Spinosid, Comfortis, D I Y Flea Meds?

[sandgrubber]

It's peak flea season here in Florida. My vet has suggested alternating flea treatments to get higher kill rates and avoid building up resistence.

Comfortis is popular, and also seems to work to prevent heartworm. But it's expensive.

The active ingredient in Comfortis, spinosid, is widely sold as an insecticide. It's ok with organic standards, and isn't toxic to any of the mammals it has been tested on except in absurdly high doses. And it's cost per g of active ingredient is more than a hundred times lower than the cost per g in dog flea meds.

Has anyone tried making their own flea repellant from the pesticide version? What would be the dangers of doing so? (Spinosid + Ivermectin has proven to be a bad combination, but I don't use Ivermectin).

Edited July 10, 2013 by sandgrubber

[Skruffy n Flea]

hi sandgrubber :)

i don't mix my own compounds but i do swap treatments; during the hotter months i administer comfortis and interceptor spectrum [staggered one week apart], BUT during the colder times of the year i drop comfortis and use only sentinel spectrum.

i know it doesn't answer your question, but you might consider it an alternative to an all-year-round parasitic treatment routine that you could feel comfortable with.

best of luck!

[RiverStar-Aura]

I don't make my own treatments either but do rotate them. During summer with all the biting insects, my guys are given Advantix -- poor Zeus gets terrible allergies to biting insects. During winter I get sick of trying to guess the weather and treat them with Comfortis, which covers fleas only. That way I don't have to worry about the annoying rain!

[Nekhbet]

It's not the active ingredient you necessarily worry about but the suspensory chemicals with them that can cause burns, skin conditions or worst, poison the dog. I've heard a couple of greyhound guys doing it but we never really heard from them again O_o

Have you tried neem oil, diatomaceous earth and pure pyrethrin (not the artificial stuff) I find the pure pyrethrin products to literally kill even stubborn fleas almost on the spot and I just spritz it on. I use it when the bogans mangy cats come over and shed their fleas when we bring the dogs where we're renovating.

[sandgrubber]

1373975955[/url]' post='6254967']

It's not the active ingredient you necessarily worry about but the suspensory chemicals with them that can cause burns, skin conditions or worst, poison the dog. I've heard a couple of greyhound guys doing it but we never really heard from them again O_o

Have you tried neem oil, diatomaceous earth and pure pyrethrin (not the artificial stuff) I find the pure pyrethrin products to literally kill even stubborn fleas almost on the spot and I just spritz it on. I use it when the bogans mangy cats come over and shed their fleas when we bring the dogs where we're renovating.

Thanks Nekhbet. Useful info, and you're right about the binders and fillers being potentially hazardous even if the active ingredient is fine. My old girl went into cluster seizures on pyretheroids (the artificial ones) in a spot on flea control product, so I'm a little afraid of pyrethrin.

[books]

Have tried revolution and advantage but both have failed. I would like to give my cat off label comfortis for dogs, my cat is 5 kg can anyone suggest what packet I buy, the smallest size and do I cut the tablets in half or quarters

[Nekhbet]

artificial and pure natural pyrethrin are two very different things. Cats too cannot tolerate pyrethroids but I've dipped 5 week old kitties and ferreties in the natural stuff for flea infestation no problems - not even a sneeze :p

[Crisovar]

The off label use of chemicals and drugs can be dangerous and in some cases deadly, giving information about how to do so over the internet is dangerous and irresponsible. I have seen the results of at home off label experiments, not pretty and in the end what is your pets life worth? Vets will prescribe off label use of some products under advisement. As for cutting the cost of treatments by using chemicals not registered for Vet use, the costs involved with having a product registered for use are enormous. It isn't as simple as marking the price up on a product to sell it to a different market. The testing a studies that have to be done before registered is granted are involved time consuming and costly. Of course they are more expensive to the end consumer.

[Alyosha]

Well said Crisovar.

[sandgrubber]

1374619409[/url]' post='6261718']

The off label use of chemicals and drugs can be dangerous and in some cases deadly, giving information about how to do so over the internet is dangerous and irresponsible. I have seen the results of at home off label experiments, not pretty and in the end what is your pets life worth? Vets will prescribe off label use of some products under advisement. As for cutting the cost of treatments by using chemicals not registered for Vet use, the costs involved with having a product registered for use are enormous. It isn't as simple as marking the price up on a product to sell it to a different market. The testing a studies that have to be done before registered is granted are involved time consuming and costly. Of course they are more expensive to the end consumer.

On label use can also be dangerous. FDA Licensed pyretheroid flea meds nearly killed my old girl. I've had a whole litter of pups come down with kennel cough from the vaccine. There are organochlorides that are approved for flea dips and for ridding kennel premises of ticks. That's more toxic than I ever want to go! What's more, there are counterfeit pet meds on the market. If you buy discount on the Internet you may end out with something other than what is on the label, or no active ingredient.

Careless use off label can be dangerous. Accidents with NSAIs, like Ibuprofin or tylenol, are pretty common and serious. Well researched, cautious, off label use can be pretty safe. Dilute vinegar for controlling yeast infections in the ear is quite safe...so long as you have common sense and go to the vet if the infection gets serious. All you're doing is changing pH. My vet recommended Benadryl for a bee sting once. I will use it again for that application without going back to the vet. Many breeders, often with vet recommendations, use livestock meds on their dogs. You need to study toxicities and dosages and be aware of possible reactions. You need to read the testing data on the product--they often do lab testing on beagles for insecticides. There are books, written by vets (eg, Eldridge, D.M. Et al, "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook" now on 4th Edn.) that advise on safe use of off label meds.

Note, also, that most natural remedies are off label. It pisses me off that there is no real price competition in the pet meds market, and drug companies charge what the market will bear (bare?). It's as though they've learned that people will willingly pay $1/day to keep off fleas and ticks, so that's what we'll charge. This ends out with a situation where only the affluent can afford to take good care of their pets.