Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jane on July 21, 2013 at 9:05pm

We use Frontline Plus and it's always worked well for us. I'm not a fan of flea collars personally.

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Permalink Reply by Marcie on July 21, 2013 at 9:18pm

I had to switch to Activyl this year. It really makes Becca's coat greasy. Frontline plus was not working on ticks. I have to be careful of the cat when I apply the Activyl. I would check to see if the collar is toxic to cats if you have any. Advantix is toxic to cats too.

A friend uses a scalibar collar and likes it, but it is expensive.

If you only need flea protection Frontline may be fine.

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on July 22, 2013 at 10:22am

The collar is not toxic to cats - they are available for both cats and dogs

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on July 21, 2013 at 11:08pm

I would never use a flea/tick collar on my own animals, because they would be constantly breathing the fumes emanating from the collar.  

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Permalink Reply by Kat Lampkins on July 22, 2013 at 4:32am

I'm with Anna. Had a cat get sick from one...thankfully noticed and removed it before a trip to the vet was in order.

 

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on July 22, 2013 at 10:21am

The Seresto collars are not the same as the gross old-fashioned flea collars.  They do not emanate fumes or have powdery/greasy feeling

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on July 22, 2013 at 10:19am

I discovered this spring that Frontline is WORTHLESS!  We ended up with a huge flea infestation in our house.  One cat treated with Frontline had a dozen fleas, Frosty treated with Frontline had a dozen fleas, another cat treated with Frontline had over 30 fleas!!!  The one cat treated with Advantage had zero fleas.  I contacted Frontline and they said their product does not prevent fleas from getting on your animals, getting brought in your house, or causing infestations - What's the point then!!  Frosty was also constantly covered in ticks while on Frontline.  I had used Frontline for over 3 years, but never again.

I switched Frosty and 2 of our cats to the Seresto collar a couple months ago.  I have one cat with allergies who can not tolerate a collar, so she gets Advantage.  I just flea bathed everyone last week.  All 3 that have collars had zero fleas.  The cat on Advantage had 2 fleas.  Frosty has not had any ticks since I put the collar on.  I am definitely pleased with my Seresto collars.  We'll see if they actually last for 8 months as advertised.  There is also a $20 rebate available from Seresto depending on where you get your collar.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on July 22, 2013 at 12:12pm

This is the release from Bayer Healtcare:

"About Seresto
Seresto represents a major advance in the development of ectoparasiticides. The unique polymer matrix of Seresto provides dose adjusted release of two proven active ingredients: imidacloprid, a very potent insecticide, and flumethrin, a highly effective acaricide. Research into the efficacy of this combination has demonstrated that these two active ingredients work synergistically to significantly increase their efficacyagainst fleas. Laboratory trials confirm that the combination of imidacloprid and flumethrin is 100 times more effective against fleas than imidacloprid alone. Thanks to its innovative polymer matrix composition, the migration of active ingredients from the Seresto collar matrix to the surface adjusts depending on the concentrations of active ingredients within the lipid layer on the pet´s skin. This ensures a steady, low-dose release profile, providing optimal protection for up to eight months."

The fact that you cannot smell fumes emanating from the collar, does not mean they are not being emitted and, since the collar encircles the neck, much of what is emitted is around the head where breathing occurs.  These are powerful ingredients even in tiny amounts.  I'm not saying it's not safe, I don't have the expertise necessary to properly assess it, what I'm saying is that I would prefer other options to something that can be breathed in over such a long period of time.  I may be biased by the fact that I am personally sensitive to many pesticides, inhaled substances, cleaning spray products, etc. considered "safe".

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Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on July 22, 2013 at 1:38pm

Personally, I use Frontline Plus and get great results with it.  It very much depends on your particular area, though.  Some areas of the country seem to have flea/tick populations that have built up a resistance to one brand of flea/tick medication or another.  I don't have any experience with flea collars, unfortunately, so I cannot provide any feedback about how effective one would be.  I definitely couldn't use one, though.  I'd end up washing my hands every time I touch the dogs' collars because of what chemicals may come off onto my hands.

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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on July 22, 2013 at 2:35pm

That too....

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Permalink Reply by Rebecca on July 22, 2013 at 1:40pm

I've always used trifexis but we recently bought a house. The apartments we were living in always sprayed for bugs. Now that we are in the house I either need to find a new parasite med and something that takes care of fleas and ticks or find something that gets those ticks. Anybody have a good suggestion either way?

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Permalink Reply by Karen Dadisman on July 22, 2013 at 5:51pm

Like someone said, it depends on where you live what works. We go to GA for the winter from Iowa. I always call the vet where we go to see what is working. We have used Frontline Plus here in Iowa with excellent results but have had to use Advantix when we go to GA. The only flea collars I ever used were the old ones many years ago.

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