Advocate

I'd been using Advocate on my animals for about 20 years, but in recent years my vet had stopped supplying it. Having so many animals I worm and de-flea when necessary, I always used Drontal or Panacur just to worm them, but if I needed to de-flea I used Advocate knowing it also did worms, (With the exception of tape worm) fleas, lice and mites, so all in all well worth using a couple of times a year. These days my worming regime is the same, but if they had fleas I used "Advantage" and of course I used Stay Kill around the house 2 or 3 times a year. (whether I saw fleas or not!) 

In September Ross had got itchy, he was so itchy he could barely cope with me touching him. Now Ross had never been itchy, so I was concerned. I de-flead, just in case, and I spent hours searching through his coat and Archies (as he's a light coloured cat I can usually find the fleas on him). You may recall I took Ross to the vet, he was prescribed Apoquel to break the circle of itchiness. It worked, but within no time of the course finishing, Ross was itchy again. Having previous knowledge of the side effects of long term use of Apoquel I was not happy to put him back on it again so I decided to try other avenues. Sometime during this time I started to notice that Sammi was getting itchy, I had previously observed Loki's coat was getting thinner and that he was constantly rubbing his face. I mentioned it to the vet, then another vet ... both suggested it was side effects to the steroids! I got more flea product and a different house spray, I changed my washing powder, and consider messaging the dog food manufacturer, until I realised Meerah was getting itchy, and she was on a different make of food. At some point I asked at the vets again if they had Advocate, no sorry. I really didn't have any other ideas until a friend mentioned she got her metacam on prescription, so I looked it up, yes Advocate was available on prescription online. I asked at the vet if I could have a prescription, or if they could order it for me? Yes to both counts. I have an account with Animed and their price for Advocate was £36.95 for a box of six, the prescription price was £19.20. The price for the same product at the vets was £94.95. WHAT? I was speechless. I've now got 24 Advocates on one prescription, total cost £167, had I got it through the vet it would have cost me £379.80. Now in anyone's world, that is more than a bit nuts!

I've now started the course, one a month for three months, maybe I'm wrong, but I can only presume
this is mites ... after all, what else could it be? Well, if this doesn't work then I'm at a complete and utter loss and the vets will have to take skin scrapings ... or something!!!