Does it matter where I buy Cheristin for cats?

August 12, 2018 9:20 AM

The vet is telling me to buy Cheristin only through his office, where it's much more expensive than it is online, or from one particular website (Drs. Foster and Smith), which doesn't carry it. Does it matter?

I am coming to accept the fact that the cat who has moved into our yard is now ours. :) I had a vet come out to look at her, and she has fleas. He prescribed Cheristin, which in itself seems a mixed bag (isn't all flea control?), but anyway, I'm willing to use it. My issue is where to get it. The vet's office is trying to sell it to me for 50% more than it costs online. During the appointment, the vet gave a rushed explanation as to why I shouldn't get it at Chewy.com or 1800PetMeds -- something about the way they formulate the medication. But doesn't it come pre-packaged from the manufacturer? Maybe those giant web sellers don't pay attention to expiration dates? Repackage old prescriptions? I have no idea . . . would love some insight from anyone who has information.

posted by MelanieMichelle to Pets & Animals (6 answers total)

They stuff online looks to be the same stuff your vet is pushing. It's a commercial product made by a big pharma company. I can't see how it would matter as long as it's same stuff, which it is, unless your vet acts butthurt over it. I'd go online, myself.

FWIW, Cheristim's website seems to indicate it's only available through your vet. Go figure...
posted by Thorzdad at 10:23 AM on August 12, 2018

Best answer: Unfortunately people do manufacture counterfeit products and then sell them as "overstock" to companies who don't have a policy of buying direct from the manufacturer. Here is a fact sheet from the EPA about counterfeit pesticide products for pets. If you know exactly what the correct product is supposed to look like, then you could maybe risk buying cheaper stuff online and report it if it's counterfeit.
posted by muddgirl at 10:52 AM on August 12, 2018

All that being said, I have not seen reports of counterfeit Cheristin (yet), only Advantix and Frontline, but personally I would not risk it. I buy Frontline from Dr. Foster which is cheaper than my vet or the pet store.
posted by muddgirl at 10:57 AM on August 12, 2018

Costco sells a squirt-on flea treatment for pets. Frontline Plus. It's $80 for 8 doses, so $10 a dose.
posted by w0mbat at 11:54 AM on August 12, 2018

This is the first I’ve heard of counterfeit Cheristan. I purchased it for years off of Amazon, and it always worked as expected.
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 1:00 PM on August 12, 2018

In almost 20 years of living in places where fleas are a problem, my animals (dogs, cats) have gotten them maybe four, maybe five times. The most recent time was in Texas maybe 3 years ago. I always bought Frountline products at PetSmart and they always worked fine. I applied it to all the pets in the house, even if I only found fleas on one. One application was always enough to clear the problem (I suspect the fleas came from trips the groomers). I never had any problems with Frontline from PetSmart. Ticks were a different issue and I did have a problem with Certifect (link to my mefi ask on the subject in case you have any interest) for ticks, but that was perscribed and bought from a veteranarian.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 1:40 PM on August 12, 2018