Flea and tick treatment

[snowbunny]

The prescription stuff has different active ingredients. You can buy prescription meds online, it’s just a case of asking your vet to give you the prescription (they normally charge a nominal amount for this) and then you can buy the same stuff online a lot cheaper.
We’re lucky here because the drugs in question aren’t controlled, so I can buy Milbemax and Advantix online without prescription.

 

[M.F.]

For worms, I give Snowie a few teaspoons of ground pumpkin seeds every morning. Apparently it contains an ingredient that paralyzes intestinal parasites. I had his poo checked at the vets (sent to a lab), which came back free of worms and eggs. My understanding is you only have to treat for worms if your dog has worms. Snowie previously also had a seizure a few hours after taking Milbemax. So I avoid all pharmaceuticals when possible.

 

[M.F.]

Same here, I use nothing for Poppy as she had seizures using Bravecto and the collars. We just manage the situation now - and she hasn’t had a fit for 18 months. I use the Scalibor collar for Merlin in spring and summer, which works very well for him.

Is there a reason you’re using the collar for Merlin if Poppy is doing ok without anything?

 

[Cath]

I'm an Advantix girl. I used the Seresto collars

but I find the collars great. When we are in France Fred use to get cover with ticks, but doesn't when he wears his Seresto collar under his normal collar. Both dogs wear the collars from March until October. Never seen a flea on either dogs.

 

[FayRose]

I've used Seresto collars for years on the dogs and the cats and have never seen a flea or tick since using them and we are in a very high tick concentration area.
I agree, they are not pretty things but for us, they do the job perfectly and all the animals tolerate them well. I have heard some people report bad reactions though.

 

[Atemas]

I've never used anything on Cassie

Yes same with Sky - never used anything (she does get wormed) and never a flea/tick. Red has Prinovox for ticks/fleas - started on advice of vet when she was a puppy so have just continued (she gets wormed too)

 

[Emily]

The prescription stuff has different active ingredients. You can buy prescription meds online, it’s just a case of asking your vet to give you the prescription (they normally charge a nominal amount for this) and then you can buy the same stuff online a lot cheaper.
We’re lucky here because the drugs in question aren’t controlled, so I can buy Milbemax and Advantix online without prescription.

We're the same here. I've bought worm/flea/tick control at the vet but it's not with a script and I can buy it from any pet store or online without prescription.

I will admit that, over the last year, I've paid a premium for the wormer because I'm lazy . The vet sends me a text when it's time to pick up her dose so I just stop on my way home from work, pay for the single dose (stupidly expensive) and give it to her with breakfast the next morning.

We have only treated for fleas/ticks once (in January when she picked up a few ticks from a very remote area). Here, if you're using flea/tick products, you have to use them all year round as it doesn't get cold enough in winter. We're in a low tick area and Ella has never *touch wood* had fleas.

 

[snowbunny]

but I find the collars great. When we are in France Fred use to get cover with ticks, but doesn't when he wears his Seresto collar under his normal collar. Both dogs wear the collars from March until October. Never seen a flea on either dogs.

I've used Seresto collars for years on the dogs and the cats and have never seen a flea or tick since using them and we are in a very high tick concentration area.

It's funny, isn't it, how it can vary? I can only assume that the pests in the different areas have different tolerance to the drugs. I've found three fleas on Willow this year and more ticks than I can shake a hairy stick at. I've never seen a single flea on any of them before with the Advantix, and nowhere near the quantity of ticks we had to deal with this past spring. I shan't be using them again.

My lot are wormed monthly with Milbemax because of the risk of heartworm.

 

[Emily]

My lot are wormed monthly with Milbemax because of the risk of heartworm.

I swapped from the monthly wormer to the annual vaccination. I find it easier because it's done at the same time as the other vaccinations and then I don't have to remember a monthly wormer

 

[MellowYellow]

Is there a reason you’re using the collar for Merlin if Poppy is doing ok without anything?

Yes, we live in a very tick-infested area, and they can carry borreliosis as well as encephalitis. Poppy is much more staid now than she was a few years ago, and on a normal walk will stick to the paths, where as Merlin still charges around all over the place, so he is more likely to pick up ticks than she is. I only use the collar when necessary - mostly from April to the end of July, but it depends on the weather and how active the ticks are. If I could, I would try to get by without anything, but it really is a bit risky.