Groovychook Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I've just tried to place a repeat order for Advocate for large cats and one for dogs, only to find that it now requires a prescription As this would now make it quite an expensive order, just wondered if anyone has any recommendations for an alternative product? I don't use Frontline any more as it didn't seem to do the trick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 Just spoken to my vet who says that Advocate has always needed a prescription! I can't understand how I've been able to purchase it from my online supplier for so long without one Any cheaper recommendations gratefully received! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted July 8, 2014 Share Posted July 8, 2014 I always understood it needed a prescription. What precisely do you use it for? (If that doesn't sound like a stupid question ). Advantage is a flea treatment. Advantix is a flea and tick treatment (although I believe it also requires a prescription?) Prac-tic is a flea and tick treatment. Milbemax covers worming including lungworm (but needs a prescription) Effipro, Fiprospot and Flevox are all the same as Frontline (ie they are all Fipronil) so don't bother with these if you're not finding Frontline is effective. Not sure if that's helpful or not?! I tend to stick with regular worming with Milbemax from the vet, and using Frontline as and when needed, I don't routinely use it every 1-2 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted July 9, 2014 Author Share Posted July 9, 2014 I originally understood that it required a prescription but assumed that this was no longer necessary when I was able to purchase it through Animed without. I've no idea why this has been possible for so long but I wish I'd stocked up!! I use it as a flea treatment. One of my cats has a flea allergy and Frontline stopped working for her ages ago. I use Drontal as a separate wormer. Thanks for the suggestions, much appreciated I haven't heard of Prac-tic before, so I'll go and do a google search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I use Advantix on the dogs - I need the tick protection as they are avid hunters and pick them up from the undergrowth. The cats have Advocate for fleas. Frontline ceased to be effective around here a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 We use Stronghold for cat fleas, as the vets switched over to it a few years ago. I don't know if it is POM or not, and I can't remember if it is a wormer as well, but it does seem to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Well, in the end I opted for Advantage as apparently it is the same as Advocate but without the wormer. I worm anyway with Drontal so hopefully this will do the trick. Advantage does not require a prescription but Advocate does, so it must be the worming element that necessitates this. Fingers crossed it works! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Just be aware that Advantage doesn't offer protection against ticks (if you need this). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Just be aware that Advantage doesn't offer protection against ticks (if you need this). Thanks for the warning I'll have my little tick removing tool at the ready Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PixieDust Posted September 27, 2014 Share Posted September 27, 2014 As a newbie I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I will never use Advocate. It's terrible stuff. My dog was born with the nerves carrying water to one eye, damaged. To check the internal cause, when he was young he had a course of drops that, best description, jumped the nerve signal across the gap in the nerve and we found his eye watered normally. Unfortunately the drops needed increasing so much he would pour slobber out and soak everyone and anything. He couldn't live like that. So he now has artificial tears. Anyhow, whilst on these drops if I ever gave him Advocate the drops stopped working completely. After much research by me and the opthalmic vet, we discovered that Advocate kills the insects by attacking it's central nervous system. By stopping my dogs flow of tears showed it was interfering with his nervous system. In discussions with the vet we discovered Milbemax offers as much protection but is far gentler. To be fair my boy doesn't like puddles or jump in rivers so is very unlikely to pick anything up. For fleas I use Billy No Mates, a herbal supplement which I have used since he was 6 months old. Maybe had one or 2 fleas all told. I try to keep everything natural and he eats a BARF diet and only had puppy vacs and 1st year booster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 28, 2014 Share Posted September 28, 2014 If your online suppliers have be suppling Advocate without prescription, they have been doing so illegally I'm afraid. Either they are getting their supplies into the country under the radar or they are selling it against the UK medicines regulations i.e breaking the law. It has never been avaiable without a prescription. Advocate does not treat ticks or tapeworm (Advantage does not treat ticks). Advantage is not the same as Advocate without the womer either. Advantage + Drontal is reasonable alternative to Advocate but will not treat ear mites, sarcoptic mange, heartworm, some lungworm and a couple of other less common parasites. Hope this helps a bit. I assume you are talking about treatment for a dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willing Dogs Posted October 26, 2021 Share Posted October 26, 2021 On 7/12/2014 at 12:31 PM, Groovychook said: Well, in the end I opted for Advantage as apparently it is the same as Advocate but without the wormer. I worm anyway with Drontal so hopefully this will do the trick. On 9/28/2014 at 3:07 PM, Chucky Mama said: Advantage is not the same as Advocate without the womer either. Advantage + Drontal is reasonable alternative to Advocate but will not treat ear mites, sarcoptic mange, heartworm, some lungworm and a couple of other less common parasites. Hope this helps a bit. I assume you are talking about treatment for a dog. Hi All, I wanted to add to this discussion because I have only just discovered that Frontline, Flevox, Fipnil, Bob Martin, Eppipro and others all use Fipronil. So I've been looking for a different drug. I had also been told, by the vets, that for fleas Advantage is as good a Advocate. I haven't found Advantage effective, but was finding Flevox great. My cat, unbeknown to me, got switched over to Fipnil, and I didn't realise that it wasn't working as I was away. Things got bad. I am now peddling hard, trying to find a way to get back on top of the fleas. In my search I have also been told that Frontline plus has Fipronil (in form of phenothrinyl pyrazole) plus S- Methoprene. And Fipnil plus has this too. I haven't tried either of these, but know someone who I believe has, and is having the same problems. I am trying to find out a) why Advantage doesn't seem to work - tried several times over the years, and trying again now. (Advocate did years ago, but I haven't used it since) b) what to use now that fleas seem resistant to Fipronil c) Why Flevox was soo effective when the others failed! d) why Flevox said re-apply every 5 weeks last year, and now it says it lasts 8 weeks against fleas!! Any info appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
