# Flea/Tick collars - Seresto & alternatives - $$$



## ILikeBigMutts (Jan 30, 2017)

My Vet always recommended Seresto brand flea and tick collars, and they have done a great job. I've recently moved and my new vet was happy to find my 2 GSDs wearing Seresto collars. I'm now looking at cheaper alternatives, but I don't want something less effective just to save money.

What brand does everyone else use? The Seresto brand is ~$50/collar, and there are now many other options for much cheaper. I don't mind paying this because you often get what you pay for, but I was curious to see what y'all were using. Many of the cheaper brands have different active ingredients. 

Looking at choices on Amazon:
Seresto $54
Hartz $6
Bacivion $19
UPL $29
Abisedrin $21


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

BIG "no" from me on the cheap collars! 

Seresto works because it's next-gen technology. Scalibor is another new-generation competitor that's a little cheaper (regular online discount-pharmacy price of $40 for 6-mo. of protection, compared to about $54 for 8-months with Seresto).

I buy Seresto for my dad's dog because he lives in an area where plague-fleas exist, and he's too old to fool with monthly products. It works. I buy them on sale during big events like Black Friday or Cyper Monday, and they've been as low as $40 after all the discount codes on those kinds of sales.

Older generations of flea meds are likely to have more side effects in flea collars, and more potential resistance using older chemicals. Look up side effects on Hartz flea products!

$7/mo for effective, vet-approved flea protection is _cheap_. If you are also buying HW meds on top of that and thus adding up monthly costs, then you can look into an all-in-one RX-only product that does both, to save a little money -- like Advantage Multi (about $14/mo. for flea, HW, and intestinal parasite prevention).

Also, instead of Amazon, I would look to KVsupply.com or Valleyvet.com. They're vet-VIPPS certified pet pharmacies, so you are getting the same products your vet sells (e.g., the Seresto collars really come from Bayer)...not gray-market foreign goods that may or may not be approved for use in the USA. Amazon has some very sketchy sellers.


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Lol, ILikeBigMutts..great name. I just flea bathe once in a while and spray my yard a couple times a year.


----------



## ILikeBigMutts (Jan 30, 2017)

Magwart said:


> BIG "no" from me on the cheap collars!
> 
> Seresto works because it's next-gen technology. Scalibor is another new-generation competitor that's a little cheaper (regular online discount-pharmacy price of $40 for 6-mo. of protection, compared to about $54 for 8-months with Seresto).
> 
> ...


I appreciate your insight and the vet website recommendations. I had not heard of those sites before, I'll be looking into them shortly.


----------



## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

It's Seresto for my dogs.The topicals never worked for them.


----------



## cloudpump (Oct 20, 2015)

Steve Strom said:


> Lol, ILikeBigMutts..great name. I just flea bathe once in a while and spray my yard a couple times a year.


What do you do for your dogs though? :smile2:


----------



## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Nothing, they're on their own. I'm not that into big mutts.


----------



## VTGirlT (May 23, 2013)

ILikeBigMutts said:


> My Vet always recommended Seresto brand flea and tick collars, and they have done a great job. I've recently moved and my new vet was happy to find my 2 GSDs wearing Seresto collars. I'm now looking at cheaper alternatives, but I don't want something less effective just to save money.
> 
> What brand does everyone else use? The Seresto brand is ~$50/collar, and there are now many other options for much cheaper. I don't mind paying this because you often get what you pay for, but I was curious to see what y'all were using. Many of the cheaper brands have different active ingredients.
> 
> ...




Huge* no* to Hartz. Not safe. Doesn't work well, if at all.
Typically you get what you pay for. A brand like Hartz puts more money into packing than the actual treatment, and often times it doesnt work... 

As a dog groomer i see all types of different treatments. I was never into flea/tick collars. But I do like seresto and recently (8 months ago?) Started using seresto. I change mine every 6 months on the safe side. $110 for a year of treatment is really good! The company that does seresto is Bayer. A bit more reliable. Seresto has little to no odor to it, it doesn't feel greasy at all, its water proof (although if your dog swims a lot take 2 months off of its "life expectancy")... Also, apparently a rep. from the company said that the seresto collar can go in the freezer after its been taken out to preserve it until needed again (I make my dog wear it year round for fleas, fleas are around in winter too not just summer like so many people think!) 

If you really dont want to go with a collar. Than I would advice Advantix which is a topical. When using topical its a must you put it on correctly, or it wont be as effective or work well at all.

Not a huge fan of the new pills (oral version).


----------



## Misha111 (Oct 31, 2016)

Seresto for my girl. Mainly because I missed a deep tick bite, as did my vet and my pup had no symptoms of being bitten.


----------

