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Cheap Pet Flea Treatments?

Discussion in 'Questions and Answers' started by sking29, Oct 26, 2009.

  1. sking29

    sking29 What it takes to be cool

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    Well fellow thephins pet owners I need to see if anyone knows good places to get name brand topical flea treatments.

    First let me say I have two kittens that I have on "Frontline Plus for Cats" and that is what I want to keep using but I would switch to "Advantage". Plus if there are other topical flea treatments used on cats that vets recommend that is fine as well (I know they recommend Frontline and Advantage...plus another I think). I just don't want to use the cheaper stuff you get because I have had bad experiences with it...unless someone knows a cheap brand that is proven safe.

    So basically pet owners where do you get your flea treatments and how much do you pay? I currently pay about $45 for a 3 month supply which is normally cheap but with two cats you only get a 1 1/2 month supply. Any help would be awesome.

    Also here is a pic for anyone confused on what I am talking about:

    [​IMG]
     
  2. HolliFinFan

    HolliFinFan Not a Face Painter Luxury Box

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    My cats are on Revolution, another safe, yet expensive treatment. I looked into the cheaper ones, but found warnings from the veterninarians' groups. In the past three years, a three month (two cats) supply has jumped $30 to about $100. In two years, my cat's inhaler (he has asthma) has gone from around $100 to $230. (I only need to purchase one or two a year)
    You could always flea dip them yourself, yet that doesn't protect against heartworm and the other potential diseases. I had cats once (indoor) who got fleas. I probably spent more money trying to get rid of the fleas than the Revolution costs though. Best wishes and :up: to the kitties.
     
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  3. sking29

    sking29 What it takes to be cool

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    Hum so I guess my 3 month $45 Frontline treatment is quite a deal then. They've been on it since they were old enough that it was safe and its worked wonderfully. Luckily they are inside cats where fleas are better controlled but thanks for the info. and I plan to check on the Revolution brand. :up:

    Also I pretty much have to go the topical route because I have to keep them completely flea free (you don't want flea eggs and larvae in your carpets...plus the dog we have indoors is allergic to fleas (who is also treated)).

    Luckily I have found some pretty good deals online but anyone else that has info. please speak up. :up:
     
  4. HolliFinFan

    HolliFinFan Not a Face Painter Luxury Box

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    I actually doubled it, so actually, Revolution is only $10 more than Frontline. My vet recommended the Revolution, so check it out. You can alway check petmeds.com, my animal hospital matches that.
     
  5. opfinistic

    opfinistic Braaaaains!

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    Anyone try that 1 800 PETMEDS? (I think that's it) I see their commercials all the time, but have been to lazy to check the pricing there.
     
  6. HolliFinFan

    HolliFinFan Not a Face Painter Luxury Box

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    Most reputable vets will match PetMeds, but it's worth a shot for comparison for sure.
    Holli = rarely too lazy to save a buck :-)
     
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  7. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    Their pricing is less than my vet for Dog meds (heartguard and frontline), but I know my vets costs are subsidized by any profit they make off meds. The cost per year (difference) isn't so significant that feel like I would be a fool not to use 1800petmeds.com.
     
  8. opfinistic

    opfinistic Braaaaains!

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    Thanks. I gotta get my boys some stuff for next month, I'll check it out.
     
  9. sking29

    sking29 What it takes to be cool

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    One thing that I have found while looking around the web is using Frontline for Extra Large Dogs on other sized dogs and even cats. From what I have read the only difference for Frontline between Cats and Dogs is that Methoprene is used 3% more in the cat version of Frontline and apparently it doesn't make a difference. So say you could use one of these kits for an Extra Large Dog and when measured can treat other dogs and cats for a fraction of the cost. Its an interesting idea and seems to be trustworthy...plus it saves a lot of money.

    I am still reading to make sure this is safe to do and will call my vet about it tomorrow just to be sure but so far this seems like a way to really save on this medication. :up:

    Also know unless I get vet clearance I will not take the risk...before you all start saying I am putting my pet's lives below saving money. :wink2:

    Seems like a great idea though.
     
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  10. ToddsPhins

    ToddsPhins Banned

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    I've tried the cheap treatments and they don't work. I completely soaked my cats in one of the standard baths, then boraxed the entire house.....then vacuumed it.....then added the flea/egg shampoo to my carpet steam cleaner and went over every square inch of carpet while spraying off the furniture and washing all blankets etc. I physically picked off every flea from both cats while giving them a bath and they still had them show up the following day. All that was for crap!! LOL

    The expensive stuff works. So does taking the animals out for a few hours and then bombing each room, if your into mass flea casualties. ;)
     
  11. NaboCane

    NaboCane Banned

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    This is what I use. If you keep them indoors, you don't have to apply more than once a year or so.

    All the prescription products work (Frontline, Advantage, Revolution) but stay away from the "natural" ones, :rolleyes: or the OTCs like Hartz - they don't work at all.

    For getting rid of fleas in the house, Flea-Go is the best and again - once a year does it, so the expense is really minimal.
     
  12. opfinistic

    opfinistic Braaaaains!

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    Spraying the yard helps a lot too. If there are fleas in the yard, no matter what you do to the animal and the house, they will still get inside.
     
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  13. sking29

    sking29 What it takes to be cool

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    Yes the yard flea problem is indeed a problem but for where I live we've found that as long as your animals are treated they remain flea free and so does your house (I'm sure a couple lurk around but they're not noticeable).

    Also for anyone interested I called my vet today and he confirmed that indeed Frontline Plus for dogs is safe for use on cats. Of course if anyone else wants to go that route just to be safe you can ask your vet but from what I have read and what my vet has told me Frontline Plus for dogs is safe on cats. Also he told me any size cat would use the dosage used in Frontline Plus for cats. Why this is important is because Frontline Plus for cats uses a 0.5ml dose, so any Frontline Plus for dogs you use on your cats to save money should be measured out to 0.5ml. However I do have a friend who used Frontline Plus for dogs on her 30lb cat in the standard store bought pre-measured packs (which at smallest are 0.69ml) so there is a little wiggle room there and her vet recommended her to get the Frontline for dogs...so every vet is different but for cats I would use the official dosage used on Frontline plus for cats and only go over 0.5ml if my vet approved it. My vet says that Frontline Plus for cats works on any size cat and that dosage would be 0.5ml so I think that is probably the universal dosage to give cats...unless that wasn't enough or you had an extremely large cat which needed more but then of course ask your vet if you want to go over 0.5ml. So basically you can buy Frontline Plus for dogs kits on ebay that allows you to measure things out for multiple pets (I will be using this on two cats and a dog at their specific dosage). Just follow the chart for your pets weight or species and go from there...but for cats 0.5ml should do the trick and if not it would be best to ask the vet before upping their dosage. Just make sure to use the correct dosage for your animal and follow standard Frontline directions (do not reapply before 30 days).

    There is plenty more info. on this around the web and of course your vet. :up:
     

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