OTC & Black Market Products

The Over-the Counter and Black Market
Copycat Flea Control Products

Before 1995, 80% of flea control products were purchased in retail outlets. With the advent of newer generation products, currently 80% of flea control products are purchased through veterinarians. The retail outlets have been eager to reclaim their market share in the following ways:

PERMETHRIN BASED SPOT-ONS FOR DOGS
PROTICALL, BIO-SPOT, CONTROL

These products use high concentrations of an older insecticide called “Permethrin.” Before 1995, Permethrin based DEFEND EXspot® was the only product available that offered the convenience of a topically applied spot-on and was considered the state of the art for that time. Problems with permethrin include:

      • rapid development of resistant flea populations
      • inability to cover the body of a large dog
      • not waterproof
      • toxic to felines

This product was largely shelved when Advantage® arrived in 1996, but it didn’t take long for permethrin based products to be repackaged to look similar to the more effective spot-ons. Do not be fooled into thinking these are equivalent to the newer products.

  Also note: The high concentrations of permethrin necessary to create the spot-on effect are highly toxic to cats. It is not uncommon for someone to mistakenly use the canine version of Bio-Spot or Control; this is a disaster for the cat. If you choose to use these products, be extra careful about what you put on your cat.

INSECT-GROWTH REGULATORS FOR CATS
BIO-SPOT, CONTROL

These products use either methoprene or fenoxycarb to sterilize fleas. These products are extremely safe, but it is important to realize that they do not kill fleas and are not intended to kill fleas. They can be used to complement other flea products in the same way Program® is used.

THE BLACK MARKET

Each of the six flea products for sale through veterinarians has pros and cons. If these issues are not understood, products can be misused and/or the user may not have the appropriate expectations. The three manufacturers of these six products (Novartis, Bayer and Merial) feel very strongly that their products be sold through veterinary offices only, where trained professional personnel can advise you on usage. This means that the sale of Advantage, Program and Frontline in pet supply stores, catalogs and through web sites is not condoned by the manufacturers and invalidates any special offers or even basic guarantees of effectiveness. They may be well known or legitimate businesses in other repects, but if the sellers are not a Veterinarian or Veterinary clinic or hospital, they are not allowed by the manufacturers to sell these products. These non-approved companies offer legitimate veterinarians lots of money to order these products for them to resell (as they cannot get the product legitimately through the manufacturers) or they smuggle them in from other countries. Either way, since they are being sold in direct contradiction to the manufacturer’s conditions, if you buy these products you do so without the normal support, quality control or guarantees that the manufacturers normally provide. Please do not support this activity: you may not end up with the product you intended to buy.