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Anyone here use Stronghold?

ginge1

Young Bun
Hiya!

Does anyone here use Stronghold (Puppy/Kitten) for mites & fleas?
I was prescribed it & used it on Digby two weeks ago. Now the mites have spread from his ears to his neck, & he has evidence of more fleas!
I read somewhere that it takes at least a month for it to start working on mites, but surely it shouldn't get worse, should it?!

The whole house has been treated with R.I.P Fleas, I wash all the bedding every other day & clean his house out everyday. His hay is dust extracted.

He's not a comfortable chap & I worry about the mites causing swellings in his inner ear.

I can't re-treat with Stronghold for another 2 weeks, & so I probably shouldn't use anything else to treat him until then. Is there anything I can do to make him more comfortable or to help rid him of these horrid things?
 
What is Digby? Rabbit or kitten / puppy? I'm guessing rabbit because you mention his hay is dust extracted.

For fleas and mites, one of our cats has Advocate rather than Frontline (Advocate works against a particular parasite that he has and the others don't) but the disadvantage is that Advocate does not kill ticks - which is a problem in Normandy.

Anyway, perhaps research Advocate? Or maybe you already know that it's not suitable.
 
Ive used Stronghold on my ferrets.Its not patented for them but its great for ear mites too, which burrow into the brain, sadly.

I use Frontline on the cats and Advocate on the bunnies.

For mites on bunnies as opposed to fleakies, I use Xeno450...which is also available from my rather lovely vet.:love::love::love::love:
 
Do NOT use Frontline on a rabbit. Its active ingredient fipronil has been linked to depression, neurological damage and death in rabbits. The manufacturers now have a warning on the packaging and some vets are even recommending against its use on other pets having contact with rabbits.

The most common form of mites affecting rabbits are the fur mite cheyletiella parasitovorax and less common listrophorus gibbus. The other is the ear mite psoroptes cuniculi. All can be eliminated by the avermectins, ivermectin or selamectin. Ivermectin is usually administered by three oral doses or subcutaneous injection at interval of 12-14 days during the life cycle of the mite. Stronghold (aka Revolution) is selamectin and generally only requires one single spot on application which lasts for 30 days. If the mites persist a further spot on can be used after the 30 days.

I have used selamectin and found it very good with only one application needed on an abandoned rabbit with both mites and fleas. The suggested dosage for rabbits is 18 mg/kg so possibly the dose administered may have been too low as the product comes in several strengths. Ear mites can cause inflammation and pain so talking to your vet about having pain relief such as Metacam should make Digby more comfortable. If there is crusting in the ear please don't scrape and remove it as it will bleed offering further food to the mites and allowing them to multiply.
 
Thank you for the advice everyone! :)

Lobo, is that 18mg to 1kg of weight?

I was advised to use one whole pipette of Stronghold puppy/kitten which is 15mg of selamectin. Digby's weight is fractionally over 2.5kg, & the Stronghold says it's for animals weighing 2.5kg or less.

I've got him on metacam to help keep him comfortable & am taking him to the vet again tomorrow to be on the safe side.
 
Thank you, Lobo.

Saw my vet yesterday & she said I could use the Stronghold Puppy & Kitten every two weeks until I get on top of the mites & fleas & their life cycle is broken.
 
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