K9 Advantix, Advantage, or Frontline? Cheapest place to purchase?

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: CZroe

Originally posted by: alkemyst
do not mix feline and canine treatments. for one they are different, as far as the medicine they use to control the heartworms and second even if the active ingredients were the same they may be formulated in a contradictory way for one animal vs the other.

also almost anything 'store' bought is junk and can even kill your pet. People question how this is so, but just look at human health food/supplements; 90% don't really work there extend that to a pet and allow a little death and you can understand easily.

Yes, for the Advantage, the cat and dog formulas are significantly different, but Frontline seems similar enough and I don't plan on "dosing" my cat (just a drop to deal with the immediate infestation then a flea collar/repellant drive the rest to the dog).

What we propose doing is essentially the same as pill-cutting (doctors routinely prescribe double the dosage with instructions to cut the pill in half as a cost-saving measure, at least in the USA). Pet med, on the other hand, are a gold-mine ripe for the milking if we don't take things into our own hands.

Advantage is not for heartworms.


What alternative is there to store-bought medications? These are the same prescription meds. They just happen to be available in stores too, but for a high price.

Advantage multi is.

Also cutting pills to be taken through your digestive tract is a WHOLE lot different then a medication to be absorbed/permeated through the skin.

Semantics of the worst kind. I didn't relate a topical application to swallowing pills. I related it to getting proper measured dosages from larger amounts regardless of the way it is applied. For example, my idiot mother got some HUGE generic bottle of some prescription mouth rinse medication and was ranting about how the other dentist made her pay "THREE TIMES AS MUCH." It turns out that they cost the same but the original medication was 3x concentrated (required adding water) and DIDN'T taste like nasty licorice.

Originally posted by: alkemyst
I don't know what getting milked has to do with it...it's the whole supply demand thing. Obviously people are willing to pay the price. I shop around, but I am not going to start mixing feline and canine meds unless I have something scientific to go on. I only majored in zoology so maybe you are smarter than me.

You're damned right it's a supply demand thing. Here you sit acting like everyone is willing to pay those prices in a thread full of people who aren't, as if that's reason for us TO spend it. :roll: With 6-month supplies for a 144lb dog lasting a year or more on a 6lb Chihuahua, I only wonder if they will notice the disproportionate demand for the larger-breed version (despite slower sales per customer). Also, no one is mixing meds here. I guess they need a major for pill-splitting if you wanna ever talk about doing something similar. :roll: Seriously, I never said that I was going to continue treating the cat. Only the dog risks exposure. Treating the dog will be a barrier to fleas entering the home.

Originally posted by: alkemystHartz and the like are nothing like the real meds. store bought dips have been known to kill pets as well.

Yes, I know Hartz is crap. Yes, I know they still sell NSAIDs and Aspirin for dogs despite recent studies showing that there are no safe dosages (many vets are even unaware). I'm still confused at this "store bought" thing you keep using to differentiate some unsafe drugs... what pet meds AREN'T "store bought?"

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: CZroe
That's why I never intended to do anything more than a drop followed by repellent as a measure to send any future fleas back to their toxic source (the treated dog). Remember, the cat is an indoor cat (not the source) and once the few fleas it has are taken care of it will no longer require treatment, provided I keep up with the dog's.

a drop is going to do nothing. You shouldn't be using a monthly treatment to spot treat a cat. Flea comb is what you'd do there...if your house is infested you treat the house.

If your lawn is infested your pets will still have fleas. Your house will get fleas. They will eventually die, but the underlying problem will continue and you will be never rid of them.

There is no underlying problem. The fact that the fleas didn't emerge until late Summer is pretty much proof of that. The dog has a few and the cat remains indoors. If the cat and house have no fleas, the only one that needs treatment to keep it that way is the dog which goes for walks, meets other dogs, etc.

And I'm not talking about spot-treatments. I'm talking about a dose 1 week (or less) vs 1 month dose. Even a few drops get absorbed into the pores and gradually released... it'll just run out of strength sooner. The vast majority of a normal dose can be washed off and not matter because of what was absorbed into the pores. If there is some difference in the inactive ingredients, well, I'm glad it was a one-time application at a weak dose. There is something to be said that Frontline doesn't carry the same "NOT FOR CATS!" warnings as K9 Advantix.

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Are fleas a big deal down south? Up here, no fleas just ticks to worry about.

In the Summer they will become infested (if exposed to the outdoors) and flea baths will be no relief. Only real medications like the expensive ones discussed here seem to do anything more than provide a little relief until Winter. I'm surprised to see my sister's little pup holding out until mid August but that may be because I'm now in SoCal.

 

[BoomerD]

If the dog comes in the house with fleas, odds are, you have fleas in the house...in the carpet, under chairs and sofa, etc. Not much chance of avoiding that with outside pets.
Keep them treated and as flea-free as possible with Frontline Plus or a similar QUALITY topical treatment.

You CAN treat your yard and the inside of your house with sprays made for those tasks...but neighboring cats will bring them back to the yard and the dog will eventually bring them into the house. (or a human may inadvertantly carry a couple into the house on clothing/shoes.

 

[CZroe]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
If the dog comes in the house with fleas, odds are, you have fleas in the house...in the carpet, under chairs and sofa, etc. Not much chance of avoiding that with outside pets.
Keep them treated and as flea-free as possible with Frontline Plus or a similar QUALITY topical treatment.

You CAN treat your yard and the inside of your house with sprays made for those tasks...but neighboring cats will bring them back to the yard and the dog will eventually bring them into the house. (or a human may inadvertantly carry a couple into the house on clothing/shoes.

There are many different kinds of fleas. Everyday cat fleas do not particularly like human hosts and will always return to the animal, meeting their death if treated. No fleas have been seen in the house or on a person. They are not outside pets. The dog gets regular walks and meets 'n' greets other dogs and, no doubt, that is where she picked up a flea or two. This was less than 1 week ago. There is no persistent infestation. Even thumbing through the fur I have seen a grand total of three fleas and some "flea dirt" (2 on the dog, 1 on the cat). Only the dog is scratching.

Actually, the cat got out yesterday morning and hasn't been seen since. I hope it's alright... I just glued claw caps on his nails. He's adult-sized but still a juvenile.

Strangely, he climbed out of our tiny enclosed patio (8' wooden fence)... something he's never managed to do even with UNCAPPED claws. He's literally been locked out there over night a few times (he sneaks out and hides under a chair until we go inside).