General whinge re cost of flea treatment!

Cashmere on 13/02/2025 - 12:31

Why is flea treatment for pets so damn expensive in NZ? I have two cats and it is now costing me an arm and a leg to treat them every month!

Does anybody have any tips or hacks to keep costs down in this regard? I really don’t get why prices are beyond ridiculous for a tiny vial of chemicals! What’s the deal with the exorbitant cost?

I love my cats, so will keep paying through the nose for it, but it’s financially crippling and I feel it shouldn’t be. It never used to be quite so bad anyway!

Anybody else feel this way?? Do u have any tips or wise advice on the topic?

General Discussion

Comments

  • FiveFeetUnder on 13/02/2025 - 12:35
    +1

    Seresto Flea Collar? They last ages so at least you don't have to think about it as much

  • Cashmere on 13/02/2025 - 12:37

    Yes, I have seen those, was wondering if they might be more economical in the long run…

    Do you know if they work ok?

    • FiveFeetUnder on 13/02/2025 - 13:46
      +1

      Yeah we have been using the Seresto collars for years and no issues

      • Cashmere on 13/02/2025 - 15:31

        Oh, that’s great to know! Thank you 🙏

  • AleBeerenhoff on 13/02/2025 - 12:54
    +2

    Have had situations in the past where those flea collars cause skin irritation and/or potentially raise the risk of the animal getting caught up (eg on sticks etc) and being more prone to harm - ymmv
    Largely I feel because of the strong attachment pets have in our lives, pet products fall into the same state as boats, weddings and children - you will pay through the nose, usually with little sense or rationale because of the captive audience…yes you are being held captive, please enjoy your stay.

    • Cashmere on 13/02/2025 - 15:35
      +1

      Very true! Haha, and rest assured, as I said in my original post, I continue to treat my fur babies regardless of cost. It’s essential!

      Was just looking for advice on cheaper treatments, not a lecture on what I already know my cats need… 🧡

      I’m an ailurophile by nature! 🐈‍⬛

  • kiwipork on 13/02/2025 - 14:40
    +1

    If you're in Auckland I buy mine in bulk via Great South Vets in Otahuhu :)

    • Alan6984 on 13/02/2025 - 15:21
      +1

      If you're in Auckland I buy mine in bulk via Great South Vets in Otahuhu :)

      Hi KiwiPork,

      What does it cost you for what?

      Thanks,

      Alan.

    • Cashmere on 13/02/2025 - 15:36

      Cheers Kiwipork, I’m in Gisborne… but thank you for trying to help. ❤️

  • Jexla on 13/02/2025 - 17:03
    +3

    I just looked in to this last week and ended up with these that last 3 months.

    https://vetwarehouse.co.nz/bravecto-plus-for-cats/

    You might be able to find better, but that's what I came up with.

    • Ice222 on 14/02/2025 - 09:45
      +1

      Second this. Considering it works for 3 month it works out fairly reasonable and it works. Frontline may be cheaper, however I didn't find it effective at keeping fleas away. The last time I purchased I got it from vetpost.

      Once fleas are under control, you may also be able to just do treatment during the 6 hottest months of the year when fleas are most active rather than all year round.

    • Cashmere on 15/02/2025 - 11:27

      Thank you very much, Jexla.

      I actually have never bought from Vetwarehouse, I usually buy from Pet Direct or Animates. Anyway, do you find Vet Warehouse good in general? Thx for sharing this 🙏

      • Jexla on 15/02/2025 - 21:07
        +1

        Was my first time using them last week. I ordered, they shipped it the next business day, then it arrived. Not much more you could ask for.

        Others have mentioned vetpost.co.nz which does the same product.

        • Cashmere on 15/02/2025 - 23:24

          Thanks, good to hear

  • Shaz on 13/02/2025 - 22:41
    +1

    Frontline Plus for Cats 6 pack
    Original price was: $66.95.
    Now $42.18
    From vetpost.co.nz
    Free shipping over $79 so i usually order 2 packets and keeps me going for around 8 and a half months EACH for my 2 cats which i find really good value! (Only needs to be applied every 6 weeks for fleas)

    I used to pick stuff up on my travels to Australia, back in the day but not much of a price difference anymore!

    I try to stretch out treatments to 7 or 8 weeks - over the winter period rather than 6 weekly.

    Search deals constantly as well. Often if you link up to autoship monthly or whatever, they price out cheaper. And you can always cancel or hold the autoship as convenient!

  • kiwical on 14/02/2025 - 07:22
    +4

    A real cheapie way is to find a bulk lot of the active ingredient ( selamectin ) and give your pet the required dose in mls.

    One way some have had success with is to buy the largest dog dose you can find, then break that down for smaller pets. The only difference between the larger sizes is you get more of it, often at the same price.

    When we last got pets from the SPCA she had a large 200ml bottle of the stuff, then just syringed up a few mls and treated the kitten we were getting. But I suspect only vets would have access to it like that?

    • Hayce Irri on 14/02/2025 - 13:07
      +1

      My step mother who was a vet also recommended doing this

      • Cashmere on 15/02/2025 - 11:30

        Holy moly, that’s awesome advice! Have either of u guys tried this method??? If so, where did you manage to get it?

  • OnTheCheap on 14/02/2025 - 08:25
    +2

    Agreed with kiwical on purchasing single dose 3month treatment at the largest kg weight for cats. Then apply only half of this dose (roughly) then in 3months time dose the remaining half. Giving you 6months supply for the cost of 3. Not sure if dog flea treatment has any different/added ingredient compared to feline best to check this first.

    Or like my uncle use to say "gently place cat into bowl then Quickly close the lid and flush, count to ten open lid standing well clear as puss puss is going to fly out super fast!! Have a door open to outside ready. Clean cat and loo. 😇🤔

    • Alan6984 on 14/02/2025 - 14:01
      +1

      @OnTheCheap:

      gently place cat into bowl then Quickly close the lid and flush, count to ten open lid standing well clear as puss puss is going to fly out super fast!!

      May I suggest you amend your instructions to include flushing the loo PRIOR to putting the cat in. The resulting 'eruption' of cat and, well, other matter, was not at all pleasant.

      Also, the cat was really unimpressed with having clean itself. It keeps looking at me in that…. cat kind of way :-O

      • OnTheCheap on 15/02/2025 - 11:48

        Ha 😂 yeah cat kinda way looks can last up to 48hr period. And yes an EMPTY bowl prior certainly helps with that lol

      • Cashmere on 15/02/2025 - 15:14

        Hahahahaha! Love it.

  • Foodie on 14/02/2025 - 10:26
    +1

    I only de-flea my cats once a year. Although they don't have interaction with any outside neighbor cats.
    Never had an issue with fleas.

    • Cashmere on 15/02/2025 - 15:23

      Far out, you are lucky! One of my cats (the svelte one) never gets fleas, while my other feline (the fatty) gets them a bit more. I dose them once a month.

      I have to dose the fatter cat with a slightly higher dose, which means I have to sometimes buy different kg flea treatment for weight sizes. Fml 🤦‍♀️

      So some of the suggestions in this post are very, very helpful! Just talking to hubby about our options from the suggestions given above & also below. 👇

      • Foodie on 15/02/2025 - 16:46
        +1

        Definitely, and im very glad! It is very expensive otherwise, as youve mentioned.

  • Madao on 14/02/2025 - 16:19
    +1

    We only use Bravecto for our three expensive boys which is a 3 month treatment. The cattery we use (Boutique Cattery in Ramarama, highly recommended) has found Frontline Broadline or Revolution works poorly. They recommend Bravecto or the Seresto collars.

    I posted a deal for "Jen's Pet Supplies" previously as Braveco was a sharp price through her. I usually look through the various pet websites for the best price when it comes to ordering up.

    • kiwical on 15/02/2025 - 08:47
      +1

      It's funny how human minds work sometimes. Brand x works better than brand y. Then you compare the ingredients and they are EXACTLY the same. Things like paracetamol are another good example. "Oh I only use Panadol, that's better than the cheap stuff"

      • Jexla on 15/02/2025 - 21:08
        +2

        In this case Bravecto actually has different active ingredients than Frontline and presumably the others.

      • Alan6984 on 15/02/2025 - 23:01

        t's funny how human minds work sometimes. Brand x works better than brand y. Then you compare the ingredients and they are EXACTLY the same. Things like paracetamol are another good example. "Oh I only use Panadol, that's better than the cheap stuff"

        In fact, properly conducted studies (double blind etc) have shown that more expensive treatments are more effective, even if the products are identical.

        The placebo effect is very real too.

        Worth reading Freakonomics(en.wikipedia.org) (for example) if you aren't familiar with marketing / psychology.

      • Cashmere on 15/02/2025 - 23:34

        You make a very interesting point, kiwical.

        I used to be that idiot who bought into all of that stuff - I didn’t read labels properly to see what the ingredients actually were, I just went by the brand name alone. 🤦‍♀️ So dumb! But this cost-of-living hell we are all in at mo has opened my eyes and, believe me, I’m looking at ingredients now! Going forward, it’s not a bad habit to get into - regardless of economic conditions!

    • Cashmere on 15/02/2025 - 15:23

      Cheers guys

  • Joshyss on 16/02/2025 - 07:02
    +1

    We have 2 cats. I always make sure to have a few months worth at least on hand. Check emails for sales when they come through, usually around the public holidays. Have ordered from a lot of the online vet/pet shops and haven’t had any negative experiences as yet. Sometimes try to stretch out the 1 or 3 months a little.

    Must have messed up around Xmas time cats ended up with fleas. Had the long hair Persian groomed and cleaned whilst we flea bombed the house and had been constantly cleaning. That was whilst using bravecto plus. Have changed over to NexGuard which is slightly more expensive (comparing sale prices). I’ve just ordered more from vetpost since they had it on sale and also buy 3 get 1 free as well. Just double check on the worms that each one covers as all aren’t covered, although I’m sure you’re already on top of this!

    • Cashmere on 17/02/2025 - 19:52

      Thank you, yep, I buy online too, mainly from Pet Direct and Animates, but occasionally from other online stores. I haven’t had a bad experience yet, just expensive experiences! lol. But I do find the odd bargain online and when I do, I stock up too.

      • Joshyss on 17/02/2025 - 20:09
        +1

        If you’re having a trip to Australia it was a lot cheaper there when I looked last year. Was thinking of buying a bulk lot and bringing it back at the time but couldn’t have been bothered.

  • richms on 19/02/2025 - 20:08

    I run different treatments on different cats and change them up occasionally. When I was using advocate on all of them I seemed to end up with fleas that were immune to it cropping up around the house.

    • Cashmere on 21/02/2025 - 00:51

      Lately I feel like flea treatment may not be working as it should on my fatter cat, whereas my slimmer male cat never gets fleas! Weird… I’ve also tried different treatments over time to see if diff brands work better. But the heftier cat is hard to de-flea completely!

      I do dose my cats according to their weight in kg, so I am following all the packet directions exactly. I also do it regularly. So, once a month.

      That’s another reason I posted this general whinge initially, because if treatment is gonna be so expensive, then you’d expect the darn thing to work properly! But it seems you can’t even rely on the stuff working all the time either anymore! Sigh…

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