Stronghold for cats - reviews from veterinarians and owners

How does Stronghold work?

Selamectin is a modern semi-synthetic avermectin with a broad spectrum of action. Applying Stronghold to your pet's skin causes the active component to enter the bloodstream and then into the tissues, causing the death of the parasites.

Paralysis of insects and helminths is caused by increased permeability and polarization of nerve cell membranes. In addition, the drug affects the reproduction of some parasites, reducing the laying of eggs or causing mutations in them. For cats, selamectin is generally not dangerous; avermectins do not penetrate the blood-brain barrier, so the neurons of the animal’s central nervous system are not affected.

Stronghold easily enters the epidermal cells and sebaceous glands. The bioavailability of the drug in cats is about 75%. The drug begins to be excreted from the body after approximately 69 hours, with most of the selamectin excreted in the feces and only a small amount in the urine. Complete elimination of Stronghold occurs 8 days after use.

Description and main properties

Stronghold is a latest generation veterinary drug with acaricidal, insecticidal and anthelmintic properties.

Within 36 hours, the medicine destroys not only adult fleas and scabies mites, but also their eggs and larvae. Thanks to its anthelmintic effect, it gets rid of roundworms, nematodes, toxocaras and hookworms. This is one of the few medicines that help cope with heartworm, a parasite that affects the lungs and heart muscle.

Stronghold is for external use only. When ingested, it is quickly destroyed by gastric juice and has no therapeutic effect.

When applied, the drops are quickly absorbed and retained in tissues and skin in high concentration for a long time, which allows them to be used not only for treatment, but also for prevention. When insects and helminths come into contact with the active substance, they die.

The external product is highly moisture resistant, dries quickly after application, does not have a strong odor and is non-irritating.

Release form and dosage of the drug

Stronghold for cats is available in the form of a colorless or yellowish solution based on isopropyl alcohol. Drops for external use are offered in single-use pipette tubes with a color-coded cap. Each of them contains a different amount of the active component, which corresponds to a certain body weight of the pet.

If the pet weighs more than 7.5 kg, then two tubes are used for treatment - 15 and 45 mg each.

Instructions for use of Stronghold for cats

In accordance with the instructions for use, before applying Stronghold, you should press the cap against the seal on the tube and pierce it. A click will confirm that it has been successfully pierced.

After this, you need to place the tip of the tube on the desired area of ​​the body and squeeze it 3-4 times, completely emptying the contents at one point. It is recommended to avoid contact of the solution with your fingers.

The treatment regimen for a cat with Stronghold will differ depending on the disease:

• Fleas. Before using the drug, you need to separate the hair on the animal’s withers at the base of the neck in front of the shoulder blades (where the cat cannot lick the medicine) so that the skin is visible. There is no need to rub in the medicine. In addition, due to the alcohol content, it should not be applied to damaged skin or wet fur. Stronghold should be used once every 30 days, starting a month before the period of increased insect activity. The product not only leads to the destruction of parasites, but also helps with allergies to flea bites.
• Tocoscariasis and hookworm. The drug is used in the same way as described above. To treat diseases, a single application of the product is sufficient, and for preventive purposes, drops should be used once every 30 days.
• Otodectosis (ear mites). The medicine is applied once. To achieve a greater effect from the treatment, you must first clean your pet's ears. With concomitant otitis, Stronghold is used in parallel with prescribed anti-inflammatory therapy. If the treatment result is unsatisfactory, the drug can be used again after 30 days.
• Dirofilariasis. The product is used to prevent the disease by applying it to the withers. Frequency of use: once every 30 days. It is important that the pet is treated with the drug a month before and a month after the onset of the active season of mosquitoes that carry the infection. The medicine has an effect only against microfilariae, preventing the development of adult individuals. If another drug was previously used to prevent dirofilariasis, then at least 30 days should pass between their use.

How to use the drug correctly

There are no difficulties in how to use the product correctly. The packaging contains instructions regarding the use of this substance. It is better to use hand gloves for the processing procedure. Work begins by removing the pipette with the solution from the blister and holding it vertically. Next, you need to press the cap to make a hole in the foil covering the pipette hole. The lid is no longer needed; it is removed. After this, the fur (dry) on the animal’s withers is parted and carefully, in accordance with the dosage prescribed by the veterinarian, the entire solution is squeezed out from the pipette, trying not to get it on your hands. It is not recommended to massage this area. The dosage of the drug is carried out individually for each cat. The veterinarian chooses the dose of the substance depending on the physical condition of the animal and its weight. Basically, the dosage with an active substance concentration of 6% is:

Table; dosage of the drug depending on the weight of the cat

According to the doctors’ prescription and the table, for pets less than 1.5 months old or weighing less than 2.5 kg, 15 mg of the drug is used, while for a cat weighing 7.5–10 kg, 2 pipettes are used at once, one of which is purple with a cap, the other with a blue cap. You should not self-medicate, since the incorrect use of any medication can have negative consequences.

Video: applying Stronghold drops

Flea drops

Application of the drug allows you to destroy both adult insects and the eggs they lay, so relapses are not observed. Treatment is carried out once every 30 days.

Protection against worms

In case of toxocariasis, the medicine is applied to the withers once. To be sure of the final elimination of helminths, it is a good idea to submit feces to a veterinary clinic for examination.

Destruction of ticks

Ticks are controlled by applying the product twice. Treatment should be carried out in spring and summer, when infection is possible. There should be a gap of at least 30 days between treatments.

Use of Stronghold for prevention

The medicine is used for preventive purposes to protect against dirofilariasis, a disease that occurs due to infection with the most dangerous helminths - heartworms. For this purpose, drops are used once a season. This should be done during the peak aggressiveness of mosquitoes that serve as carriers of the disease. When an animal is intended to be taken on a trip to a region where such a disease exists, Stronghold is applied 30 days before the trip.

For ear scabies

In a situation with otodectosis, the drug is used once. The ears are first cleaned of scabs and husks. Free the ear canal from excess wax using cotton swabs soaked in hydrogen peroxide. The medicine itself is not instilled inside, but applied externally near the ear canal. If otodectosis occurs with complications (otitis), then additional medications are prescribed that are effective against inflammation and microbes. If necessary, the course of treatment can be repeated after a month.

Side effects and contraindications

Many users in reviews of the drug claim that Stronghold quickly solves problems with external and internal parasites of cats, and is absolutely safe for purebred, pregnant and lactating animals. The drops dry quickly and do not have an unpleasant odor, so there is no need to keep the treated pet away from other pets or people.

Side effects of Stronghold occur in rare cases and are expressed as:

• skin redness;
• mild itching;
• moderate hair loss at the site of application of drops or the appearance of severe stiffness;
• cosmetic defects (greasy, white deposits, discoloration of fur) associated with local application of the drug.

Reactions are usually observed within the first 24 hours after application.

Stronghold is not recommended for use on kittens under 6 weeks of age, animals suffering from other diseases (especially in acute form), weakened or underweight for their age. Cats expecting offspring can use drops.

Mechanism of action

The active substance is active against adult individuals, as well as their immature forms. After application, selamectin is quickly absorbed into the skin at the site of application, enters the general bloodstream and spreads to all tissues.

The active component penetrates the muscle and nervous tissue of parasites, where it increases cell permeability to chlorine ions. As a result, there is a decrease in the activity of muscle fibers and nerve cells, leading to their paralysis and death.

The drug does not affect the cat's nervous system, since the animal's nerve fibers are separated from the bloodstream by the blood-brain barrier, which protects the brain from exposure to toxins.

Signs of overdose

If the dosage is exceeded, Stronghold may cause the following symptoms:

• violation of movement coordination;
• disproportionality of movements;
• disorientation;
• increased sensitivity to touch;
• paw trembling;
• dilated pupils;
• inability to rise;
• depression;
• blindness;
• to whom.

In addition to the wrong dosage, drug poisoning can occur due to the drug getting into the gastrointestinal tract (after licking).

Is it possible to give Stronghold to kittens?

Some owners write negative reviews about the drug Stronghold, associated with poisoning and death of kittens after its use. In fact, the problem turns out to be not in the medicine (provided the dosage is correctly selected), but in severe intoxication with the decay products of dead parasites.

By the age of one and a half months, when it is allowed to use Stronghold against helminths and external parasites, most kittens have a large number of worms. Under the influence of the drug, their mass death occurs, which is accompanied by the decomposition of the remains and the absorption of toxins into the blood. Since the kitten’s immune system is not formed, poisoning leads to vomiting, diarrhea, rapid dehydration, and death.

The solution may be to first increase the pet’s immunity, for example with Gamavit. Also, during deworming, you need to give the kitten and adult animal absorbents (Enterosgel), and make sure that there is enough water and free access.

Indications for use

Stronghold is a multifunctional drug, but this does not mean that this remedy is effective against all diseases. It is effective only for a number of parasitic diseases such as:

• toxocariasis (caused by Toxocara canis or Toxocara cati);
• the presence of fleas, lice, lice (treatment and prevention);
• hookworm (helminthiasis, parasite - Ancylostoma braziliens);
• otodectosis (ear mites);
• dirofilariasis (prevention);
• flea dermatitis (complex treatment of flea allergy);
• sarcoptic mange (skin disease caused by mites of the genus Sarcoptes).

Stronghold is also effective for preventing re-infestations.

My neighbor has an old Persian cat. He is not weak, but she is still afraid that the pet will suffer if he “catch” fleas. She doesn’t believe in the effectiveness of collars, and the sprays can cause her husband to have an asthma attack. Therefore, with each arrival of spring, she takes the cat to the veterinary clinic. For several seasons, the veterinarian has prescribed Stronghold drops. The neighbor is happy, the cat is flea-free.

Photo gallery: parasites that can be gotten rid of with Stronghold

Ancylostoma is a worm that parasitizes the mucous membrane of the small intestine (the helminth leaves bleeding wounds on the soft tissues, this leads to anemia)

Fleas and lice eaters cause severe itching, a cat can scratch its skin until it bleeds (this can lead to infection with another disease), and sometimes an allergy to fleas occurs

Heartworm is a nematode helminth that causes deadly helminthiasis (symptoms: cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, heart murmur, swelling of the paws or eyelids, lacrimation)

Toxocara is a helminth (the main symptoms of infection are strange manifestations of appetite, constipation, diarrhea, cough)

Ear mites cause ear scabies - otodectosis (main symptoms: inflammation and irritation in the ear canal, itching, excessive secretion of wax)

Operating principle

Selamectin, which is part of the drug, can bind to the receptors of muscle and nerve cells of parasites. In essence, this is a slight poisoning of living cells of ticks and helminths. Nematodes and arthropods bite animal tissue and become paralyzed. Some of them die, while others are unable to adhere to the animal’s tissue, become detached and removed from the body. Surviving fleas and ticks lose the ability to bite into the skin and hold on with their paws (and jaws).

Stronghold's point is that in cats these receptors are located in the central nervous system, and selamectin cannot reach it. Therefore, this drug is destructive to parasites and harmless to cats. The active substance remains in the blood for a long time in the required therapeutic concentration, this helps protect against new parasites and re-invasion by helminths.

Stronghold also kills roundworm larvae. It does not affect adult heartworms. But selamectin reduces the number of microfilariae that circulate in the blood of an infected cat.

Stronghold kills insects, arthropods, helminth larvae and some nematodes

When can you wash your cat after applying the drug?

It is not recommended to wash or comb your pet after applying Stronghold for the first two hours. If the need arises, then after this time it is allowed to wet the animal’s fur and skin. Moreover, even the use of shampoo does not affect the effectiveness of the drug.

Precautionary measures

Empty drug packaging should be discarded.

During treatment of cats with Stronghold, the following precautions should be observed:

• when applying the drug to the skin of an animal, it is prohibited to smoke, drink any liquids, or eat food;
• if drops get on a person’s skin, mucous membranes, or eyes, these areas should be rinsed with plenty of clean, running water;
• after applying the drops, you must wash your hands thoroughly in warm running water and soap;
• do not allow the cat to interact with children for up to 2 hours after applying the dose of the drug;
• It is prohibited to reuse empty medication ampoules. They must be disposed of.

Cost, analogues of the drug

The price of Stronghold is affected by the weight of the cat and the required volume of drops. For a bottle of 15 mg you need to pay approximately 230 rubles, for 30 mg - 300 rubles. The cost also depends on the pricing policy of the pharmacy and its location. You can replace this drug with analogues, which can be seen from the table.

Table: Stronghold analogues

Reviews from owners and veterinarians

Reviews from veterinarians and cat owners about Stronghold drops are positive. Experts note the versatility and effectiveness of the product, and owners note the ease of use.

Previously, I recommended a set of products to get rid of fleas and intestinal parasites. When I got acquainted with Stronghold drops, I appreciated their advantages: long-term therapeutic effect, safety, wide list of indications for use. I recommend it to all cat owners.

Alexey, veterinarian

The drug deserves the highest praise. It not only gets rid of parasites, but is also easy to use, does not cause any inconvenience to the animal, is quickly absorbed and easy to dose.

Svetlana, veterinarian

Previously, various shampoos and sprays were used against fleas, which brought temporary relief.
It was a little easier with deworming tablets, as they got rid of parasites for a while. The doctor recommended the modern drug Stronghold, which made caring for the animals much easier. With the help of drops I was able to quickly get rid of fleas. The downside is that I think the price is too high. Evgenia