Need safe, affordable flea & tick treatments? Which brands to avoid?

Question

I was curious as to what is the best inexpensive brands for flea and tick treatments. We used to use Hartz, but I've been seeing a lot of horror stories surfacing the net about how people have been losing their pets due to something used in this brand. Is there any other brands I need to avoid? TIA.

Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA · Accepted Answer

Most licensed flea and tick treatments are safe when used in accordance with the guidelines - most importantly the species (many cannot be used in cats), age of pet (some are not recommended even at 16weeks), weight of pet and most importantly frequency of reapplication of products used. It is vital to never mix flea products unless clearly marked on the packaging or advised by your vets office - many shampoos, sprays, spot ons and household products comtain very similar ingredients and using multiple products at the same time can rapidly lead to overdose and toxicity. The cheapest product off the shelf is often not the most economical as it may be short or poorly acting, only kill adults on your pets and not repel new infestations or may not control the rehatching of eggs laid in the environment. A good quality household insecticidal spray such as acclaim or indorex is vital to inactivate eggs and prevent hatching and reinfestation. Monthly oral tablets such as capstar or comfortis can achieve rapid kill of adult fleas as they appear or advantix can actually repel as well as kill many biting insects before they feed on your pet. In severe cases, bravecto tablets or seresto collars are recommended and although they appear expensive initially they long duration of action (3 or 8 months) and will continue to control fleas/ticks throughout this period and do not require repeated applications

Need safe, affordable flea & tick treatments? Which brands to avoid?

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