flea and worming

[Swisslady]

I’ve just been sold flea and working (3 tabs) for £50 at my vets and been told it’s essential every single month.

Perusing some articles which say you can purchase your own and that lungworm and heart worm are rare in the UK, which is usually included in the vets.

Went in for a £50 check up and came out with a hefty bill as I was sold various things which is my fault for accepting.

What do you all do for flea and working as on top of expensive insurance/food/dog walking this just adds up!

It’s all a matter of choice , I know of 2 dogs locally that have had lungworm , one has been very ill and it’s cost thousands . Our dog has Bravecto every 3 months and milbemax monthly . If I paid for it from our vet it would cost about £260 per year ( roughly I think ) . Instead I have him on a plan with the vet that is £16.99 per month and he gets flea / worm / annual jabs / 10% off things .

It's an essential part of dog ownership and your vets are trying to make sure you treat effectively and safely with the most efficient and efficacious products. Non veterinary products are NOT effective and proper de-worming is vital for human health, as well as your dog's health. If there is a break in flea treatment, than can allow a flea infestation to start. They're trying to help you, not rip you off.

I took my puppy for a puppy vet check, plus also got a dose of flee and worming treatment. In total it cost £28. I'm going to sign up for a monthly payment of £15 which covers flee and worming treatment, booster vaccines, nurse checks etc.

I use a monthly vet plan which includes all my flea/worming products, a discount of certain things and two checks up a year. Works out around £180 a year.

Another vote for a monthly plan - 2 labs, covered for fleas, worms, ticks, annual vaccination and discount on food -£31.00 per month. Totally worth it.

I pay £18 per month into a pet plan at the vets, covers his flea/worming treatment and gives discounts on other prescriptions and treatments.

Another one who has it on a plan - 4 weekly back-of-the-neck treatments, 6 monthly tapeworming pill, 6monthly once-over, 10% off various stuff

I know some people only treat if parasites detected, and most pets will be fine on that. But lungworm is horrid and is getting more common

Oh - and annual booster shots included too

Lungworm is certainly an issue.

I use Panacur on my dog and a Seresto collar for fleas and ticks. Seresto has just come of prescription only and a collar lasts 7-8 months.

We had a really bad experience with the oral flea medication and I will not give it to any animal in my care

I work mine every 3 months. And I’ve never treated for fleas as he’s never had them.

If you've ever dealt with fleas then you'll gladly accept the cost of the vet supplied treatment (whether via a plan or not). I, too, thought that the £48 cost for 3 months flea/worm treatment was high - compared with cheaper alternatives in pet shops.

So, I started off by going cheap. And suffered the indignity of a massive flea infestation. This cost a lot to resolve (and would have been even worse if we had carpets). I reacted badly to the flea bites and it was a miserable, itchy, uncomfortable period. We then went back to the vets, humbled, and gladly took the vet up on the offer of the 'hard' prescription stuff.

Sometimes I wonder about going back to the cheaper products - but then I remember the sheer hell of fleas so we will be sticking with the spendy stuff. It really is worth it, as we haven't had an issue since.

We could get the flea/worm treatment cheaper through an online pharmacy - but , as it is a prescription product you need a prescription. Our vet charges a flat rate of about £20 per prescription charge (and the prescription only lasts 3 months I think) so it is actually cheaper to get it from the vet. If ours did a monthly scheme I'd sign up to that.

Where have you seen that lungworm is rare?
Dogs can get it from eating slugs, snails or the trail they leave behind on grass and soil.
Check out the lungworm map on the Advocate website.

Your vet isn't making much money on these products and would make a lot more treating your dog for a lungworm infestation.

You need veterinary prescribed meds for worms, ticks and fleas. The ones you can buy from pet shops aren't worth the money you pay for them. False economy. You can ask for the prescription and buy them online but most people just pay for the plan that includes vaccinations as it works out fairly cheap in the long run