How do I pick which heartworm and flea med?

jesirose · 07-05-2008, 12:08 PM

I need to order more flea stuff for Sadie, so I am looking on 1800petmeds.com - I have no idea what to get. Aren't there some that do flea and heartworm in the same thing? Do the ones that say they repell stuff actually work better than the others?

My vet had given me frontline plus and I thought they told me it works for heartworm too, but it doesn't seem to say that on the website. Or maybe we had revolution for Sadie and frontline for the cats? They're closed until Monday so I can't call and ask which ones I bought last time, and I dunno if they'd even keep records of that. I should have kept the boxes.

(If anyone has suggestions for cat flea meds too, that would help - the cats don't go outside but with Sadie going in and out all day I want to help keep the cats from getting anything she might still bring in. - Are fleas that common that she could bring them in like that?)

Ack. What do you guys use? Any personal experience stories with any of these would help!

alphadoginthehouse · 07-05-2008, 12:23 PM

Advantix takes care of fleas and mosquitoes. I use Sentinal (for HW) for 2 of mine and I live in Houston. Deja has to be on a special kind of HW preventative to make sure the HW treatment she had killed ALL of them. She will then be on Advantix & Sentinal. However, most places like 1800 and Drs Foster & Smith require a script to get any type of HW medication.

Advantix Multi takes care of everything but again you will need a script from your vet for it (because of the HW aspect of it).

Mort is on Revolution and cats can get HW although they have a natural immunity that makes it a bit more difficult.

If you are looking for just flea meds, you can go to petsmart or petco (in their vet section) and buy any flea product. I would however, NOT buy Biospot. Mine hated it and it must have burned a little (although I didn't see any evidence on their fur). I will never use it again, even tho I have some left.

You could probably wait until Mon to find out what you got before, as they should have in your records what they sold you.

Good luck.

jesirose · 07-05-2008, 12:38 PM

So I could get two medicines, one for flea and tick, and one for heartworm, and I need a prescription for HW stuff.

The reason I don't want to wait is I ran out of what I have and I wanted to order it as soon as possible - but I guess if I buy it on Monday at the vet I can just order more online and I won't save as much money, but she'll be protected sooner.

Willowy · 07-06-2008, 09:17 PM

Yeah, you'll need a prescription from your vet if you want to order heartworm meds online. I just buy them from the vet, because it's easier that way. I use Heartgard Plus. I've never used anything else, so I can't comment on any other brand. Revolution prevents heartworm, so you need a scrip to order it online also.

I use Frontline or Advantage for fleas. I buy them online from Drs Foster & Smith or from Jeffers pet. I only use Revolution when I have an ear mite outbreak (it's a miracle!), and I buy it from the vet. I dunno, it kind of scares me because of all the things it does.

alphadoginthehouse · 07-06-2008, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesirose

So I could get two medicines, one for flea and tick, and one for heartworm, and I need a prescription for HW stuff.

The reason I don't want to wait is I ran out of what I have and I wanted to order it as soon as possible - but I guess if I buy it on Monday at the vet I can just order more online and I won't save as much money, but she'll be protected sooner.

Jesirose, if you want just one topical med for fleas and ticks ask for Advantage Multi. It will cost more for the one, but it is a little less than buying one for fleas and one for HW. And yes, if you get the HW from an online place, you will need a script, otherwise, you just get it from your vet.

Good luck. How's the weather up there in Plano (I'm in Houston...sticky here)?

jesirose · 07-06-2008, 09:42 PM

I don't mind giving two, if it works better that way. I just thought the one I had already been using had both and I couldn't find it. And I think we need both.

It's HOT but not humid! Thank goodness. But I'm staying inside in the AC all day anyway

gingersmom · 07-07-2008, 10:08 AM

The vet tech at the shelter where I adopted Ginger said that I should not use Advantix with a cat in the house, because it can cause problems for cats. Advantage is fine, just not Advantix with tick protection. Just something to check on for yourself, since you also have dogs and cats living together...

jesirose · 07-07-2008, 10:44 AM

Thank you! I will keep that in mind, I had considered the k9 advantix.

I'm calling them later today, thanks guys.