Can Flea/tick Treatment Cause Seizures?

[poodle proud]

I have recently switched to using advantix to control fleas and ticks on my dog.

Within 24 hours of application last time my 5 year old poodle had a sezire that made him lose his balance, not be able to open one eye and was just plain scary.

I asked the vet at the time if perhaps he had licked it of my other dog (knowing full well he wouldnt have) could this be the cause and she said it was unlikely.

I used it again yesterday on both dogs. My husband came home and found vomit on the lounge, my boy (avitar picture) had a gurgling stomach all night and was off his food. After going to sit outside on the grass at 2am he came inside and lay down with me. Then his mouth started twitching uncontrollably and he just wasnt there when you looked at him (Hope you know what I mean).

It passed within a couple of minutes but again was so scary.

Despite reading that advantix is only absorbed in the hair follicles and not absorbed systemically my gut tells me otherwise. Ive also been told smaller dogs have thinner skin. Could he be absorbing it systemically despite what they say?

We were previously using sentinel spectrum and this did never happened. And my smaller poodle appears to be fine with it.

I dont want to badmouth a product but as a nurse myself I know some people react adversely to medications that other people have no trouble with.

Any information about this or advice for my beautiful boy would be so appreciated.

[t-time]

Short answer is this....yes dogs can have a bad reaction to Advantix. I know of 3 dogs where this has happened and incidently they have all been Bichons or Poodle mixes. Exactly the same reaction as your dog.

So don't use Advantix on your Poodle. There is an info number on the box and you can contact the manufacturers and report a bad reaction. Your vet should also report it to the manufacturer.

Curious why you changed products when the other was working? Or was it because of the extra tick protection afforded by Advantix? There are alternatives if it was for the tick protection (like a tick collar or daily checking for ticks) and there are plenty of products on the market which will cover for fleas effectively.

I love Advantix and it's incredibly effective for my dogs but yes, like people, some dogs can suffer an adverse reaction to certain drugs.

[poodle proud]

Short answer is this....yes dogs can have a bad reaction to Advantix. I know of 3 dogs where this has happened and incidently they have all been Bichons or Poodle mixes. Exactly the same reaction as your dog.

So don't use Advantix on your Poodle. There is an info number on the box and you can contact the manufacturers and report a bad reaction. Your vet should also report it to the manufacturer.

Curious why you changed products when the other was working? Or was it because of the extra tick protection afforded by Advantix? There are alternatives if it was for the tick protection (like a tick collar or daily checking for ticks) and there are plenty of products on the market which will cover for fleas effectively.

I love Advantix and it's incredibly effective for my dogs but yes, like people, some dogs can suffer an adverse reaction to certain drugs.

Thankyou so much t-time. I'm so annoyed with myself but I switched them for that exact reason and because sentinel spectrum only kills fleas when they bite your dog. My dog was constantly biting/licking around the base of his tail and backside and so I thought that fleas biting him was annoying him.

I'm a bit scared after seeing this. I dont know what to use.

I will call them today. Funnily enough I called them yesterday to tell them one of the vials wasnt sealed when I opened it and I didnt want it to harm my my dog by using it. What a joke. He got harmed anyway

Do you know if those dogs you mentioned are ok?

[t-time]

Hi Poodle proud,

Yes, all 3 dogs mentioned were fine. The reaction was only temporary and after 24 hours, they were back to normal. Like you, the owners used the product for a second time to rule out coincidence but the same reactions occurred.

Dogs having seizures is not a good thing!

I've found the Killtix collars to be very good. Could your poodle wear one of those instead? They are a lot cheaper than Advantix and seem to work.

If your baby is being irritated by the fleas actually biting, try diluting some Fidos Flea and Tick Shampoo in a spray bottle and squirt some of that on the area (base of tail is so common!).

Hope this helps.

[poodle proud]

Thanks t-time. I will look that collar up.

I think we will switch back to sentinel spectrum and use that spray as you suggested.

He looks fine but I think I'm still recovering. We went from thinking his tummy was upset to a seizure and in the wee hours no less. My poor OH got the fright of his life.

My thought about it was that he has the 4-10kg does and he is a bout 6 kg. The toy poodle (who seems fine on it) has the under 4kg dose and is 2.5 kg.

I wondered if perhaps the dose was just too much for him. Needless to say I'm not prepared to try it again to find out.

I hope this thread helps others in the future. I would have liked to avoid this from happening in the first place.

[Poodle wrangler]

I haven't had any problems with using Advantix or Frontline on my poodles.

I used to live on the coast, I treated them fortnightly for paralysis tick.

I found Advantix better for flea control (? fleas resistant to Frontline in my area?)

Hope your dogs are fine.

Guess it's a matter of changing brands to exclude this as the cause of problems.

[t-time]

No, the dosage sounds fine - he just reacts badly to it... And your other poodle doesn't react badly. Who knows why but I definitely wouldn't be trying it again on the dog that reacts poorly.

[t-time]

Same here Poodlewrangler - Frontline is absolutely useless in my area.

[Cavandra]

I dont want to badmouth a product but as a nurse myself I know some people react adversely to medications that other people have no trouble with.

Exactly!

When using chemicals of this nature it is only natural that it will cause immediate allergic reactions in some, while others will suffer the damage of it in the long term in other medical conditions........There is no possible way to use chemicals & it not affect the body some how.

If you get it on your own skin you may feel the light-headness/dizziness that many people feel from such chemicals treatments.