Are over-the-counter flea and tick meds safe and effective?

Look for Fipronil as an ingredient. I am given to understand from my vet that it is superior to the pyrethrins and also to some of the other new synthetics, because it acts against ticks as well as fleas.

Any of these “applied to the shoulderblades” products may cause skin irritation in some animals. I have not seen that on our dogs or cat, but it is a possibility

The stronger versions seem to be pretty effective and pretty safe, but you need to be careful applying it, and I saw one cat seemed to get a bit sick from having it. I would call a vet for a recommendation.

Frontline works real well , these can be bought over the counter and are what the vets use . Well at least thats what they use here in Scotland And i can happily say they are very very effective .

I have read some horrifying accounts regarding use of OTC stuff, especially in younger or smaller dogs and cats.

Personally, I would rather leave this to the judgment of a Vet as to dosage, etc.

I also got advice regarding this from a shelter adoption counselor who has had 20+ yrs. experience with animals and she advised Frontline.

It worked wonderfully for me and if you use it consistently for three months all fleas are dead in all life stages. My cats are indoor only so that did the trick for us permanently. This was so different from the old days and the horrid smelling stuff that you had to use for spraying and bathing the animals. It was worth every penny.

The primary reason why this and the other one whose name I can’t recall offhand are so effective is because fleas have a life cycle that involves several stages and most products only kill the fleas who have hatched. Frontline works on the other stages as well so they don’t end up hatching. That’s why it has to be done consistently for every thirty days for three months.

I was more than pleased with the results—I was ecstatic. Not one single flea ever after.

@Buttonstc : Frontline is one of the medications conatining Fipronil.

DON’T USE HARTZ PRODUCTS!!! We see more seizures, tremors and adverse reactions at the emergency clinic from Hartz products than all other products combined.

It cost more, but use products sold by veterinarians – Frontline, Advantage, Advantix (dogs only!), capstar, and others. The one time you have and adverse reaction from cheaper products will cost you tons more in the long run.

I too use Frontline, obtained in bulk from vet’s office. It is important to put it between cat’s shoulder blades or just a little higher up on the back of his skull, thus preventing him from licking it off.

MIlo is nodding his head in approval, even tho the stuff gives him the gelled hair-do look.

We are the epicenter of Lyme disease and several types of nasty ticks, so we take all the precautions we can for both us and our animals. Many people keep Guinea Fowl because they eat ticks.

OTC flea products are under regulation by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) which is mostly concerned with the effect of the product on the environment, products you buy at your Veterinarian’s office are under regulation by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) which takes more /into account the side effects of these products on pets and humans.

Personally, I prefer the Frontline and Advantage products to any OTC, but if you insist on buying OTC to save a few bucks (understandably), make sure you read the entire package and stay away from products that contain permethrin and pyrethrins as there have been reports of tremors, seizures and death when used inappropriately or on small dogs.

If you are wanting to use these products on a cat or a small dog (especially) I would ask your Veterinarian what they think of the specific product itself. Any Vet worth their weight in salt should give you an honest, educated answer no matter what products they sell in their office.

I suggest you check out non-chemical, natural flea products for your pet. Do a Google search for “flea treatment toxin” and you’ll get some very interesting results.

no one i know would suggest Hartz products. it has been known to cause rashes, hair loss, severe itching and in some extreme cases, death. many prefer to stick with the key dog flea treatments such as frontline, advantax and now revolution. i personally prefer revolution. it tends to dry quicker and is less greasy than frontline.

I’ve read some horrible things about flea and tic treatments. Despite that, I still used it on my dog. Frontline does work best but last year in sept. He had a seizure. The doc wasn’t sure why. That was the last time I used it on him. The next time he had a seizure was when I started the frontline again. I thought perhaps a coincidence. Again he had one this week, the day after I applied it again. I have an appointment for him tomorrow to ask his vet if perhaps its the frontline. He didn’t have one seizure the whole time he wasn’t on it. Unfortunately its the only thing that works in keeping mites off of him in the summer. Every summer he gets mites and is so allergic he breaks out in a rash. I have to keep him on benedryl and be careful he doesn’t get hot because it makes it worse and he starts to loose his hair. He is totally miserable when this happens and it can last for the whole summer. Hopefully the doctor can recommend something that works and doesn’t make him ill.
Oh, it is also the only thing that keeps tics off of him as well. There are a lot of deer tics in the area and I worry that he could get lime disease as well.

Yes, I use Frontline or Advantage as well.

Years ago when I lived in southeren Ca. I OD’d my poor cat with a citrus/pyrethrine type flea bath.

He escaped and was insane from a bad reaction, running through the house yowling and losing bowel control, it was horrible!

Got him back in the bath and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed per the vets advice.

I never tried flea baths again. Terrible experience.

Over the counter products are definitely the riskiest. I would never use any Hartz stuff. Just wasted money and dangerous.

I’ve heard from a more holistically oriented vet that Advantage has less chance of toxic effects as Frontline.

So, if your pet has reacted badly to Frontline, you may want to give Advantage a try.

Just be aware that it may be a bit less effective than Frontline.

If your dog only goes outside in your yard (or an area over which you have control) you might also consider doing some research on using nematodes to treat the ground. This has no adverse effect on the pet at all and may lessen the necessity for the other topical treatments. It probably won’t eliminate the need for them altogether but it keeps down the population of parasites.