Grocery Store Products can be Harmful to Your Pet
Last week the veterinarians at Middletown Animal Hospital saw first hand how low end grocery store topical products can negatively affect your pet. A cat came into our hospital on an emergency basis with low temperature, no motor control, twitching from seizures, and panting. Pet owners don’t realize there is a difference and unsafe ingredients in these products can be toxic to animals. Our products are also guaranteed so if there is ever an issue our company's stand behind their product but only when purchased through a veterinarian. We also offer rebates and free doses which makes the cost more affordable. You get what you pay for so always use a product approved by your veterinarian.
Topical flea and tick medications for our pets are very important to help control parasites and the health consequences that come with them. However, not all topical products are created equal in efficacy or safety. Over the counter, "grocery store" brands such as Hartz, Biospot, Zodiac, etc can have severe side effects even when used correctly. They often are also not very effective. The ingredients of pyrethrin/pyrethroids, permethrins, and etofenprox seem to have the most severe side effects including excessive salivation, high or low temperature, vomiting, ataxia, weakness, dypsnea, tremors, seizures, and potentially death. It is most common to see this in cats when they are given the dog spot on product, although these signs can also occur when proper doses of the cat product is used.
The ingredient Fipronil is safe and available to buy at Middletown Animal Hospital. The safest over the counter products for cats are Frontline, Advantage, and EasySpot. However, the safest, most effective, and most broad-spectrum product we recommend for cats is Revolution. This controls not only fleas, but also ear mites, heartworm, roundworms, and hookworms. It is a very safe product as well with an active ingredient of Selamectin which is a paraciticide approved by the FDA, not an insecticide.
The ingredient Fipronil is safe and available to buy at Middletown Animal Hospital. The safest over the counter products for cats are Frontline, Advantage, and EasySpot. However, the safest, most effective, and most broad-spectrum product we recommend for cats is Revolution. This controls not only fleas, but also ear mites, heartworm, roundworms, and hookworms. It is a very safe product as well with an active ingredient of Selamectin which is a paraciticide approved by the FDA, not an insecticide.