Breeze'sMom Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 We treated our 6 year old, 6 lb. Pom yesterday for the first time for fleas. (We adopted her in the summer.) We just recently noticed some flea droppings so bought some Advantage for dogs (the smallest size). We treated her yesterday by putting it on her neck as advised. Within a few hours we noticed a bad chemical smell emanating from her. She still smells like this this morning. It is very repulsive to me. I was so worried about her we got up at 4am to make sure she was still breathing. I was afraid she was being poisoned. We have been using Advantage for cats on our cat for years and have never noticed this smell. Has anyone else noticed this when they used Advantage on their dog? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kierrasmommy Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 has she been sick at all ? I know my pup Kierra cant use Advantage at all. We have to use Advocate because she is very alleric to Advantage... how is the smell this morning? and how is she feeling? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeze'sMom Posted October 31, 2004 Author Share Posted October 31, 2004 No, she's not sick. The smell came after we put the Advantage on her. She's healthy and happy today. The smell seems to be less noticeable but it's still there. I've emailed the company that makes it to see what they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 That was a wise move to contact the company to bring your concern to their attention. We've been using Advantage on our 2 Tibetan Spaniels...which are about the size of a Pom & have longish hair, too. At first, we'd part hair between their shoulders as advised & apply the Advantage. But we found all the liquid would pool & run into their hair. The product is supposed to go onto the skin & 'move' around the body by that route. So when most of it went into the hair, it missed the skin & disseminating. Could that have been the case with your Pom....& why the smell was strong? Next time I applied Advantage to the Tibbies, I used a technique that is used for bigger dogs. I applied it in 2 spots....1 between the shoulders and the other on the back between the hips. Also to avoid it running mainly onto the hair, I shaved 2 small circles in those spots & put the Advantage on them. This meant the liquid went only on the skin. The small bald spots do not show because I can comb the Tibbie's hair over them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 (edited) Advantage does smell, its due to the base liquid that the active ingredient suspended in. On the last occasion I got too close to it it set me off coughing and wheezing for the night. But then, I did manage to inhale some of the fumes, and seem to remember it saying somewhere on the pack or insert to apply it in a well ventilated area Kierra - Advocate contains imidacloprid (Advantage) and moxidectin....I'm curious as to how you can use it when it contains the same ingredients? Edited October 31, 2004 by Rappie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toohey Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 KM what do you mean when you say allergic? I have just tried Advocate on my dog, and it has no smell. Perhaps it is something to do with the smell if advantage smells so strong? Rappie, what happens with longer haired dogs. No matter how much you aim for the skin and try to spread it around, a lot seems to end up in the fur. Is this eventually absorbed? and would it affect the dose the dog receives? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciara Posted October 31, 2004 Share Posted October 31, 2004 I use it on my dogs, it always smells horrible like that. I do it before I go to bed, and then keep them outside for the next day, after that the smell fades away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeze'sMom Posted October 31, 2004 Author Share Posted October 31, 2004 Thanks Mita for the shaving tip. I'll try that next time. It was really hard to find any "skin" so maybe a lot of it didn't get absorbed. The cat version of Advantage doesn't seem to smell like that so I'm assuming it has a different chemical composition. (Makes sense since you have to buy the dog version for dogs.) I may give her a little less next time since it was for 10 lbs. or less and she is only 6 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aatainc Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 no, the cat and dog stuff is the same. I Actually used a cat one on my pup because he was too small for the smallest dog one we had at the time. And yes, Keirra's mommy, I'm with rappie - advocate contains advantage. So if she really is allergic to advantage then you'd better stop using advocate too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 As long as you're aiming for the skin, it doesn't matter if some gets on the coat. If my memory serves me correctly (it may not!) imidacloprid is absorbed through the skin and secreted in the oily layer coating the hair. Not getting the entire dose on the skin is also factored in the dosage in each little vial. So long as it is "on dog" everything should be ok. And just as a point of interest (and because...well, you know I like things like this )...... There's a couple of lines at the end of the product insert.... Not to be used for any purpose or in any manner contrary to this label unless authorised under appropriate legislation Thats one tube per one dog (or cat, if you're that way inclined ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kierrasmommy Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Kierra - Advocate contains imidacloprid (Advantage) and moxidectin....I'm curious as to how you can use it when it contains the same ingredients?KM what do you mean when you say allergic? well what happens when i give her the advantage she gets so sick and threw up ALOT. To where I had to rush her to the vet. So we tried it again the next month once again within 6 hours of medication she was sick as can be. So we were able to determin it was the Advantage. So we ( the vet and I ) did some experiment with her to see what it coupld be. Well the only different between Advantage and Advocate is advocate does not have meds agains Grown fleas only handles the eggs. So once we tried the advocate on her she was fine. No more throwing up. We contacted Advantage and low and behold all the things she was sick with is somthing they have had before ( throwing up, runny poo, runny nose , no appitite ) we they refunded my money and I moved on to a new product They said it tends to happen inlittle dogs. It is a long shot but when it does they have only ever seen it in little pups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 (edited) Just clarifying...I checked with the vet re my 2 changes in using Advantage. And I only use the one thingyful...I just divide it into 2 spots. I'd been ready to give up using Advantage because it was not deterring fleas (& 1 tibbie has a flea allergy). The amount that was going onto the hair of our very hairy little dogs seemed to be easily rubbed off when they did their big back-rolls afterwards. Edited November 2, 2004 by mita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rappie Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Mita - I hope you didn't think I was referring to you with my little dig at the instructions. Dividing the dose onto different spots on the dog is fine (thats actually in the instructions too) - it was more to do with the practice of splitting a large dog dose between smaller dogs :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 No problem, Rappie. You actually helped me see the need to clarify a couple of things. I re-read my post & realized it could be read to mean I put 1 thingyful of Advantage in each spot...thereby overdosing the poor dog ! And I appreciated your reminder that medications/treatments etc should be given strictly as directed. That's a very sensible safety issue you raised. That prompted me to clarify that I checked with the vet before I did something different with the product. So it's :rolleyes: to you from me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jintanut Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 Ive found that Advantage does have a REALLY strong smell. So does frontline to a degree, but because they work for me, we put up with the chemical OD for a few hours. I too have the trouble that 1/2 the thingyful seems to end up on Jintas really short spikey coat. Its almost Impossible to part her fur!!! If I shave a spot she will not be happy! no comb over will hide a shaved spot on a staffie girl!! I will try the 2 places tecnique, and Maybe...cut a few hairs to expose some skin... :rolleyes:EEEKK ! is there a better way??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Breeze'sMom Posted November 2, 2004 Author Share Posted November 2, 2004 The smell seems to be gone now. The Advantage website said there is "no odour". That was obviously a lie or maybe it's just how my dog metabolizes it. Thanks for all the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted November 3, 2004 Share Posted November 3, 2004 I too have the trouble that 1/2 the thingyful seems to end up on Jintas really short spikey coat. Its almost Impossible to part her fur!!! If I shave a spot she will not be happy! no comb over will hide a shaved spot on a staffie girl!! Don't know if this will help....but friends who own a shorter haired dog (& a cat)...have 3 people help with the squirting on the stuff. 1 person holds the dog or cat gently but firmly from the back end (to stop that wriggling which sends the stuff all over the place!). Another leans over the front of the dog or cat & really firmly holds the hair parted & down. The last person (from the side) then can slowly let the stuff dribble onto the spot...so it absorbs a bit as it goes on. This stops that flooding & splashing when put on quickly. Sounds like overkill. But they say the stuff costs too much money & is the best flea-killer for it to not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jintanut Posted November 4, 2004 Share Posted November 4, 2004 thanks....she will stay still, but an extra set of hands to part the hair, might be the answer!!! its frontline day tomorrow, so I will let you know if this new technique works... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordelia Posted November 4, 2004 Share Posted November 4, 2004 I don't get it! Advocate IS Advantage. Exactly the same product with heartworm prevention added. Advantage does smell for a short while after administering but is less when applied correctly to the skin. I use Advantage on every one of my rescues and my own dogs and have never had an issue with fleas. Some dogs will have a sensitivity to it, but the most common reaction is eith localized skin irritation or in cats mainly) hyper-salivation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kierrasmommy Posted November 5, 2004 Share Posted November 5, 2004 Advantage and Adovocate are owned by 2 different companies. From the reasearch I have done on it , because Kierra got so ill from it was the the Advocate does has preventative for fleas BUT not like what Advantage does. Advocate will not kill adult flees will only do the eggs. What I know made Kierra sick was the adult egg meds. Ever since I know I changed her i have not had the issues like I was having with her ! Just my personal experience though and from talking to the company is a rare thing but does happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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