Roselady Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Hello there Not posted for a while re our girls or our new addition (puppy) but I read posts everyday as I love this forum. I wondered if I could have some opinions on what people think of Advocate please? Our vet has prescribed this to me as when I went for some worming stuff last night. She recommended it as I told them I've caught him trying to eat slugs a few times and he has also taken an extreme liking to rolling in either fox or badger poo (absolutely stinks ) when we let him off lead on our weekend rural walks. I've googled it and am now a bit worried as there seems to be quite a reaction against it on some dog forums (which incidentally I've found rather aggressive!) He is 18wks old now. Funny, we can't imagine our garden or house now without our girls and dog. They quickly get under your skin don't they. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 My vet also gave my puppy some when she had her second vacs. I don't know anything about it so would be interested to hear. Now, the important bit - what is your puppy? How old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 we use it here with no problems at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 We used to use it because our Vet Practice convinced us that we needed to when we got our first dog as an 8 week old pup. However after about a year of using it and debating the subject on another Forum that I'm a member of, we decided to stop using any chemicals on our dogs. We'd rather treat them if the need arises; 3 years into dog ownership, they've not had any illness or nasties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Dog forums are scary places indeed! Everyone has an opinion and woe betide if you disagree with it I've never used Advocate so can't help you with how 'safe' it is. I get the impression a lot of vets are more or less convincing people that their dog is going to get lungworm and pushing Advocate onto them. Must be good commission from the drug company! It's perhaps a different matter if your dog is actually eating slugs, but as far as I am aware, the risk of lungworm is very small indeed and I'd rather be aware of the symptoms than applying chemicals to my dog every month. That's too often in my opinion. I think I'm also right that Advocate doesn't treat tapeworm (?) so you will still need to use a 3-monthly worming tablet such as Drontal or Milbemax to cover that. Incidentally, Milbemax does manage lungworm (doesn't treat it completely but reduces the worm burden) so if you worm regularly every three months with Milbemax you shouldn't need to use Advocate each month. Personally I use Frontline every two months... or less as I am forgetful... and Milbemax every 3 months. But I think you will get as many different answers on how to manage parasites as there are dog owners! I did try the chemical free route for Tango, but then found a dirty great big tick on her! So it's back to Frontline for us, certainly in the summer months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Dog forums are scary places indeed! Everyone has an opinion and woe betide if you disagree with it Forums can have some scary members and little cliques but I have to say that the 'Dog Forum' I'm a member of is a wonderful place...I love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Ooh I've obviously not come across the one you are a member of then! In fairness, they are not all bad. The Dogmother introduced me to a forum which is lovely, I mainly read but have made the odd post there, but it all seems very friendly. But some are definitely scary places to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Ooh I've obviously not come across the one you are a member of then! It's for people who are owned by Border Terriers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Ah, that would explain why I've never ventured over there Never found a mongrels forum yet either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlotta Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I ask the vet about the risk of lungworm periodically, and they always say they haven't had any probs round here so doesn't push it at all. I use marbocyl for general worming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I am about to start the hooligans on Advocate after the fleas hereabouts seemed to be resistant to Frontline Combo, but then the filthy beasts will go burrowing through the undergrowth and digging in rabbit burrows Previously Frontline had always been brilliant though... I also suspect an acquaintances house which we sometimes visit; they seem to come back from there with little travellers, but then she doesn't 'do' chemicals and treats her dogs herbally if at all. I have heard about some reactions to Advocate, but only when it first came out, none since. I will report back when I've started them on it next month. It is a mild wormer but doesn't cover tapeworm so I will continue with Drontal but only every 6 months. I check them regularly for ticks and will continue to keep an eye on that as Advocate doesn't cover those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roselady Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Thanks so much all for your thoughts on this We are very new to it all like we were with chook keeping in May. I've applied the Advocate but I'm not keen on it and he's spent the last 30 minutes rolling! I will use the next two but research in the meantime. He had milbemax last time. I didn't like the forums I surfed, but then I'm used to this friendly one Rory is a yorkie Russell, 18wks, http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh638/Roses126/Snapbucket/A752315F.jpg%5B/IMG%5D http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh638/Roses126/Snapbucket/A22B5E64.jpg%5B/IMG%5D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 We use Advocate for our shih tzu as she is still a puppy and she does eat slugs and snails and pretty much anything else that she comes across, so for her we thought it a good thing to give her. I had no idea it didn't protect her from tape worms as the vet didn't even mention that. Our other dog is a 13yr old labrador and we don't use anything on her and haven't for a number of years and she has been fine. You can send poo samples to a place that tests it for any worms or parasites and then you just treat them if they find anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted December 6, 2012 Share Posted December 6, 2012 Our puppy is now 6 months old and is my first dog so I have just gone along with the vet's recommendations. She gets Advocate every month and at the last visit was give Drontal (she has to have this again in 6 months time). I suppose I want Lara to be as healthy as possible for her own sake and also to protect us and any children who play with her from the possibility of picking up bugs. She has never had a problems relating to the medications. I think I am much the same in my outlook to henkeeping in that I give the girls flubenvet regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Laveners_Blue you are right. I've been spending the earth on Advocate for my dogs only to find that one of mine had tape worm It seems to sort out just about everything but tape worm and that's the worm my dogs are most likely to get as the beastly beings do catch the odd rabbit . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaCola Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Reading this thread with great interest. All these Vets must be on great commission! Our pup (1st time dog owner here too) had second jab last week, and was pushed Advocate too, I'd brought it before I'd even realised what was happening I havn't applied it yet, and am stunned to see it doesn't treat Tapeworm! The vet said its an all in one but then again, my vet AFTER I payed for my second jab Said Pup needed a third, due to being given two different brands I'm with LolaLayla, would gladly spend if it insured there (and the kids) health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 At my vets it works out cheaper to use Advocate monthly and Drontal twice yearly than to use Frontline Combo, which I had been using. I'll see how they get on with it, the cats are fine on Advocate and still get a 'proper wormer' every 6 months as well as they are great hunters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 my vet AFTER I payed for my second jab Said Pup needed a third, due to being given two different brands I'm with LolaLayla, would gladly spend if it insured there (and the kids) health. I had that too but the third jab was free as it was different brands (the breeders bet did a different brand) Apparently the drug manufacturer pick up the cost. My vet was good and did tell me before she did the first one (for her, second for Neela) but it was amongst a lot of other info so I wasn't sure. I emailed them and they confirmed it was indeed free to me Might be worth asking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 If you check the packaging for Advocate, you'll see it has just about every worm wriggling (in the case of our package - with pictures ) EXCEPT tape worm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Yes, as I've said above, just treat your dogs with Drontal twice a year in addition to using Advocate and it'll keep the dogs tape worm free too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 I have joined a scheme at the vets where I pay £12 a month and it covers all injections, the monthly Advocate and the twice a year Drontal. I do not usually subscribe to this sort of thing but think it sounds cost effective. I also got £12 (10%) off her neutering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 I think Lesley's vet does a similar scheme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Mine do a simialr scheme too, but I haven't signed up to it as I buy my Frontline (not Combo) online and not from the vets. I may be missing something, but I'm not sure I see the point of Frontline Combo. Onced the flea bites the dog, it dies, right? So it's not going to breed in the carpet As I say - maybe I am missing something! I have heard that Effipro is exactly the same as Frontline only cheaper, so I might try that next time round. I tried Drontal but it gave Tango dreadful dire-rear, so we use Milbemax now. Shame as Milbemax is £££££ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 DM's right, our Vet does have a monthly payment scheme. It covers all vaccinations, Advocate once a month, Milbemax every three months and 6 monthly check ups with the nurse. It is cost effective and we were happy with the scheme. We use Advantix for our two as we have deer at the top of the land, we just had to pay the difference between that and the Advantage. Our dogs aren't in it at the moment as, because we'd taken them to France quite a few times, we'd got quite a stock of Advantix as the Pet Passport scheme (before it changed this Jan) meant that although we had Vet prescribed Advantix and Milbemax that we could take with us, the Vet in France had to administer their own - exactly the same - and charge well for it We've been using Advantix only every two months and have had no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
