Ode to the internet pharmacy...

Well, it's summertime again and the fleas are as bad as ever. I don't mind fleas in 2007 - we actually have stuff that works and is safe. I remember as a kid loading up the dog and cat into our Ford van and driving to the Shell station on FM 2234 where they had a vat of flea dip on Saturdays. On the way back I was in charge of holding my cocker spaniel Rusty in the back of the van while my mom rushed to get the sopping mess back in the yard - that was no fun. We also used flea collars - since they were mainly for fashion, I always wondered why most of them were a plain white color...couldn't they add a design?

So yes, it's 2007. I love that the products we have work without hurting my animals. Let's talk about why I hate flea control.

It isn't free.

So why is this a problem? Because practical folks are going to notice that the stuff isn't free. Now, let's not get into costs of bulk product, and shipping, and stocking etc... That all is just a fact of business. And the folks who make the stuff worked hard to get it so I figure they deserve to make a living. But it isn't free.

The first possible problem I see is investigation into products that use methoprene and pyrethrin (the active ingrediants of over the counter products). Both are cheap and readily available at stores like Fiesta and most pet stores. Methoprene alone is safe and great at what it does (it makes the eggs not hatch) but it lets the adults continue to live and is not the solution many people want. It will NOT kill your cat. Pyrethrin products might. They work ok at killing fleas for a week or so, but there is the little problem of pyrethrin toxicity that can lead to vomiting and neurological issues like seizures.

So over-the-counter flea control isn't the best choice. What's the other problem that stresses me out? You betcha that it's Betty White! (ok - maybe it's the internet pharmacy that pays her to do television commercials).

Let's keep it simple: the companies who make the products do not sell to internet pharmacies. But why believe me? Call them. Please. Call Merial and Pfizer and just ask. They'll tell you all about it. They'll talk to you about quality control concerns and expired repackaged product and "sub-distributors" and all that nasty stuff that I loathe to discuss. Then call the internet pharmacies and hear what they have to say - then call Merial again...then call the internet pharmacies...then you can understand my frustration.

What do I see? I see product that doesn't work sometimes. Every now and then someone will show me a cat on those products and the cat is covered with fleas. 99% of the time the product was thru a "sub-distributer" and I can't do a darn thing about it. So if it's 2007, and we still don't have a cure for heartworm disease, and you are using a defective flea/heartworm control product, there is not a thing I can do.