Generic topical flea products... Are they safe?

Hi guys I was recently at the flea market & saw sargents gold flea drops for a dollar (i know I know lol) & couldn't resist thr deal & picked up a couple of boxes. But I got home & stumbled across an article written by this lady whose dog almost died from a reaction to this product.

But I know they can also get reactions from thr 'good' stuff too, my question is is it safe for me to use? I have used many OTC flea meds over the yrs (I just can't afford frontline or advantix ) without a prob. So would it be safe for me to use it on my dogs?

I don't trust Sergeants products. It's just a gut reaction, but when I mentioned it to my vet a couple of years ago, he agreed with me. He has no problems with people using more cost effective stuff they don't get from him, so it wasn't a money thing.

Nothing wrong with using the cheaper flea products. I personally haven't used either Sergeant or flea collars in general. I tend to stick to the flea shampoos and dips. I've used the Hartz flea shampoo in the past, and it works well.

There's also good news! One of the big-name brands (I believe Frontline?) has gone generic in the past few months. The generic brand is called Fiproguard, and is half the price of Frontline. I've been using it on my pups and it works great.

I personally wouldn't use Sergeants or Hartz flea products. A simple google search brings up a lot of scary stories.

http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/sergeants-flea-control-c92268.html

And on Amazon, it had 33 reviews... 30 of those reviews were 1/5 stars.

http://www.amazon.com/Sergeants-60-...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B000TZ75JK

I've never heard of Sargents, but I would not use Hartz. At all. I have seen first hand the nasty side effects it causes. Severely burnt skin and hairloss, mainly.
The generic Frontline on the market now is about as cheap as I would go.

I wouldn't use it.

This year I changed from Frontline Plus to Revolution because of the Interceptor (hw preventative) shortages. I'm happier with Revolution so far than I had been with Frontline Plus.

Yeah, I wouldnt use it. All of these products are toxic (even the good ones) and I have a hard enough time justifying "safe" ones that for me, the risk and danger from others is just too great.

Now you can get K9 Advantix in bulk http://www.amazon.com/Advantix-Flea-Control-KIT-Sizes/dp/B006WC0PLO/ref=pd_sim_sbs_petsupplies_2

I wouldnt touch that stuff. The only otc flea /tick product I would buy is frontline.

I used Frontline for several years, but it's quit working on the fleas here.

We use the Pet Armour that walmart carries, it has the exact same ingredients as frontline, has saved me hundreds of dollars this summer and has worked great! I will keep using it as long as it works!

I wouldn't use Sargent or Hartz or any of the other "cheaper" flea/tick stuff. Waaaay too many scary stories.

I use an essential oils blend for flea/tick prevention, since I've see very few ticks and I've never seen a flea around here. If it was needed, I would use Frontline.

Have you used this product?

Aleron, I've used the Advantix II, which is the same flea product but has an additional ingredient for mosquitoes, ticks, etc. I switched to the Advantix line after the Frontline quit working for me, on the advice of my vet. The dogs seemed to tolerate it better, too. They all had some irritation with Frontline, especially Shiva.

Well, Kharma didn't. I think she's related to Wolverine.

I'm definitely going to order the bulk Advantix as soon as I can though. I really like being able to control the dosage especially. I'm not crazy about using this kind of stuff but the fleas are horrible here right now and I don't see them letting up until way into the winter.

I was just curious if you had experience with the bulk product. It's a great price!

I've used Adams stuff from Walmart, it does work. Dogs didn't seem to like it, but they didn't like the Frontline spray either. I could see it killing the fleas, and they stayed dead, just like the Frontline spray.

I've been too scared to try anything generic... I've used k9 advantix because frontline just DOES NOT work in Miami for some reason. The fleas treat it like it's just water.

My friend's APBT had seizures after applying Sargeants. Saving the money isn't worth it when your dog gets sick and you have huge vet bills.

That said, Advantix gave Fozzie a serious rash and dandruff/hairloss all the way down his back where I applied it. The only thing that hasn't produced any reactions is Frontline, so that's the only preventative I keep around. And ONLY if they really need it! The most cost effective and safe way to prevent fleas and ticks are natural remedies and keeping your dogs super healthy. Regular baths with dawn, a healthy diet preferably raw, and plenty of omega 3s are important. I add minced garlic to their meals in the summer. Brewer's yeast works too. When I'm taking them to the river or other places where fleas and ticks are, I spritz them with lavender oil. Fleas & ticks aren't particularly rampant around here.

Some of them are safe, some are not. Some are effective, some are not. If you read labels, there are OTC flea products on the shelves that don't actually kill adult fleas. Some of them have terrifyingly high concentrations of known carcinogens.

I've seen dogs (and cats- cats tend to be more sensitive to neurological effects) with tremors, with seizures, with chemical burns. I've not seen any of these things from Frontline, Advantage, Advantix.