# Prescription vs non-prescription wormers and flea treatments



## herajika (Sep 25, 2010)

My vet has always recommended prescription wormer and flea treatment for my dog, a German Spitz Klein. I have been using Milbemax (for small dogs and puppies) and Advocate (for Medium dogs).

I am wondering whether these prescription meds are *REALLY* better than the non prescription ones like Frontline and Drontal (or is my vet trying to make more money...?) Of course I will pay the money if it is indeed better, but then I don't want to waste my money if they are essentially the same thing. I have also read that some wormer will make the dog ill - has anyone experienced illness in German Spitz when treated with non-prescription meds? Bo has been fine with Milbemax and Advocate so should I stick with what I have been doing to avoid giving him illness?

I have also noticed that Milbemax and Advocate are basically killing the same things - both meds kill roundworms, hookworns, whipworms, lungworms and heartworms. The only thing Advocate doesn't kill is tapeworms, which is covered by Milbemax. Would this pose to be a problem since I am essentially over-medicating? The vet said it should be fine, but I just wanted some opinions of the community.


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## Mum2Heidi (Feb 17, 2010)

It concerns me that there is so much resistance to drugs at the moment and what worked a couple of years ago, doesnt now.

I try and deal with things as naturally as possible. After trying various flea concoctions I am now using a homeopathic remedy that is working brilliantly on my cats and dog. It also deters but doesnt kill worms. For worms I feed Diatomaceous earth twice a week.

My friend has a horse and wormed him regularly. She gave him some DE and it cleared out a load of worms


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## [email protected] (Mar 24, 2011)

Speaking from a South Wales perspective, the prescription meds have one major advantage and that is Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum). Round us here the worm is hyper-endemic and we see cases almost on a weekly basis. I don't know of any non script wormer that will cover this and the disease can be very severe and even prove fatal.

There is also the fact that to gain a license for a prescription medication the drug must have gone through years of testing for safety and efficacy, hence the price tag.

Will
gowervets.co.uk


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## herajika (Sep 25, 2010)

Mum2Heidi said:


> It concerns me that there is so much resistance to drugs at the moment and what worked a couple of years ago, doesnt now.
> 
> I try and deal with things as naturally as possible. After trying various flea concoctions I am now using a homeopathic remedy that is working brilliantly on my cats and dog. It also deters but doesnt kill worms. For worms I feed Diatomaceous earth twice a week.
> 
> My friend has a horse and wormed him regularly. She gave him some DE and it cleared out a load of worms


Thanks for this information but I am a first time dog owner and so inexperienced with these medicines already, let alone natural remedies! 



[email protected] said:


> Speaking from a South Wales perspective, the prescription meds have one major advantage and that is Lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum). Round us here the worm is hyper-endemic and we see cases almost on a weekly basis. I don't know of any non script wormer that will cover this and the disease can be very severe and even prove fatal.
> 
> There is also the fact that to gain a license for a prescription medication the drug must have gone through years of testing for safety and efficacy, hence the price tag.
> 
> ...


Thanks very much for this. So lungworm is the thing to look out for.... will it be possible to just get Advocate (which kills lungworms and all that, except tapeworms) and then get a cheaper pet shop wormer which kills tapeworms (rather than Milbemax, which is more expensive).


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## Flossy11 (Mar 23, 2011)

Yes, you could stick to Advocate to cover lungworm (and fleas) and add Drontal to cover tapeworms - non prescription and a bit cheaper than Milbemax.

There is nothing to choose between Drontal and Milbemax in terms of efficacy against specified parasites (just a little variation in which parasites are killed).

A few dogs seem sensitive to these wormers with tummy upset but very small % relative to number treated.


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## anda (Mar 10, 2011)

i dont now about natural remedies,but i do no that the vets wormers are stronger, and to be honest i have grandchildren that just turn up, and i would hat it if one went blind because i had gone for a cheaper one.The combination i us is advercat and drontel which is cheaper and covers the nasties,i have also found them cheaper on line


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## herajika (Sep 25, 2010)

Flossy11 said:


> Yes, you could stick to Advocate to cover lungworm (and fleas) and add Drontal to cover tapeworms - non prescription and a bit cheaper than Milbemax.
> 
> There is nothing to choose between Drontal and Milbemax in terms of efficacy against specified parasites (just a little variation in which parasites are killed).
> 
> A few dogs seem sensitive to these wormers with tummy upset but very small % relative to number treated.


Thanks, that's what I am thinking since Drontal is just under £2 online whereas Milbemax costs me £12 from the vet.  I might buy a Drontal from pets at home or something to try it out to see if my dog agrees with this wormer before buying in bulk online.



anda said:


> i dont now about natural remedies,but i do no that the vets wormers are stronger, and to be honest i have grandchildren that just turn up, and i would hat it if one went blind because i had gone for a cheaper one.The combination i us is advercat and drontel which is cheaper and covers the nasties,i have also found them cheaper on line


Thanks and yes of course I am gunning for the best treatment option given the costs... if the prescription meds are MUCH better than the ones from pet shops, then it is worth the money... but I just don't know how good they are without asking the community


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## Guest (Mar 24, 2011)

Advocate and Drontal here too


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## Dogless (Feb 26, 2010)

herajika said:


> Thanks, that's what I am thinking since Drontal is just under £2 online whereas Milbemax costs me £12 from the vet.  I might buy a Drontal from pets at home or something to try it out to see if my dog agrees with this wormer before buying in bulk online.
> 
> Thanks and yes of course I am gunning for the best treatment option given the costs... if the prescription meds are MUCH better than the ones from pet shops, then it is worth the money... but I just don't know how good they are without asking the community


That seems steep; although I don't know how much your dog weighs; I bought Milbemax from our vet about 3 weeks ago when Kilo weighed around 23kg and it only cost just over a fiver. I do know that they didn't charge me for a prescription, so perhaps that accounts for the huge difference


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## kaisa624 (Mar 5, 2010)

McKenzie said:


> Advocate and Drontal here too


Ditto. We use Advocate monthly and Drontal quarterly. We buy both yearly and it amounts to about £60 I think.


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