Are over-the-counter flea treatments as effective as vet ones?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. On the contrary! The over the counter flea and tick preventatives tend not to work as well as the prescription strength ones do. The active ingredients in the over the counter medications have been around for a very long time and fleas have built up a resistance to them over time so they may not work as well. These ingredients also tend to have higher rates of reactions in pets. Over the counter flea medications and preventatives can be toxic to cats especially. The prescription preventatives, however, have been rigorously studied for safety and effectiveness whereas the over the counter products may not. Therefore, it is really best if Gruber get a flea preventative from his veterinarian. That is the most effective and safest bet. I hope this helps and thanks for posting!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Good question! In general it is best to purchase these medications from your veterinarian. When purchased through a veterinarian the company will most often guarantee the effectiveness. This is usually not the case with products bought online or over the counter. When sold through a veterinarian the company that manufactures the product will stand behind the product and often pay for medical treatment should the product not work for some reason. The veterinarian also knows how to properly store the product so that it does not get damaged or becomes ineffective. Finally, sometimes over the counter products or products sold online can be counterfeit or even dangerous to use. Your veterinarian also knows what particular products tend to be most effective for your location.

This is because the best and strongest ones are sold by a vet as prescription only. The ones you get OTC are not as good, and frankly some are awful. Hartz, for one. I would never recommend it. I know of a recent case from a colleague that a cat died from Hartz application. I don't know how it's still on the market.

You will need to go to the vet to get the following products. First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30. minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.

With oral prevention there are no issues with bathing/swimming interfering with the product's efficacy as well as they don't typically lose any effectiveness between doses compared to topical flea/tick medications. There are also more chances for errors in applying topical medications compared to oral medications. Topical medications also rely on the skin absorbing them appropriately which rarely doesn't happen. I can't comment on the cheapest effective brand as prices can vary among areas as well as certain products can be discounted as part of a promotion depending on a veterinary clinic, online pharmacy and store. However ineffective products in my experience include Hartz and most collars.

Sometimes the best place to get advise for fleas is from the locals or the local veterinarian. The reason for this is that fleas in certain geographic areas are more susceptible to certain products than others. For instance, when I lived in NY everyone used Frontline and loved it. When I went down to Virginia, everyone hated it and their animals would be crawling with fleas regardless of use. Here in Pennsylvania, it doesn't seem to work well either. I find that that the Seresto collar is the most effective product, and it is nice because it lasts or eight months. It can be purchased over the counter on websites such as amazon or at Walmart. Hope this helps.

The Seresto flea/tick collar is the only one on the market that is safe and effective - the others, including Adams, are often dangerously toxic for the dog and not effective at all for fleas in my experience. Advantix is definitely a better choice than PetArmor, but the most effective option available for fleas and ticks currently would be an oral medication like Nexgard or Bravecto. I would recommend getting a prescription from your veterinarian for one of these medications, if possible - this will eliminate the need for any topical medication or flea collars, and will also work much better.