Flea medicine - generic vs. brands

shandyclover

Do only brand name flea medicines work? I'm beginning to wonder!

In July I treated our cat with the Wilko's own version of 'spot on' flea repellent, all was well for 4 weeks, then almost to the 30th day he seemed to be scratching, treated him again and all was fine for 2 weeks, then scratching again, so I treated him again, he'd been out in the rain and I reasoned perhaps the repellent had been washed off. All was well for another week until I found a live flea on him!!! This time I bought a flea collar. Same story, he was flea free for 2 weeks but today I found evidence of a flea, you know their debris. He's a white cat so it's very easy to tell. This collar was supposed to kill fleas for 4 mos! Is it better to avoid generic brands and go for the full on expensive brands, or am I doing something else wrong? He's an outside cat so I suppose he exposed to alot, we have carpets in the house but they are vacuumed everyday.

krlyr

It's not really so much generic vs brands though. The products available from places like Wilkinson will use older ingredients that are now licensed for OTC use rather than being prescription-only. The age and strength of these ingredients often lead to resistance forming in the parasite and the product becomes ineffective.
Lots of people this year seem to be experiencing issues with Frontline no longer being as effective as it used to - so even branded products can suffer the same fate.

Products like Advocate contain different ingredients and these ingredients can cover more parasites, for example, and be more effective simply because they are newer and resistance has not developed.
You could always get your vet to write a prescription for a POM treatment and then order it online - vets cannot refuse a prescription (except on health grounds) though they can charge a "reasonable" fee (no set price). You can then order from places like VetUK, Animed Direct, Viovet etc.

BTW, I would be very wary using OTC products on a cat, especially anything by Bob Martins - I've heard lots of stories on products like these actually being worse than ineffective - some can even be harmful to cats.

Edit:
Also check what the product is described as and if it's meant to actually kill the fleas. For example, Wilkos spot-on uses the active ingredient ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate - which is only an insect repellent - I can't say I know of any branded products using that ingredient. Infact, I googled the ingredient and it's the active ingredient of Johnson's Baby Clear mosquito repellent - if it's safe to use on a baby it's got to be pretty weak stuff!

KxMx

Yep, OTC products are rubbish and any flea collar is pointless.

Get something proper from the Vet.

It's quite normal to see the odd flea from time to time while being treated, just means you've spotted it before the treatment has kicked in.

Lily has had flea drops (Stronghold) from the Vet every month for years and I do see the odd flea. Never turns into a problem in any way.

heartbreak_star

We used Wilko's on ours and it didn't really do much - combined with a flea shampoo bath it worked for a while but we forgot to treat the bed and sofa so now have found 2 fleas on her again!

HBS x

moggymutt

With the spot on, if it says every 4 weeks, it may not be safe to do it again after 2 weeks, as mentioned in your post.
I would never use stuff other than from the vets. As for flea collars, I've lost count of the number of cats we've had come in to us wearing collars, and crawling with fleas.

~Chameleon~

The only good use for a flea collar is in your hoover bag!! People often forget to do this and any fleas they hoover up manage to escape

rita-rabbit

KxMx wrote: »

Yep, OTC products are rubbish and any flea collar is pointless.

Get something proper from the Vet.

It's quite normal to see the odd flea from time to time while being treated, just means you've spotted it before the treatment has kicked in.

Lily has had flea drops (Stronghold) from the Vet every month for years and I do see the odd flea. Never turns into a problem in any way.

I thought it important to correct this statement as I recently trialled the Seresto flea collar on one cat & the flea injection on the other - I will definitely be getting both cats a Seresto collar & never want to return to monthly - spot on the back of the neck - so much less hassle! Anyone know the cheapest place to buy them (online or otherwise) I paid £25 for one collar at the vets - as didn't have a prescription to buy online - vets now saying they want £8 for a prescription but as one cat's flea treatment - the injection - expires before the other - different months I may still pay for the prescription & order online

dawnie1972

My friend had this book of brainy ideas etc and it said to get rid of fleas place a flat plate/saucer dish of water in the middle of your room with a bedside lamp beside it .......sounds bizarre but anyway she set it up one evening (left enough space between the two so that should the lamp fall over it wont hit the water) and ta-da - in the morning there were 6 fleas lying in the water!! Have googled it and found this http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Flea-Trap

RichieJ

Frontline is the most popular spot-on but after ten years of exclusivity other flea treatments can copy their ingredients....hense their are alternatives which are just as good.

Advantage, Effipro, Fiprospot etc are all really effective alternatives to Frontline..
If you go to viovet's website you can read about all the flea treatments and get some tips and info.

The most important thing with spot-ons is to make sure you follow the timings as they are designed to work with the lifecycle of the flea to prevent breeding, hatching etc.

VioVet's tips:
Flea spraying you house is vital if you want to get rid of fleas.
Spray once a year with good quality flea spray.
Vacuum thoroughly before spraying (spray inside the cleaner too as fleas survive in dust).
Before spraying the room remove all pets and seal the lids of fishtanks.
Close doors and windows before spraying to maximise the potency.
Spray rooms thoroughly, making sue that all nooks and crannies where eggs will be hiding are not missed.
Vacuum the room every day for a week.
You will need to do this once a year for 12months protection. Now is a good time to start!

Why VioVet recommends Indorex Spray:
It provides continuous protection for 12 months against eggs and larvae hatching, and is the only household flea control product that provides two months activity against adult fleas.
One 500ml spray can of Indorex Household Flea Spray covers 79m2, which is the equivalent of an average size three bedroom semi.
It is stable in sunlight, and kills not only fleas but also house dust mites.
Indorex is odorless and colorless.

hope this helps.

RichieJ

I really recommend Effipro as you don't need a prescription so you can save money by buying it online cheaper than from your vet. It contains fipronil which kills fleas dead.

Frontline doesn't need a prescription anymore.
Frontline Combo will need a prescription though so if you are buying online ask your vet for repeat prescriptions to save money.

Remember - for every 1 flea on your pet there will be about 99 fleas (in various stages of development) hidden in nooks and crannies waiting to eat and breed.

So lots of people think that their spot-ons are not working. If its a decent brand it will be killing the fleas....but there will be masses of new ones wanting to jump onto your pet but they too will die.

As I said earlier it is vital to spray your house properly once/twice a year (or more with a cheap spray) to kill all the larvae, eggs etc.

vl2588

dawnie1972 wrote: »

My friend had this book of brainy ideas etc and it said to get rid of fleas place a flat plate/saucer dish of water in the middle of your room with a bedside lamp beside it .......sounds bizarre but anyway she set it up one evening (left enough space between the two so that should the lamp fall over it wont hit the water) and ta-da - in the morning there were 6 fleas lying in the water!! Have googled it and found this http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Flea-Trap

Great story but unfortunately 6 fleas caught probably means 600 more in the carpet...