Stronghold Plus

IMPORTANT: If your cat is in any distress or discomfort, please consult your own vet as your first priority.
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Jan
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Stronghold Plus

Post by Jan »

Happy New Year to one and all here.

Hope someone can give advice/opinion about Stronghold Plus (sorry if this was been raised before as haven't been here for a while). During a consultation with the vet yesterday evening, she told me that her clinic is switching from recommending Advocate for fleas etc to Stronghold Plus because it also covers ticks. (We also use Milbemax every 3 months). I was given 1 phial to try but having read thar Stronghold + might cause hair less/redness etc, I'm not keen to use it. Reason is that we initially used Profender every 3 months but after 3 doses, Blackie developed hair loss, redness and bleeding where it had been applied - hence why we switched to Milbemax.

I am reluctant to give Blackie anything that might cause him problems - he is almost 16 now, doesn't go very far from our garden (especially in winter - and in summer, his slave (me) puts his cat bed in the garden where he's happy to snooze the day away.

(I also have a tale to tell about Blackie trying to starve himself to death over Xmas + New Year).... :roll: :roll: . Can laugh about it now but at the time I was frantic with worry.

I
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Ruth B
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Re: Stronghold Plus

Post by Ruth B »

All I can say is that I've used Stronghold on all my cats for years without any having a reaction to it. However if Blackie has had a reaction to other spot on treatments there is always a risk he will react to Stonghold. The only downside we have come across is that it is very expensive but we also don't put it on anywhere near as often as they say you should.

I can't comment on Advocate, Profender or Milbemax as they aren't ones I've come across, but I do know that some use different insecticides and different carrying agents so it could be he reacts to one of them but not others, but it would be very hard to try and pin down where the problem was.

Ticks are nasty and carry some nasty diseases, but I have only ever know one cat that had one and had to have it removed, and he was a tom that was neutered late in life and had a habit of wandering.

If Blackie only stays in your garden then personally I think keeping him on what you know is safe for him is the best bet, if you started to see any signs of fleas about him and any indication that they are becoming resistant to what he has (I've seen evidence that they are becoming resistant to Broadline and Frontline around here) then think of changing, but I'm not sure it's worth it for him.

I do wonder if a lot of the advice given is the vets personal preference or based on the charisma of the rep that is selling them the products. My vets were always fond of Advantage and Stronghold, where my Mum's were very much in favour of Broadline. A lot of people mention Advocate, but it was never mentioned to me as an option.
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Kay
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Re: Stronghold Plus

Post by Kay »

I don't know if it helps at all, but I haven't treated Tiffany with any kind of flea or worm treatment for 12 years and she has never shown any evidence of having either - she is confined to an enclosed patio garden, but there are two strays I feed just the other side of the netting, but nothing seems to have passed to her

vets and manufacturers make a lot of money out of these treatments, as Ruth says, so it makes you wonder if the cat's best interests are the top priority
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fjm
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Re: Stronghold Plus

Post by fjm »

Pippin reacts badly to spot on treatments, so these days he has the Program injection at the first sign of infestation - about every other year. It doesn't kill the adult fleas but does stop them breeding - I comb him, and all the animals, very thoroughly with a flea comb and kill all those I find. The other three get whichever treatment is currently recommended as most effective by the vet, again only when I see signs of fleas, and for several months afterwards. Program does not stop ticks, but I believe cats are much less susceptible to tick borne diseases than dogs and humans (or to those diseases that have historically been endemic in the UK, at least). Nasty things, but not difficult to deal with once you have the proper tick remover tool, and unless your garden is visited by wildlife he is unlikely to encounter ticks there.
Sniper1
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Re: Stronghold Plus

Post by Sniper1 »

I believe in treating the house and outdoor sleeping areas and then only doing the cats when essential and at 16 I wouldn't be treating a cat just as a matter of routine our jasper only tolerates stronghold and gets an awful sore with any other spot on but all can be different I certainly wouldn't worry too much about ticks with your blackie and probably stick with what you know
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Jan
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Re: Stronghold Plus

Post by Jan »

Thanks for replies. Am inclined to stick with Advocate and Milbemax. Blackie is very much an outdoor/indoor (in that order) cat.
I do wonder how much commission these vets are paid to use certain products :roll: [*]
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