Bio Spot flea and tick

I gave my kittens Revolution last month, however i have been wondering about the product Bio Spot... does it work... my vet won't give Frontline to cats... so it seems like it is Revolution or OTC...

There are horrible, horrible stories of cats being poisoned by over the counter flea medications like Hartz and Bio Spot. PLEASE don't use those on your cats. Stick with the products from the vets - they are much more reliable than OTC flea medications.

If you Google "Bio Spot". you'll be able to read all kinds of horror stories about poisoning from Bio Spot and other OTC flea products. I also recommend getting your flea medications from the vet...just to be safe!

Originally Posted by Mama of Bronte

I gave my kittens Revolution last month, however i have been wondering about the product Bio Spot... does it work... my vet won't give Frontline to cats... so it seems like it is Revolution or OTC...

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I buy my Frontline from www.drsfostersmith.com Every spring they have a free shipping + a sale price, and I buy my summer supply then. I use the original Frontline, where most of the vets around here carry the Frontline Plus. I don't need the extra "stuff" that makes it prevent ticks.

We use BioSpot on the dog. I like it - works well for us. Keno doesn't like it when its first put on (maybe the orange smell) but we don't have any fleas and the rare tick that gets on here doesn't attach.

I use XL dog Frontline and dose it down for my cats, it works wonderfully. I would avoid OTC flea treatments. Why doesn't your vet use Frontline for cats? Or does he just not sell it? Revolution is better IMO because it takes care of so much more then just fleas.

my vet posts this in the FAQ online

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What’s the best thing for fleas and ticks?
A. We recommend Advantage™. It’s safe for cats, young puppies and kittens and pets with health problems and it works! If you have problems with ticks, we recommend Frontline™ or Top Spot™ for dogs, not for cats, as we’ve seen a few problems. These products are available only through your veterinarian and are a little expensive. However .. compared to the old method of flea control (dip, spray, treat the carpet, treat the yard), they really are no more expensive, they save lots of time and trouble and they work much better. Don’t be fooled by over-the-counter copies - they just don’t work and are not nearly as safe.

It's not specific about what type of problems... I have always used Frontline with no issue... my dog really had an issue with Advantage but has no problem with the Frontline... so i was nervous about going through something similar using Advantage on the Kitties...

We use Revolution on Bijou and Advantage on Mika. Mika had a mild reaction to Revolution so we switched to Advantage for her.

I love Revolution on the cats. I love that it not only does fleas and ticks, but heartworm, roundworm, hookworm and even other parasites like ear mites and mange mites. But what I like best is that it's alcohol based, and dries fast.

Advantage leaves a grease-spot on the back of their heads.

Although Revolution does leave a "There's Something About Mary" hair-sticking-up spot on the Pekingese. I use Revolution on him in the winter, and Advantix + Sentinel in the bad-bug season.

And most importantly, the pharmacutical companies that make the Big Name products sold at the vets stand behind their products. You don't get that with OTC products. (In fact, you don't get that with the Big Name products if you don't buy them through your vet. There's a lot of bogus stuff out there, so the guarantee only applies if purchased at your vets.)

Cleo is leash trained, and loves to go outside with me when I work in the garden. Since she and Maggie both have renal failure, my vet cautioned me never to use anything except Advantage for flea control on them. From the research that I've done online, it appears to be the safest spot-on flea medication for animals with compromised immune systems, or aged pets. I have been VERY happy with the results...actually I've never seen a flea on any of the three cat, nor in the house. When Maggie was a baby, way before her renal insufficiency diagnosis, we used Revolution on her to treat ear mites. It only took one application and she was fine. I'm positive that Revolution had nothing to do with her eventual diagnosis. I really think that God chooses the renal kitties for me to take care of, because He knows that I will do my very best for them.

I don't go by horror stories online. I go by the real-life calls I get and patients I see as a vet tech. And the real-life experience I had with Hartz with my own cat before I knew better. I was lucky. As soon as she started acting funny, I gave her a bath, but she still had weird neurological side effects for weeks. She'd scuttle sideways like a crab.

During the peak of flea season, I take several calls a week from people who used some OTC flea product and now had cats who were sick, vomiting, foaming at the mouth, mopey, lethargic, twitching, and/or having seizures.

The worst case I ever saw was a young woman who used an OTC flea product (she couldn't recall which) and her cat started having seizures. She thrashed around so bad she injured her spine and was paralyzed. She was in so much pain, had to be put to sleep. Sure, to those reading this, it's just another internet horror story, but as the person who held the cat in her final moments, it's reality. And it was an even worse reality to the young woman who has to live with the guilt that trying to save a few bucks cost her cat her life. Not to mention way higher vet bills than the cost of a box of Advantage.

My vets will only use Advantage. It is gentler and uses a different active ingredient than Frontline.
I have been very pleased with it and have never had an issue with fleas or sensitivities.

Originally Posted by Lorina

And most importantly, the pharmacutical companies that make the Big Name products sold at the vets stand behind their products. You don't get that with OTC products. (In fact, you don't get that with the Big Name products if you don't buy them through your vet. There's a lot of bogus stuff out there, so the guarantee only applies if purchased at your vets.)

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I used the Revolution (from the vet) on my 14 year old cat, and she almost died... Had to spend a few days in the hospital. Bloodwork was all messed up. The manufacturer did nothing for me. They wouldn't even confirm that the bloodwork was indicative of reactions to their product. Two months later my 8 month old cat had the exact same reaction to Revolution, and ALSO had to spend some time in the hospital. Same exact problems indicated in the bloodwork, again, no help at all from the manufacturer. No more Revolution for my cats...

Originally Posted by CC12

My vets will only use Advantage. It is gentler and uses a different active ingredient than Frontline.
I have been very pleased with it and have never had an issue with fleas or sensitivities.

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Strange .. not sure how they deem gentler but frontline is FOUND the LEAST in the blood stream ( i saw the studies at the vets) the advatage was found in the highest concentrations..

AVOID otc stuff ... ask the vet .. mine stopped carrying when big box stores got them