Hi there all.I could not believe how uncomfortable I felt on the visit to the Vet for the first time a few days ago. Happy faces all round until our Dawson got checked out.Nothing much wrong with him until I mentioned Bob Martin worming and flea products, I was then told that these products were a load of rubbish and we should use their products. When I said I din't come to be given a sales pith the atmosphere became awkward, I am thinking of changing vet but wonder if I will get the same elsewhere. What do you think
They are rubbish I wouldn't use them they don't give the protection you need.There lots of good stuff out there that's does the job. I find my vets advice invaluable because they are able to tell me what conditions are prevelant in my area and what product is most useful. They also tell me if a flea products might not be working so well. i trust my vets . Maybe things got awkward because they were trying to help and you were suspicious. I would do some research you don't have to buy products from the vets you can get prescriptions and buy stuff cheaper on line.you also need to find if there is lung worm in your area as your pup needs protection from that.
Ermmm.....don't know anyone that uses Bob Martin products...... Generally I would go on the advice of vets as they know what parasitic creatures are rife in your particular area. Not convinced I would go with food recommended by vets (they usually promote what they stock) but vaccines, wormers and flea treatment are different.
OK maybe I have been hasty so am glad that I have been put right. Good to be on a forum where instant answers can be found. Many thanks
Well I'd say that the vet probably does have a pretty good idea of the best worming products, and would also be taking into consideration the prevalent worm types in your area. So it is reasonable for the vet to give you advice on which medication to use. That's what they're for So probably the best thing for you to do would have been to ask why they were recommending a different product and what made it better than what you'd been planning to use. Vets need to make a living but they have a professional and ethical obligation to provide or recommend the most appropriate treatment for an animal. I think that 99.9% of vets are very aware of that obligation and it's what drives their treatment recommendations. If you imply to a vet that they might be recommending a treatment to make a profit, not because it's in your dog's interest, that is kind of insulting and so naturally they are going to be a bit taken aback by it.
Looks like Bob Martin flea treatment is Fipronil. And the wormer has Febantel, Praziquantel, and Pyrantel Embonate.
We were using a main brand flea treatment (from the vets) which worked fine for a number of years. Then one autumn, they recommended we switch to a different brand as they said that some fleas had built up a resistance to that product that year. And lo and behold, despite regular defleaing, our cats did have some fleas. So we were grateful for the advice and recommendation for what was a new, better product for our animals. And they've been almost always flea free since. When I asked this year about ticks, my vet said that in our area, they were virtually non existent and not to worry too much about them -and in 3 1/2 yrs the only tick we've ever found was in Scotland. So yes, I would be taking my vets advice on treatments for fleas, worms, etc.
I didn't imply this verbally it's just what I thought but after sleeping on it and thinking I am going to go with the vet.Silly me asking the question but glad I did.
@Dave Bennett, you are not silly at all! Perfectly reasonable to assume what you had bought over the counter would work I do find at times depending on the vet they can be ever so slightly patronising..
I agree wholeheartedly on this as well. I completely ignore the vet on nutrition/food recommendations but pay attention to medication advice. For flea/tick/vaccines, I do my research online as well before using, just in case as I tend to be more cautious about those things than some of my more traditional vets.
