ePetDrugs Blog

Let’s face it. At one time or another, even the most docile, well-trained pets can suddenly begin chewing on our household items and possessions with no apparent provocation. Unfortunately, when our dogs and cats chew on off-limits items, it’s not only bad for our stuff, it can also be dangerous or fatal for the pet! For example, houseplants, Christmas trees, and electrical cords are items commonly targeted by problem chewers. Many houseplants are poisonous, and ingestion can result in everything from vomiting to death! Christmas trees, both real and fake, come with their own set of problems. Fake trees are often made of plastic or metal which can lead to severe digestive problems and cuts in the mouth, as can ingestion of dead or green needles from real trees. Add that to the fact that your tree is covered in glass ornaments, tinsel, and electric lights, and you most likely will realize a Christmas tree is not an ideal snack for your pet. Even if an item doesn’t pose a direct health threat to your pet, you probably wouldn’t be very happy to come home and find your Italian leather shoes in pieces, your favorite book reduced to a heap of scraps, or the stuffing from your couch all over the living room!

So what’s a pet owner to do? There’s no quick-fix for real problem chewing—chewing that is highly destructive and more of a daily occurrence rather than an occasional mishap (this is most common in dogs). For major chewing problems such as this, crate training is an excellent option. For occasional chewing, however, and chewing that is usually centered around one or two objects, there is an excellent, safe, and effective fix! It’s called “Grannicks Bitter Apple,” and it comes in a handy spray bottle for ease of application. It was developed by a pharmacist in 1960 for the purpose of discouraging dogs from chewing or licking at stitches, wounds, and other abrasions. Bitter Apple spray is still a favorite veterinary product, but it’s also recently become very popular as a deterrent for pets who like to chew on furniture, plants, electrical cords, etc. A bottle of Grannicks Bitter Apple is exponentially less expensive than replacing your couch, it has a pleasant fragrance, and is completely safe for your pets, your children, and your home. There are many imitations out there, but only one Grannicks, and out of all the “bitter apple sprays” available on the market, only Grannicks is consistently recommended again and again.

Using Grannicks requires tenacity, as it must be re-applied two or three times a day. It’s been proven safe for use on real wood, leather, fabrics, plastics, and upholstery, but if you’re nervous, test it out on a small area first. Very, very occasionally, a dog or cat will actually seem to enjoy the taste of Bitter Apple, but these cases are certainly in the minority. Once your pet has come to associate the unpleasantness of Grannicks with their favorite, off-limits chew toys, you can reduce the number of applications. Take heart in knowing that most pets eventually outgrow their chewing habits, and take comfort in knowing that Grannicks Bitter Apple is readily available and on your side whenever you need it.

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If you’re like many people, the arrival of the holiday season is a mixed blessing. Certainly the holidays are a time of great celebration, warmth, and good cheer, but the holidays also tend to come complete with their own brand of stress and hurrying about. There are gifts to be wrapped and meals to be cooked; guests to be welcomed and trees to be trimmed. You’ve made our list and checked it twice, but as you’re decking the halls and hitting the malls, it might be easy to forget a very important family member or two in all the hustle and bustle of the season. I’m talking about your pets, of course! Just as the holidays come with their own brand of stress for you, they also come with their own set of dangers for your four-legged friends. Read the following holiday pet safety tips to learn what steps you can take to make this festive season merry, bright, and safe for everyone involved.

A major part of figuring out how to make the holidays safer for our pet is to know your pet’s personality. Do you have an elderly cat who barely moves from his basket by the fire? You probably don’t need to worry that he’s going to try and climb the Christmas tree, then! Do you have a young puppy who loves to chew? You’ll want to take special precautions to keep anything of value (such as gifts!) and anything dangerous (such as glass ornaments or electrical cords) out of reach. For some people, pet-proofing their holiday could involve keep pets out of the central holiday activity area—away from the tree, feasting, etc.–by keeping doors closed or blocking them with easy-to-use baby gates. For others, it may involve a total re-thinking of the typical holiday plans. Do you often deck your halls with real holly and mistletoe? While most animals will shy away from munching on vast quantities of either of these plants, there are some who may develop a taste for it. Holly can cause digestive upsets if ingested and mistletoe can be fatal in larger doses. The small white mistletoe berries are especially tempting for playful cats. If in doubt, opt for some tasteful fake trimmings that will not only last for years, but will also make much less of a mess.

Speaking of messes, a major part of holiday pet safety is going to be keeping your pets out of the end-of-holiday war zones that inevitably crop up after parties, dinners, and present opening. Make sure the trash is either taken out or stowed in a pet-proof area so that leftover bones (a choking hazard), sharp pine needles, broken ornaments, discarded ribbon, and Styrofoam packing peanuts cannot be ingested. Don’t ever allow your guests to feed your pets anything without your permission, and avoid feeding holiday table scraps to Fluffy or Fido. It only leads to bad habits down the road, and some scraps, like bones and chocolates, can be dangerous. No matter how sturdy you think a bone from the table might be, most bones splinter easily once they’ve been cooked, and can perforate your dog’s esophagus. Chocolate has been known to cause seizures even in small quantities. If you want to give your pet a special holiday treat, make a visit to the pet store for fun toys and chewies in a variety of seasonal shapes.

When it comes to holiday lighting, we all love candles for their warm, romantic glow. Unfortunately, when it comes to fire, pets are blissfully unaware of the dangers involved. A knocked over, unattended candle can mean tragedy both for you and your pets! And what’s a Christmas tree without dozens of twinkling lights? By all means, enjoy the lights on your tree, but make sure your pets can’t reach the cords. This may involve putting a protective sleeve over your light cords or blocking your pet’s access to the cords entirely. Your holiday pet safety motto should be: “Whatever it takes!”

For some, upholding this motto may mean giving up that idyllic image of a puppy or kitten sleeping beneath the tree on Christmas morning, a big, red bow tied around its neck. Contrary to what we’ve seen in movies and read in books, pets make poor holiday gifts. For one thing, giving an animal to an unsuspecting person poses not only a holiday hazard to the pet, but a potentially lifelong hazard! What if the recipient decides they cannot keep a new puppy or kitten? Countless animals are euthanized every year after the holidays simply because they were given as gifts to people who had no desire to become pet owners. Furthermore, a pet given as a gift will undoubtedly become lost in the shuffle as more presents are opened, more relatives arrive, and more dinners and parties get underway. New pets, especially young ones, need extra peace and quiet when they’re first introduced to a new home, not extra stress and potential for danger! If you’re set on giving a pet as a present, purchase a gift certificate from your local humane society so that the recipient can take their own time and pick out the pet they truly feel a connection to.

With a little forethought, innovation, and compassion, you can have the best of both worlds: a home filled with holiday cheer and a happy, healthy pet. Keep these holiday pet safety tips handy and remember that our beloved pets give so much the whole year through and ask for very little in return. In this, the season of giving, it’s the least we can do to ensure that our pets have a warm, stress-free, and safe home for the holidays.

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I’m a sucker for needy animals, so I founded an animal shelter for dogs and cats and find them loving new parents. As much as I would love to I can’t take all the shelter pets home with me, but I can bathe and groom them, play with them, and give them a lot of love, which includes seeing that they are flea and tick free and receive the pet medications they need to become and stay healthy.

My inspiration for founding the animal shelter was my little Shih Tzu, Thor, and Sophie, a beautiful black and white longhaired cat. Both of our four-footed babies are pets that my fiancé and I rescued. Daniel is an architect, and four years ago he found a tiny, mange-ridden puppy that was nearly blind from cataracts and had been abandoned at the construction site. A week later, Sophie Kitty-Girl showed up on our back deck and decided to adopt us. She was about four months old, and starved to nothing but bones.

Thor and Sophie were both infested with parasites, and needed immediate medical attention. Between the treatments for Thor’s mange and eye problems and treatment for the conditions caused by Sophie being nearly starved to death, our personal vet and pet medications bills went sky high! That’s when we went on the Internet and found ePetDrugs.com where we could buy flea and tick prevention pet medications at discount prices.

At the shelter, it is especially important that consistently use pet medications to prevent flea and tick infestations. We want our pet guests to be comfortable and safe from diseases carried by ticks, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease and other diseases and parasites that can be transmitted to both other animals and humans, including tapeworm infestations transmitted through flea bites. With careful attention to the regular administration of flea and tick medications to our pets, we have taken control of parasite infestations at our pet shelter.

Each new pet that comes to live at the shelter is immediately bathed, groomed and treated with pet medications for fleas and ticks. Their ear flaps are trimmed and their ears are cleaned and treated with ear wash and topical ear medication, if needed. We keep them isolated from the other pets for the first 48 hours they are with us for observation and so the pet medications have time to take effect. Once the pet medications have taken effect, the new cat or dog is released to join the general pet population.

Because we allow many of our pets daily time to play and exercise together, we keep meticulous records for each pet that tell us when they are due for another application of flea and tick pet medications. This is particularly important for our pet residents who are allergic to flea bites or have skin conditions that are exacerbated by flea bites and need to take medications for their skin problems. For our dogs whose skin conditions preclude the use of topical flea and tick pet medications, we administer the medicine in chewable tablets that can be given to the dog whole or crumbled into his or her food. Cats with similar skin conditions are given the liquid form of pet medications.

Many of the dogs and cats that come to the shelter are strays or abandoned pets that are found and brought to us by local citizens, but it’s not unusual for us to get pets whose human companions have died or can no longer take care of them. In addition to needing medications for parasite infestation, many of these dogs are overweight and stiff-jointed from cartilage loss because they are kept indoors and have little or no opportunity for exercise. The pain experienced by pets suffering from stiff joints can be alleviated by pet medications that prevent further cartilage breakdown while a healthy diet and exercise do their work in restoring lost cartilage.

There are several pets at the shelter that, like Thor and Sophie at home, are unlikely to be adopted because of severe medical conditions or deformities. Some of these dogs and cats are fostered by caring people in our area, and others have a permanent home at the shelter. We will continue to give them the love, care and pet medicines they need to keep them healthy and happy and we will continue to order all of our Pet Med’s from ePetDrugs.com

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Advantage kills and prevents fleas. It’s available in 4, 6, and 12 month supplies for all sizes of dogs and cats. Advantage Flea Control stops the flea life cycle and is a effective water resistant flea medicine.

Advantage® is a topical flea adulticide, which means it is applied to your pet’s skin, and kills fleas at the adult stage in their life cycle.

Advantage Flea Control contains the active ingredient Imidacloprid; the first compound of a new chemical group to be used for flea control. Advantage has a unique mode of action that kills fleas on contact. Imidacloprid acts on the nervous system of the flea to cause paralysis and subsequent death. Advantage also contains benzyl alcohol. Benzyl alcohol helps Advantage spread quickly over the skin of the pet. Both substances are safe for you and your pet.

The Best in Flea Prevention
With the first application, Advantage kills 98 - 100% of fleas on a pet within 12 hours. New fleas jumping onto a treated pet will die within 2 - 8 hours of contact.

Applied monthly, Advantage kills adult fleas on contact:

Fastest topical adulticide on the market

Stops fleas from returning.

Advantage costs about 40 cents a day. That’s a small price to ensure a flea-free pet and home.

Consider the alternative - remember, one flea can lay over 2,000 eggs in your home and live on your pet for several months

Advantage For Dogs

Advantage For Cats

Discount Pet Meds and Pet Supplies

Can I use CAPSTAR with other products?
Yes. CAPSTAR® (nitenpyram) Tablets may be used together with other products including shampoos and other flea products, as well as with heartworm preventives, corticosteroids, antibiotics, vaccines, deworming medications.

1. How quickly do FRONTLINE Brand Products kill parasites?

Our research data shows FRONTLINE Brand Products will kill fleas within 18 hours of contact with your treated pet. Ticks will die within 48 hours of contact with your treated pet. 

 2. How do FRONTLINE Top Spot and FRONTLINE Plus spread over a pet’s body? How long does this take?

FRONTLINE Top Spot and Frontline Plus spread over the pet’s body by a process called translocation. When applied, these products are gradually dispersed by the pet’s natural oils, collecting in the oil glands in the skin. It is then “wicked” onto the hair over the next 30 days. The translocation process can take up to 24 hours to complete. 

 3. Do fleas and ticks have to bite my pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work?

Fleas and ticks do not have to bite your pet for FRONTLINE Brand Products to work. FRONTLINE Brand Products kill fleas and ticks if they simply come into contact with your pet’s hair coat. The fleas will die within 18 hours of contact with your treated pet, and ticks will die within 48 hours. 

 4. Why am I seeing more fleas on my pet after applying a FRONTLINE Brand Product?

After the application of a FRONTLINE Brand Product, you may see more fleas, but this is an indication that the FRONTLINE Brand Product is working. FRONTLINE Brand Products make fleas hyperexcited, drawing them to the top of the haircoat before dying. This will make them more visible to you. 

 5. I treated my pet with a FRONTLINE Brand Product, but I still see fleas in my home. Why?

The fleas you see are most likely hatched flea eggs that were deposited in the environment before you began using FRONTLINE Brand Products. Consecutive monthly applications of a FRONTLINE Brand Product to your pet will assist with the elimination of an indoor flea life cycle. In some geographical regions in the United States, it may be required to use the product year-round. 

 6. How do FRONTLINE Brand Products kill fleas before they can lay eggs on my pet?

Once new adult fleas jump on your pet, they must be present on the host for at least 24 to 36 hours before they can lay eggs. Our research data indicates that FRONTLINE Brand Products, when used monthly, will kill your pet’s fleas within 18 hours of application - before they can lay eggs. 

 7. Do FRONTLINE Brand Products have an expiration date?

FRONTLINE Brand Products do not carry an expiration date. We recommend storing FRONTLINE Brand Products at room temperature and keeping them sealed in their original packaging. If stored under these conditions, FRONTINE Brand Products will not expire. 

 8. How long after application can my pet be bathed or go swimming?

FRONTLINE Brand Products remain effective for 30 days, even if a pet swims or is bathed. After application, keep the dog or cat from getting wet until the application area appears dry, usually 24 hours. If a FRONTLINE Brand Product is to be applied after a bath, make sure the pet is completely dry before application.

 9. Can I use FRONTLINE Brand Products if my pet is on medication? 

FRONTLINE Brand Products are not systemically active and have no known adverse interactions with systemic medications. 

 10. Can I use FRONTLINE Brand Products if I have already applied another flea- and tick-control product?

There are no known interactions between FRONTLINE Brand Products and any other flea- and tick-control products. However, it is recommended to wait at least 24 hours between applications.

 11. Do the FRONTLINE Brand Products have any additional label claims?

Effective May 2003, FRONTLINE PLUS and FRONTLINE Top Spot were approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be used on pregnant, lactating and breeding dogs and cats. FRONTLINE Spray is not approved to be used on pregnant, lactating and breeding dogs and cats. In addition, FRONTLINE Plus small size that was initially labeled for 11-22 lb dogs has now been approved for the use on any size dog up to 22 lbs. FRONTLINE Brand Products are now approved for the rapid elimination of chewing lice infestations on dogs and cats and as an aid in control of sarcoptic mange infestations on dogs. Also, any FRONTLINE Brand Product may be applied to dogs and cats as young as 8 weeks of age and older.

 12. Which FRONTLINE Brand Product is right for my pet?

FRONTLINE Brand Products are available in three formulations to make it easy for you to provide your pet with the flea and tick control that is best for them. FRONTLINE Plus is a convenient once-a-month topical product offering long-lasting, complete control for adult fleas, flea eggs and larvae, and all four major species of ticks. FRONTLINE Top Spot and FRONTLINE Plus provide fast-acting, long-lasting flea and tick control for dogs and cats. FRONTLINE Spray offers quick elimination of existing flea and tick infestations. Ask your veterinarian which FRONTLINE Brand Product is the best choice for your pet.

 13. Can FRONTLINE Brand Products be used on pets other than dogs and cats?

No. FRONTLINE Brand Products are intended for use on dogs and cats only. It is not recommended for use on other species.

 14. Can FRONTLINE Brand Products be reapplied before the 30-day treatment interval is up?

Research results show that FRONTLINE Brand Products control fleas and ticks for a full month, so reapplication is unnecessary within 30 days.

 16. Are there any side effects when using FRONTLINE?

Individual sensitivities, while rare, may occur after using any pesticide product. Since FRONTLINE Brand Products are topical some pets may experience temporary irritation at the site of product application. If signs persist, or become more severe within a few days of application, consult your veterinarian immediately.

 17. Why are FRONTLINE Brand Products only available through my veterinarian?

It is Merial’s sales policy to sell our small animal products only where a veterinarian/client/patient relationship exists. Merial believes that the veterinarian is the only professional qualified to serve the health care needs of pets, the concerns of their owners and the appropriate use of our small animal products such as FRONTLINE Brand Products.

 18. How old does my pet have to be to apply FRONTLINE Brand Products?

All FRONTLINE Brand Products may be applied to dogs and cats as young as 8 weeks of age.

Frontline Plus For Dogs

Frontline Plus For Cats

Frontline Top Spot For Dogs

Frontline Top Spot for Cats

August 31, 2003 was a day that changed the lives of my husband, the kids and me. That was the day we found 6-month-old Chloe. We found her trying to get off a highway after she had been hit by a car. We stopped to help and little did we know just what we were getting ourselves into. After rushing her to a Veterinary Hospital; we found that we had a difficult choice to make. We could either take on full responsibility of the dog (which would include an estimated veterinary bill of somewhere between $2,000 - $3,000) or we could relinquish her to animal control. With tears in our eyes we, unfortunately, had to let the local animal control take over. But, the story didn’t stop there.Over the next few days, I stayed in contact with animal control to find out the status of this beautiful little dog that had stolen my heart out on that highway. I ended up finding out that the only injury she had from her accident was a broken front leg. Still, the veterinary bills were being estimated at far more money than my husband and I could afford, because on top of the broken leg she was found to be suffering from kennel cough, intestinal worms and Lyme disease. That was when I started looking at my other options.

I quickly learned the undeniable truth that many “no-kill” organizations just don’t have the funding to take on the responsibility of an injured animal. There are thousands of animals a year that get put down and can’t be saved that are completely healthy. Most organizations just can’t realistically pass over a bunch of healthy animals in order to fund the care of a sick one. Likewise, when most people decide to adopt a new pet, they don’t want to take on the responsibilities associated with a sick or injured animal, when they have many other healthy animals to choose from. This poor dog was quickly put on the unadoptable list at the animal control facility and was slated to be put down.

I knew that if I didn’t do something, she was going to die. I had looked at many options and had not yet found an answer when it came down to the last 48 hours before Chloe was to be put down. It was then that a co-worker suggested I send out an office-wide e-mail telling the story of this dog and asking for any help that I could get. I was desperate enough to save Chloe, so I did just that. Within a few hours of having sent out the e-mail, I had more than enough money to take care of her bills and ultimately save her life. Just days before she was going to be put down, my husband and I went into animal control with the money and paperwork needed to adopt this beautiful dog. At the time, we were just planning on adopting her in order to save her from being put down and then we would look for apermanent home for her when she was healthier. We never thought we would keep her.

On September 18, 2003, nearly 3 weeks after we found Chloe on the highway, my husband and I brought her home. That day was also the day that hurricane Isabel came through where we live, and “hurricane” Chloe stepped into our lives for good.

Before all of this happened, I was never really one to want a dog. I actually never had one in my life before and now I can’t imagine life without her. I never thought that I could feel such intense love for a dog, but adopting Chloe has changed my husband, our kids and me. She has a brought a light into our home that is indescribable. The joy that she brings us is immeasurable; and we would go through everything all over again just to even have a moment with her. How lucky we are to have her for her lifetime.

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