Question about flea and tick prevention

[Kellie Spreitzer]

So last night I gave Dooley his first dose of flea and tick protection (he's about 15 weeks old and roughly 40 pounds). I used Sentry Pro XFT which is sold at Petsmart and contains the same active ingredients as Advantix II.

 

Anyway, he was fine for about 2 hours and then just wouldn't go to bed he was scratching (but not necessarily at the application site). Being 10:30 and tired I bathed him hoping to get some sleep and figure out the rest in the morning, the bath helped but was still restless for about 2 more hours. I sat and brushed him for about a half hour just to see if he was itchy and if that would help at which point I found he had some gum stuck in his hind paw. I cut it out and hoped that would help him settle. Finally, I locked him in the kitchen and went to bed and he did settle down.

 

After all this I still need to find a flea and tick control for him. Does anybody else use the cheaper store medications? Has anybody used Advantix and seen similar reactions? Should I just use Frontline? I really figured as long as the active ingredients were the same it was the same as buying generic Advil for humans. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

 

Thanks,

Kellie

[Harper]

We once gave our Dalmatian one of the cheaper brands and she acted weird/restless and seemed to have a reaction. Our vet recommended we just stick to Frontline, which is what we do now. It is much more expensive, as you know, but I think it is worth it. There is no generic for Frontline unfortunately.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

We give our dogs Frontline Plus and have never had any problems.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Frontline plus has been highly recommended by the vets we went to and even groomers. We always use that. Do not buy it at Petcoa nd such-our vet is fairly reasonable but if you watch the sales you can get Frontline plus on sale for $30-$35 at Farm and Fleet or Menards or even online. We just ordered the Heartguard Plus from www.fostersandsmith.com for way cheaper than our vet we saved like $25. They go for their shots and test this Thursday and then they will fill it after calling our vet, even got free shipping! So if you do some searching you can get the good stuff at a reasonable price. Petmeds.com always has a coupon and free shipping. But it doesn't mean that it's the cheaper stuff doing it, Chloe is fine with Frontline but Myla has a slight reaction to it, like scratching (that's after we tackle her down and try to get it on her-I swear she knows when the 18th comes around every month and she acts like we are killing her) We tried every trick in the book to make it easier on us. Anyway, it usually soesn't bother enough to not use it. Good luck, poor baby!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I think Ned gets itchy from Frontline but how can you really know when you apply it monthly, they get groomed and into stuff and perhaps the itching is airborne.... Or

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

We use K9 Advantix for the reason that it repels mosquitos too.   We already have a million here.  If you have cats that cuddle with your dog, or lick  your dog, then use with caution. K9 Advantix is lethal to cats.  Otherwise, it is great and worth the money.  If you buy in larger quantities it is a lot less expensive.  My vet sells it for much less than the on-line discount pet supplies.

Please be aware of the store bought products.   Do your research online.  Some really BAD products have gone around each year.   Two  years ago dogs were dying from bad store bought products!!   Sick dogs and cats are expensive too.  Pay now, pay later.   

I had a kitten many years ago that foamed at the mouth and had a seizure from a flea collar.   Be careful.

 

Ask your VET for a product that is good and recommended for your area.  It can vary state by state for which is the best product to use.