Stronghold from ticks for dogs and cats

From the choice of drugs that protect pets from internal and external parasites, the owners of animals run their eyes wide. You can choose a tool for every taste and budget. Some drugs are already a thing of the past, superseded by more effective analogues. Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture medical products for people could not ignore a very profitable niche: animal products from endo- and ectoparasites. This is a good opportunity to make a profit and finally make sure the safety of the new drug for people. Owners of animals will definitely leave feedback about a particular tool. If the substance is harmless to mammals, the company will launch the production of repellents with this drug. The American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, which released drops for ticks and fleas on Stronghold's withers, goes on this path.

What is Stronghold

The drug exists in two versions:

• Stronghold sold in Europe;
• Revolution approved for sale in the USA.

The reason for the different names is very likely to be in someone else's copyright. This is the same remedy based on selamectin - a drug from the group of avermectins. Structurally, selamectin is associated with ivermectin, which effectively destroys internal and external parasites, but may be unsafe for the liver.

Stronghold's release form is drops at the withers. The drug penetrates the skin of the animal and causes neuromuscular paralysis in parasites. Stronghold is effective against worms, flea, ear and sarcoptic mites.

On a note!

It is not known whether the product protects against ixodid ticks, as the manufacturer and the advertisement bypass this question in silence

Such silence looks mysterious and incomprehensible, since all drugs acting on blood-sucking insects destroy and ticks. Aural, demodectic and sarcoptic mites can differ greatly in appearance from ixodid ticks, but all these parasites belong to the same subclass. Poisoning substances act on them the same way. If Stronghold protects against an ear tick, it should also save from ixodic.

But the main emphasis in advertising is on protection against fleas and subcutaneous parasites. The protection against fleas and the method of reducing the number of these insects in the room are the same as Nexgard tablets: the female dies before it has time to lay eggs.

Composition and method of application

The drug is released in the form of 6 and 12 percent solutions. The composition of excipients is also not indicated. And in vain, if you focus on reviews about Stronghold.

The manufacturer claims that intolerance to the drug in animals is rare. But buyers often complain about the symptoms of poisoning in their animals. If selamectin is excluded, then this happens in 2 cases:

• bought a fake;
• poisoning is caused by excipients.

The stronghold does not contain oily substances and leaves no residue after application. Dries too fast. If an ester was used as an excipient, it could cause poisoning.Poisoning could also occur due to too much of the drug, but the manufacturer claims that even a 10-fold overdose of selamectin does not cause consequences.

How to apply

Drops are applied to the skin between the shoulder blades of the animal and rubbed a little. The withers are the safest place from which neither the cat nor the dog can lick the drug. Drops dry quickly. After 30 minutes you can play with the dog.

Drops Stronghold from fleas are valid for a month. The first time they are used once to kill parasites. In subsequent times, drops are used for prevention.

Drops are used to treat arachnoses:

• otodectosis;
• sarcoptosis;
• helminthic infestations;
• demodicosis.

The same indications for the use of drops in cats. These ticks do not wait for the victim in the grass, like ixodids. Having cured the disease once, you can count on a complete cure.

For cats from ticks in the ears, a single use of drops is enough. Later, Stronghold on cats is used only for the prevention of flea infection. For dogs, the recommended double use of drops with a break of 30 days.

Important!

Drops should not be buried in the ears. Stronghold is applied to the withers. Having absorbed into the skin, the drug with blood flow reaches the ears. As a result, otodectotic mites will die.

Sarcoptosis is caused by subcutaneous ticks. In common parlance, they are called scabies itching. Sarcoptosis usually begins with paws and muzzle and most often affects dogs. Stronghold for dogs from ticks that cause itchy scabies is used twice with an interval of 30 days.

Important!

Do not apply the drug directly to the affected areas. These sites are located in the access area for the dog, and the animal may lick selamectin. Blood supply to the surface of the skin is also impaired. There is a chance that the drug will not get itchy. But when rubbed into the withers, selamectin will reach the ticks from the inside.

Drops are used similarly against worms of all types: once or twice with a break of 30 days and then monthly prevention. From fleas, Stronghold only "works" for a month. All double-acting protective preparations suggest that the period of protection against ticks is 2 times less than that of fleas. When using stronghold ixodic and dermacenter mites may appear on the dog 2 weeks after applying the drops.

Dosage

Stronghold can be used from the 7th week of the animal's life. The dosage is calculated based on the weight of the animal. Here you will have to remember the percentages in the solution:

• 6% = 60 mg / ml;
• 12% = 120 mg / ml.

It will be difficult to independently calculate the dosage, since 1 mg of live weight requires 6 mg of selamectin. The manufacturer packs the drug into pipettes with gradation by weight of animals:

• up to 2.5 kg - 15 mg;
• 2.6-5 kg ​​- 30 mg;
• 5-10 kg - 60 mg;
• 10-20 kg - 120 mg;
• 20-40 kg –240 mg.

On a note!

For adult cats weighing up to 7.5 kg there is a “separate” separate pipette with a preparation content of 45 mg.

Stronghold Prices

The drug is produced in several countries, but Russia is not among them. The nearest Stronghold factories are located in Europe. Therefore, specifying drug prices in rubles is a thankless task in the face of a changing exchange rate. Today Stronghold costs from 300 to 550 rubles, depending on the dose of selamectin. But if tomorrow the euro or dollar rises, the price of the drug will also change. When converted at the rate, the tool costs 4.5-8.5 dollars.

To summarize, it can be said that Stronghold drops protect animals from fleas, worms and subcutaneous ticks of all three species. There are no data on ixodid ticks and dermacentors.

Reviews

After being treated with Stronghold drops, my 6-week-old kittens drank a lot of water, slept all the time and were generally lethargic. This situation lasted until the middle of the next day. Then the kittens cheered up, and the cat was sad. Immediately after the treatment, she was very active, then suddenly she also began to drink a lot of water, and wool fell out at the withers. She also began to itch.

Olga Novikova, cityMoscow

Often met complaints of drops. But I take my animals in a trusted store that has been working with us for more than 20 years and has a solid reputation. There have never been problems with poisoning. But Stronghold is often faked. Owners of poisoned animals could buy such a fake.

Elena Zakharova, Vsevolozhsk