Over the counter flea treatments....?

Question

If those over the counter flea treatment brands like Hartz are so bad for your pet like everyone claims, then why are they still on the market? If so many cats and dogs DIE from the stuff like people say, wouldn't they pull it from the shelves?

I'm not asking for advice as to what flea treatment to use....I use K9 Advantix, I was just wondering why so many people are against using OTC stuff...just curious, thats all

Answer 1

Because suckers don't know and they go and get them.

Answer 2

general over the counter flea products are ineffective at best, and toxic at its worst. You want to be careful with flea products and it is better to spend a little more and get the job done right the first time then spend less and have to continue to treat, and risk giving a toxic load of chemicals to your cats. Frontline and advantage are now being sold over the counter at most major pet stores. Frontline is a very good product, but a lot of shelters are starting to see the fleas adapting to it and it is not as effective as it used to be. Will that be your experience? no idea. I like frontline for fleas because it actually works longer then 30 days (used to say 90 days, now I believe the packaging says 60) Advantage has less product (not as much liquid) so it might be easier for some people to apply to their cats, it works for 30 days, and it is not as widely used so the fleas at this point haven't seemed to adapt to it. Personally I used both. A majority of my cats get FL, but I have one who's fur keeps the FL from being effective for some odd reason. Advantage works great on him.

Answer 3

Well, They die because the owners don't read the instructions, Go to your vet and get a flea shampoo. Ask the vet how to do it right. They work the best, they may be a little pricey but they are worth it, I have 3 Dogs and 4 Cats and I use it once a month and they work great. If you want a good flea medicine ask your vet for Capstar, it is a pill that you give them and it kills the fleas within 30 Mins. That works to.

Answer 4

I haven't use the Hartz brand, but I've heard that most of their pet care items aren't good for pets... I've just started using Zodiac brand flea drops.. They are a lot cheaper than frontline/advantage and I haven't had a problem it's around $10 for a 3 month supply... My dog spends a fair amount of time outdoors and we have woods surrounding our house... We also brush her out and bathe her once a month.. That helps as well...Good luck...

Answer 5

This was years ago when the animals started dieing from the treatments. They have since fixed the problem and put them back on the shelves. I have used them a few times since then, but nothing works better than Frontline and I have used everything out there.

Answer 6

The OTC flea treatments are not nearly as effective against killing fleas and flea eggs and they do almost nothing to keep ticks off dogs. I haven't heard of them killing animals just not working well.

Answer 7

My guess is because they offer a low-cost alternative to the "good" stuff. And not every cat or dog will die from it. So, I guess they make it available as a cheaper option. I have often wondered the same thing. I think it's more harmful to the cats than the dogs tho.

Answer 8

I've never heard that and I use them on the farm cats that I have every month in the summer, and they aren't dead yet! I'm sure that they aren't as effective as the vet brands, but they do the job. Of coarse on the inside cat I only use Frontline.

Answer 9

i dont use over the counter stuff i use garlic and have yet to see the lil buggers on my animals..all them people who go to the vets get mugged off for flea treatment when garlic does the same for like 68p a clove