring the doses rather than trying to count drops. Either a 3 cc syringe (no needle or a blunt needle) or a marked dropper will do nicely for both measuring and delivering the doses. I'm thinking about getting a teat needle (for cows) - it has a well rounded end, a large bore, and two holes on opposite sides. I would need to plug one of the holes though. T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body) From their own website: For cats: Active Ingredient % By Weight Imidacloprid; 1-[(6-Chloro-3-pyridinyl) methyl]-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine 9.1% For dogs: Active Ingredient % By Weight Imidacloprid; 1-[(6-Chloro-3-pyridinyl) methyl]-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine 9.1% Since the active ingredient is exactly the same, I would agree with your vet. Ive heard professionals recommending dog frontline for cats, but their active ingredients are different, so that seems dangerous. > Here is what our vet recommended to keep cost down for our three cats > and small dog. Buy the advantage for the largest dog you can get, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > //\//\ >From their own website: >For cats: [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >vet. Ive heard professionals recommending dog frontline for cats, but their >active ingredients are different, so that seems dangerous. The difference is that there is less of the flea egg inhibitor in the dog version - the adult flea and tick parts are exactly the same. Less poison is hardly more dangerous. T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu) SPAM filter: Messages to this address *must* contain "T.E.D." somewhere in the body or they will be automatically rejected. Don't use Hartz unless you are willing to have your cat die a rather horrible death.  SignaturePanther TEK: Staying On Top Of All Your Computer Needs! www.members.cox.net/catprotector/panthertek Cat Galaxy: All Cats, All The Time! www.catgalaxymedia.com > The warm weather will soon be coming and flea and tick season will be > upon us once again. I am the proud owner of 2 one year old cats ( 1 [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > need to buy the "Advantage"??? Any info. will greatly be appreciated!!! > Thanks!!! |
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