flea medicine question!

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PeterDevonMocha

PeterDevonMocha

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I was wondering what the best kind of flea treatment is there? I do not believe we have fleas or a flea problem, but twix our civvie has really been scratching at her neck/throat area lately. We checked in her thick fur and didn't see anything other then scabs but I told peter we could get flea medicine, if we knew what the best kind out there was. Also, does it only treat fleas, or is there other medicine out there that treats any little kind of bug a cat might have? She is strictly indoors and so is mocha. Thanks for any advice!
 
Personally I think Revolution is the best as it treats fleas, worms, earmites, etc.... but of course it is extremely overpriced too soooooooooooooooo

Then I like Advantage which I've used for probably close to 15 years.

And fwiw, I always have some Capstar on hand in case I do see a flea as a flea outbreak in my ranch could be mental breakdown inducing to me. LOL!!

and fwiw, I also get Zodiac's Carpet & Upholstery Flea Spray and spray my house at least once a month during warm weather. I've used that stuff also for nearly 15 years and never had a problem with it, either with the cats, us, or discoloration of anything. I prefer the aerosol version as it's less messy if you ask me and I buy it online cause if you froogle.com it periodically you can get it for about half the price it is at Petsmart. I spray it directly onto all couches, rugs, pillows, cat furniture, etc.....and the best thing is I don't have to evacuate the cats from the house to do so. I don't spray it right where someone is currently lying of course but for instance, there's no cats in my office here right now so I'd spray the carpet in here right now if i were de-flea-ing today
 
i want to echo NO hartz...terrible terrible stuff.
i like frontline...that's just me.
don't you need a special script for revolution...having the cat checked for heartworms before administering it?
and if you see this tonight cindy, are you hot enough yet?
alas summer has arrived. hottest evening of the whole summer.
 
yes, revolution is from the vet. not sure about the heartworm part though

(and yes, definitely hot enough :-) , 15 minutes ago, 7:15pm here and it was 93 degrees on my back patio)
 
thanks everyone .. looks like advantage is the safest according to lisa on the old boards. I just checked out prices. Don't think we can afford it any time soon but is there only a certain time of year it should be used? We have never used a flea medicine in this house before and I don't even truly believe that is our problem now, but better safe then sorry I say!
 
My cats were scratching like mad a couple of weeks ago. My vet said this year was terrible for fleas he gave me Advantage Max which treated fleas, mites and something else now. He said its been tough to get rid of because of the humid weather we've had so lots of vacuuming and I might have to retreat next month due to the life cycle.

Good luck
 
Just echoing what others have said, We use Advantage here for both the kittie and the drooler. Now while our Drooler has always been treated monthly it wasn't until this year that we had to treat the kitties, fleas have been horrible this year. One of the nice things about Advantage is unless the house is completely over run with fleas it will also kill the ones in the enviroment as well as those on the animals.

Check for it online as it can usually be gotten for far less than it can at the Vet's office. Regular Advantage doesn't require a Vet to prescribe, while the newer Advantage Plus (ticks, worms and ear mites) does require a Vet script for, so we just treat those on an as need basis.

Mel
 
ok thanks everyone! I have not seen a flea in the house or on the cats, but I figured we could give it a shot. I don't know if fleas are bad in MI right now or not? It's pretty cold out these days ... I just want to do whatever I can to help these little girls .. twix seems so itchy lately, and of course, she suffers from dry skin and we usually have to have our humidifier going before to long for her ... poor baby ...

Is this what we would use? And I'm sure the answer to this is no, but will it harm the cats in any way if they DON'T really have fleas?

http://www.kvsupply.com/KVVet/produ...alse&mscssid=F294A9DBE9D2449E9D4AD29794399144
 
Nope won't harm them a bit since it is really designed to be used as a preventive measure. And at the very least it is one way to rule out what it isn't, should it turn out not to be fleas. It was kind of how we started eliminating what wasn't going on with Onyx. We treated for worms...nope not that, we treated for fleas, nope not that, so when we finally got to the Vet's office we could at least tell them what we were sure it wasn't and that allowed them to focus on finding out what he was allergic to. Since we didn't have to go through the well it might be fleas etc. Sometimes it is just as important to know what it isn't on the way to finding out what is the true cause.

Mel
 
Thanks .. I checked out what it would cost to get the meds from KV vet supplies .. I think it is CRAZY they are charging me 5.00 just cause I didn't spend 50.00 there ... sheesh ... I'll see if peter wants to spring for the meds this week or not. Thanks again for all the information you guys!
 
PeterDevonMocha said:
twix seems so itchy lately, and of course, she suffers from dry skin and we usually have to have our humidifier going before to long for her ... poor baby ...
Click to expand...

Something that has helped Pauline's dry flaky itchy skin is fish oil. I squeeze the contents of a Fish Oil
capsule onto her food 1x/day (mix in). I get Fish Oil capsules at Costco (Kirkland brand). Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
 
You can get Advantage from Dr. Fosters and Smith and they never charge shipping on any meds that is where we get our supplies for the furry hoard here. And they are very good about getting things to you quickly. Another place you can check for Advantage is our local farm supply stores carry it in stock, it is a little more pricey there but at least it is quick to get and no shipping to deal with. Hope it helps.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3261+1991+3465&pcatid=3465

Mel
 
PeterDevonMocha said:
Thanks .. I checked out what it would cost to get the meds from KV vet supplies .. I think it is CRAZY they are charging me 5.00 just cause I didn't spend 50.00 there ... sheesh ... I'll see if peter wants to spring for the meds this week or not. Thanks again for all the information you guys!
Click to expand...

The six-pack Advantage 18 would get you over the $50 minimum order, and then free shipping, I think.

6 treatments for $53.95 = 8.99 per treatment
4 treatments for $39.95 + $5 = $11.24 per treatment

The 6-pack is product number 67423.
 
MommaOfMuse said:
Check for it online as it can usually be gotten for far less than it can at the Vet's office.
Click to expand...

Please be very, very careful about where you buy flea meds online. There are counterfeit products out there that look very similar to the real thing but are very dangerous. We have seen a cat here die because of counterfeit flea meds purchased online.

Honestly, it's worth a couple of extra bucks for me to just buy them from the vet and be sure I'm getting the right stuff. Their prices aren't that much higher than what I could find online anyway.
 
thanks guys. Money unfortunately is always a tight issue with us and while it may be cheaper to get the 6 pack in the long run it's hard to squeeze out the extra 10.00 right now .. silly but reality ...

Do many people buy their flea meds online? I would never want to harm the cats by getting imitation meds! If need be we would wait a few weeks and save up for the stuff from the vets since we aren't even sure either of the cat's have fleas.
 
thanks larry, for that link that would help us save some money ... laur, that link is also helpful but I know that our civvie is not going to let us manhandle her long enough to get the powder onto her. She is one anti touch kitty! Im only hoping and praying she will even let us drop the flea treatment onto her.
 
Just be careful if you use diatomaceous earth since inhalation of certain forms of DE can cause health problems. This:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4531960_use-dia ... sects.html
says:

Be sure you purchase pure diatomaceous earth (DE), or at least a bug-fighting product that lists it as its main ingredient. Also be sure the solution is food-grade, as pool-grade can be detrimental to human health.

From:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth
Safety considerations

The absorbent qualities of diatomite can result in a significant drying of the hands if handled without gloves. The flux-calcined form contains a highly crystalline form of silica, resulting in sharp edges. The sharpness of this version of the material makes it dangerous to breathe and a dust mask is recommended when working with it.
The type of hazard posed by inhalation depends on the form of the silica. Crystalline silica poses a serious inhalation hazard because it can cause silicosis. Amorphous silica can cause dusty lungs, but does not carry the same degree of risk as crystalline silica. Natural or dried diatomite generally contains very low percentages of crystalline silica. Diatomite produced for pool filters is treated with high heat (calcining) and a fluxing agent (soda ash), causing the formerly amorphous silicon dioxide to assume its crystalline form.
The crystalline silica content of the dusts particulate is regulated in the United States by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and there are guidelines for the maximum amounts allowable in the product and in the air near the breathing zone of workers.[15]
 
thanks for the info but I am pretty sure we won't be using that product, just because of the application process to the kitties. Twix would never go for that. But we have to do something soon, her scabs are just getting bigger and bigger. Poor girl!
 
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