Ugh, pricey flea protection!

When I first gave Pouncer flea treatment, the tube came free with her little "Kitten Package". The vet told me it was the newest and best flea prevention treatment out there for cats- Revolution. I was fine with that, and it lasts a month.

I called into the vet's office around the end of the month and asked how much a six-month supply would be, and where to get it. I got the answer of:

"Oh, well you're going to have to bring your cat in for a visit first. It's prescription only."
"Why? What for? She's perfectly fine."
"Oh, well we want to check that she's okay first. That'll cost you around 30 dollars for the visit. And you can't get it in something like a six-month supply."
"Oh? So I have to bring her in EVERY month for her flea treatment?"
"That's right. So, when would you like to make an appoint-"

So I hung up right then and there.

It's winter over here and she's an indoor cat. She gets a bath monthly and our house is relatively clean. I'm pretty sure she'll be okay without flea treatment for the winter months, but my goodness. A vet visit monthly PLUS the price of the flea treatment? Bleagh.

Still, I want her to have flea prevention, but which kind should I be getting? I see other flea prevention supplies out in the pet store that don't require a prescription. Advantix for cats, Advantage, etc etc...Pouncer is approaching her full 5 months of age. Help?

I understand what you are going thru.. I moved to Nebraska from colorado and I never ever had a flea problem, and my cats are all indoor cats. In Sept. I had a poor little stray kitten show up at my house. I rescued the little guy and brought him in the house. I took him for testing for feline leukemia and had the vet check him for fleas. Guess what? He had fleas so I had to have all 7 cats treated for fleas.... After a vet bill of 132.00 I believe I invested in the stray kitty's future...His name is george and he is a permanant resident here. I did not have to bring in each cat individually, Thank god. Since I had caught the fleas early the vet said that 1 month would take care of problem. I have not had any problems since then. I know if the problem is bad enough, they do have the flea bombs for your house at the vets office. But that means you have to clear the house of all your pets.... grrr

I would get a magnafine glass and check your cats belly and all the places that the fleas love to hide.

I have always heard scary stories of over the counter flea treatments, so I would be very carefull in what you buy....

I would find another vet. You can walk in to any clinic around here and buy the stuff straight up. I would also switch every month, use Advantage, then Frontline, then Revolution.

But this vet is more interested in their profit than your cat IMO. You can also buy more than one tube, keep the extra refrigerated and use it. They have 3 month, 6 month, and year supply available.

Originally Posted by hissy

I would find another vet. You can walk in to any clinic around here and buy the stuff straight up. I would also switch every month, use Advantage, then Frontline, then Revolution.

But this vet is more interested in their profit than your cat IMO. You can also buy more than one tube, keep the extra refrigerated and use it. They have 3 month, 6 month, and year supply available.

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First off, you do not need a prescription for flea medication. What a load!

If you happen to live near a Pet Supermarket, you can buy it there. Ask one of the sales people for it because it's behind the register.

If you don't mind ordering online, you can buy it at drsfostersmith.com (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...?N=2002+113517) Even with shipping, they sell it for half of what my vet charges - and no office visit fee.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Advantage after one of my cats had a bad reaction to it, so I use frontline plus for both my dogs and cats... but Drs. Foster Smith sells Advantage, Frontline, Program, Biospot, etc.

Edit:

Now that I think about it, I know why they wanted a prescription. Revolution is also a heartworm preventative. Heartworm preventatives require a prescription because they have to do periodic blood tests first to make sure the cat doesn't have heartworm. If you give an animal heartworm preventative while they have heartworms, it can hurt them.

Originally Posted by MuttigreeMom

First off, you do not need a prescription for flea medication. What a load!

If you happen to live near a Pet Supermarket, you can buy it there. Ask one of the sales people for it because it's behind the register.

If you don't mind ordering online, you can buy it at drsfostersmith.com (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...?N=2002+113517) Even with shipping, they sell it for half of what my vet charges - and no office visit fee.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Advantage after one of my cats had a bad reaction to it, so I use frontline plus for both my dogs and cats... but Drs. Foster Smith sells Advantage, Frontline, Program, Biospot, etc.

Edit:

Now that I think about it, I know why they wanted a prescription. Revolution is also a heartworm preventative. Heartworm preventatives require a prescription because they have to do periodic blood tests first to make sure the cat doesn't have heartworm. If you give an animal heartworm preventative while they have heartworms, it can hurt them.

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Please do not buy your flea medication over the counter anywhere!

You need to find a different vet for sure. Our vet gives us 6 months worth of Revolution for both our cats - different doses for each cat because Mika is much smaller than Bijou.

You should only treat your cat with a vet's direction and medication unless the vet him/herself tells you to buy a specific product elsewhere.

Just to expand on the over the counter Advantage and Revolution et al- just be aware that counterfeit products do exist out there. Companies buy the original product mess with diluting the contents and resell it a little less. Somewhere on the board is a thread that explains how to tell if the product you just bought at a store and not your vet is a counterfeit- it has to do with the supply number on the tubes.

Found it!

EPA is acting to disrupt an effort to distribute counterfeit pet
pesticides. The Agency has ordered pesticide distributors and retailers
in a number of states to stop selling counterfeit pet pesticide products
which falsely contain EPA Registration numbers and labeling for the
"Advantage" and "Frontline" brands of pesticides. "Advantage" and
"Frontline" are trade names of widely available pesticides for control
of fleas and ticks on cats and dogs.

The counterfeit pesticides appear to have been unlawfully imported and
packaged in retail cartons which are designed to look similar to
legitimately registered pesticides sold in the U.S. EPA's investigation
indicates that the counterfeit products have been sold to distributors
and retailers throughout the country. The counterfeit products have
outer retail cartons that are made to resemble EPA registered
pesticides. Inside the cartons are applicators labeled and packaged for
overseas markets. In some cases, the pesticide applicators may not have
the proper child-resistant packaging or the accompanying instructional
leaflet required by the Agency is missing. In addition, the consumer
cannot be assured that the pesticide dosage is correct for the animal
pictured on the retail carton.

The counterfeit products may be different from legitimate Advantage and
Frontline products in several ways. EPA has posted detailed
information, including photos of legitimate products, at:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/petproduct.htm .

Counterfeit products should be disposed of according to accepted
procedures for other household chemicals. Many communities and
municipalities have local resources to dispose of household chemicals,
and consumers are encouraged to contact their local solid waste
authority for more information on disposal programs for chemicals. Pet
owners who are concerned their pet may be affected by counterfeit
products should contact their veterinarian.

EPA regulates all pesticides used in the U.S. Before a pesticide can be
marketed in this country the Agency performs a rigorous scientific
review to ensure that use of the product is not likely to cause harmful
effects on people, pets or the environment. Under the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), EPA requires
pesticide products to contain instructions for proper use, safety
precautions to follow and directions for proper disposal of unused
product and their containers. Legitimate Advantage and Frontline
products that have been through EPA's comprehensive review process are
registered for use in the United States, and are not affected by this
action. Because the counterfeit pesticides do not conform with
established safeguards, the Agency has issued "Stop Sale" orders on the
counterfeit products in question. Extensive additional information is
available at: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/petproduct.htm .
__________________

Originally Posted by hissy

Just to expand on the over the counter Advantage and Revolution et al- just be aware that counterfeit products do exist out there. Companies buy the original product mess with diluting the contents and resell it a little less. Somewhere on the board is a thread that explains how to tell if the product you just bought at a store and not your vet is a counterfeit- it has to do with the supply number on the tubes.

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Also beware of places like Petmeds.com where you can order you meds online at cheeper price.....they have good deals and free delievery and all...However lets say you buy Advantage w/ this company....Adavntage has no legal obligations w/ the product once bought from online companies like this...

Just so ya know

Just out of curiosity...my cats never, ever go outside and we live in a completely urban environment...we have a lake, but no real problem with the buggers...do I really need to Revolution my cats every month? Or can I just...not? I've always been sort of ill-informed on this issue and I generally err on the side of giving my cats the fewest possible medications as possible.

What are everyone's thoughts?

Fleas can get in anywhere, and once they do, they take over if they are not controlled. They come into the house on you, through cracks in the walls, you name it. With fleas come parasites (tapeworms) and the possibility of fleaborn diseases including anemia in very small kittens. I flea treat all my cats every month, and yes with 14 cats that don't go out of the house or enclosure it does get expensive. I use the large size dog advantage and measure it out into safe doses, same with Frontline- I buy through the vet for the large dog size and measure it out in cat safe doses.

Originally Posted by lionessrampant

Just out of curiosity...my cats never, ever go outside and we live in a completely urban environment...we have a lake, but no real problem with the buggers...do I really need to Revolution my cats every month? Or can I just...not? I've always been sort of ill-informed on this issue and I generally err on the side of giving my cats the fewest possible medications as possible.

What are everyone's thoughts?

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I myself am in the situation..I live in a highly populated city...A few trees but thats about it...all my cats are indoor...and I don't treat them w/ revolution etc....

However others may disagree w/ your and I method.......

In school I've learned a few things about revolution (that I wont devulge here...but If you PM me I will let you know) That made me not want to use it...

But I dont use advantage or frontline, or heartgaurd either.......

Originally Posted by hissy

Fleas can get in anywhere, and once they do, they take over if they are not controlled. They come into the house on you, through cracks in the walls, you name it.

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This is true...Flea eggs can stay dormat for one year....so they can get laid in the spring and not hatch until next spring......I guess this is a problem in new apartment owners they move in during the fall...and then come summer they have a flea infestation.......

My dog and cats are all on Advantage Multi. The two cats are strictly indoors; however, fleas can still end up in your house and on your pets.
Generally, if we have seen an animal within the year and have a recent weight (as different doses are given depending on weight) we have no problem scripting on a six month supply. Now if someone wants a flea med that is a heartworm product as well and they haven't been hw tested, they have to come in for a blood test. They must have a negative result before we script out the medication as it's dangerous to do otherwise.
We only ask an animal on flea/heartworm medication to regularly come in if it's a young animal whose weight will change as he/she grows. It's only to ensure the pet is getting the appropriate dose and we don't charge an exam fee for that.

For what it's worth, I have found dosing my cats and dogs monthly with Program- which treats egg and larvae stage fleas- and giving them Capstar when I see adult fleas (which isn't often) has been the best, most cost-effective way to treat my crew.

After bring in a box of feral strays, we were INFESTED with fleas. It was nasty, nasty, nasty. Don't let this happen to you.

Get a good flea comb, and comb your animals fairly regularly. You will then see if any problems are developing. If you see fleas, have a pan of soapy water next to you to MURDER the little beasties with.

After spending literally hundreds of dollars on Frontline, etc. to treat our 8 cats and 5 dogs during an infestation-- and it didn't control the problem-- we stumbled upon using Program in conjuction with Capstar during an infestation.

I think Frontline type products do work in the absense of an infestation. It just didn't work to contain an infestation.

We skip the Program during our sub-zero Ohio winters, but still check for critters with the comb.

hm, so i guess it's time to look around for a new vet then. i have to admit that i kind of don't really know where to start looking... i've been going to the petco (vetco) veterinary unit they have next to the petstore. besides her initial checkup when she was a stray, i've only taken her into their weekend clinics for her shots. she's going to be done with the shots in two more weeks, so... yeah, a good time to look for a new vet.

i remember reading somewhere here that spay prices are not supposed to run past 180 or so dollars, even with overnight stay and whatnot. i think at the vetco they charge something like 245... eeesh.

If my cats don't have fleas I am not going to treat them with any pesticide. I do have to keep in mind that I now live in a rural area now, and I have heard that fleas are awful here. My cats are all indoors cats. I only ran into fleas my very first time in 27 years of being a cat owner when the little stray came in the house. He is now a indoor only cat. I will keep checking them for the little pests..... I have heard of natural remedies like brewers yeast in cats diet will help repel the little beasts. Brewers yeast is good for your cats health and coat also.....

Kim

Originally Posted by nakoruru

hm, so i guess it's time to look around for a new vet then. i have to admit that i kind of don't really know where to start looking... i've been going to the petco (vetco) veterinary unit they have next to the petstore. besides her initial checkup when she was a stray, i've only taken her into their weekend clinics for her shots. she's going to be done with the shots in two more weeks, so... yeah, a good time to look for a new vet.

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I brought one of my dogs to the Petco vet on a whim when I first moved to FL and needed to update her bordatella vaccine before I kenneled her. I was... at best... "underwhelmed" with them. Ever since I've been hearing horror stories of what people are being charged, the lousy care, and then there's that whole Banfield microchip situation.

One girl who was the director of one of the petco vet offices was also my neighbor in my apt complex, and even she said she couldn't believe the cr*p care and the high prices there.

Advantage and Frontline are available OTC. I believe Revolution is a prescription only product.

Many vets do not sell flea preventatives OTC because it would mean they would have to add a new category to their taxes, which is a pain. However, the way around this is to dispense meds in the context of "an established doctor-patient relationship", which generally means that you need to visit the vet at least once a year.

All flea preventatives come in multi-month packages. The receptionist was frankly feeding you a bunch of baloney when she said it could only be dispensed one month at a time.

I think you'll be better off taking your cat - and your money - to another vet.

I haven't read this whole post, but just as a reminder.

Although flea control is pricey, it's better than giving your cat $4 flea meds, or none at all. It cost one of the client's at our clinic $500 to save the life of their cat after they gave her $4 zodiac flea stuff from the grocery store. Initially the spendy stuff will also save you in the longrun from getting any worm infestations when it comes to tapeworms and such which come from fleas.