over the counter cat medication

by Tracy
(Hartford, CT)

I bought some worm medication at walmart. Then I heard on TV this morning that it is better to get it from the vet because you don't know if its been stored properly etc... The worm medication at the vet is $10 and it was $5 at walmart. Do you approve of medication bought at the store rather than the vet?


Tracy

Answer by Kate
Hi
well it's not really a case of whether or not I approve. it is really more to do with effectiveness.

When I first got my cat I started to buy flea and worm treatments from the local store, but she still got fleas and when I took her to the vets he told me that a lot of these kinds of treatments are really effective (especially the flea ones) It was all to do with what they were made of etc. So now I only buy from the vet the monthly spot on treatments for fleas which also protects against worms too.

So I can't really say how good the store bought ones are now as I have not used them for many years. But I would say this, you get what you pay for in many cases and does cheap also mean not as good in this case?

i wouldn't say they were dangerous, just maybe not as effective.

best wishes kate

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Over The Counter Medications
by: Mary In NC USA

I wanted to reply as I have had several experiances with this same question personally.

Kate is VERY CORRECT about effectiveness of these over the counter products that claim to rid our pets of fleas, worms, ect.
In operating a rescue for a few years I have seen alot of loving pet owners trust their pets to these products with less than acceptable results. (sometimes even fatal) unfortunatly.
Most over the counter worm medication is not much more than "sugar water" as far as effective results go.
Worm medication is only absolutly effective when coming from your VET. The cost is slightly higher but you get the assurance that what your giving your cat is proper for the cats weight and current health condition .
Over the counter worming medications may work partly but usually will NOT fully tackle your cats problem.
Also as far as flea medication over the counter, you risk your cat having an adverse reaction which could be fatal.

I took in my daughter in laws cats who was 9 years old when they had their new baby.
She has always kept the cat inside until the baby came then put him outside and bought him a Over The Counter Flea Collar to wear.
I heard that she had tossed this cat outside and asked if he could come live with me.
As soon as I got him I noticed he had a weird smelling collar on and I immediatly removed it.
Within a few days he began vomiting and became listless. His once silky fur became unkept looking rapidly. I knew he was sick and took him to my vet.
Lucky for the cat that I took him into my home or he would have died a very painful death.
Turns out the over the counter flea collar had VERY high levels of pesticide in it and the cat had a unfavorable reaction to it and developed a Pancreas poisioning condition which would have killed him if I had not taken him swiftly to the vet.
This $4.00 collar resulted in a 5 day hospital stay, IV fluids and medications to save his life, costing me almost 500.00
The 4.00 flea collar was NOT worth the pain and suffering of the cat and the financial hardship it took to save him.
Luckily he survived but I would never reccomend over the counter treatments to ANYONE after that.

Bottom line here is : You NEVER know how your cat is going to react to over the counter medications or treatments and how effective they will be for your cats problem.
It is better to be safe than sorry and allow your VET to make those judgement calls.
Good luck to you and your kitty.

Mary

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