Very severe reaction to flea treatment

[nom de plume]

We have a one year old neutered male Lhasa Apso. Fleas and ticks plague

him. we keep him clean and his coat is clipped short to help deal with

the problem. He also seems to be allergic to their bites and will

scratch himslf raw. Then the exposed flesh becomes infected. Through

the spring and summer the vet prescribed Frontline Combo but this did

not deter the fleas. The vet then prescribed Advantix. He warned us it

was much stronger and is very dangerous to cats. Through the autumn I

have given him two applications, one month apart but the fleas would

return after three weeks. This morning I gave him another but within an

hour he was paralised, then shaking uncontrollably. Within ten minutes

I was at the vets with him. He was give 10mg Valium intravenously and a

drip to fluch his system through. The vet will then bathe him to get

the remainder off his coat. I am to collect him at 16.00 and hopefully

he will be all right.

So my questions are:

1   If Frontline and Advantix either don't work are are

positively dangerous for him what can I treat him with? Because the

fleas regard him as a 4* Michelin host!

2   These products are used by the vet when you want to take

the animal back to the UK, so what are the implications if he cant have

them?

Thank you

Diana

[Anyone for Cricket?]

Hi

We have exactly the same problem with our cat, she has alwasy been really upset by fleas and is now 17 years old.  We used frontline normal during the summer but she too got very raw from scratching.  This has been by far the worst flea year since we've been in france.  Before this year she was fine as we are all tiled I think fleas are less likey to be around the house. 

 I took her to my vet and am happy to report that she is now fine, he gave her anti-histamine tablets and we've put frontline-combo on for this month, he also prescribed an omega oil which she loves, you just put a tiny bit on her food and this has made her all glossy again!  She had ulcers as well as the normal scratched skin so was in a bad way so there is hope, perhaps ask about anti-hsitamine, .  If you can get them to stop scratching it's half the battle.  My vet said that you should alternate between products as due to the fact we have to put it on so often it becomes less affective, so maybe try frontline normal one month combo the next that what's I'm going to do. 

treating the house is vital too, we went for the bomb type products where you set them off and run, these seem to have done the trick for now anyway!

Goodluck, I;m sure it will be ok if you can get the right treatment

 

[KathyC]

We have a similar problem with one of our cats who gets covered in scabs if he gets fleas. He has to have an antihistamine injection if we get the timing of our treatments wrong. At present he (and the rest of the gang) is taking something called Capstar, which is a once a weekly treatment which seems to be pretty effective. It's made by Novartis and the ingredient is Nitempyram.  This seems to be working, despite the fact that we can't zap the house because of my husband's respiratory problems.

[cooperlola]

I'm sure this is not your problem, but on the same note, NEVER use out of date Advanix and Frontline, as I understand these break down and can produce nasty reactions.

[Dick Smith]

We used to have a cat with a similar problem (reaction to fleas, not treatment). Ludicrously enough he took to sleeping on the tops of doors and then on the banisters, both of which he would fall from on a regular basis. The banisters still have huge gouges out of them, but we could never stop him. The vet used to give him injections, but at this distance in time I can't remember what they were.

We always assumed that sleeping on narrow, high-up ledges the flea eggs would fall out of his fur (which was very short) and not irritate so much. The poor creature was much troubled by them.

[WJT]

[quote user="nom de plume"]We have a one year old neutered male Lhasa Apso. Fleas and ticks plague him. we keep him clean and his coat is clipped short to help deal with the problem. He also seems to be allergic to their bites and will scratch himslf raw. Then the exposed flesh becomes infected. Through the spring and summer the vet prescribed Frontline Combo but this did not deter the fleas. The vet then prescribed Advantix. He warned us it was much stronger and is very dangerous to cats. Through the autumn I have given him two applications, one month apart but the fleas would return after three weeks. This morning I gave him another but within an hour he was paralised, then shaking uncontrollably. Within ten minutes I was at the vets with him. He was give 10mg Valium intravenously and a drip to fluch his system through. The vet will then bathe him to get the remainder off his coat. I am to collect him at 16.00 and hopefully he will be all right.

So my questions are:
1   If Frontline and Advantix either don't work are are positively dangerous for him what can I treat him with? Because the fleas regard him as a 4* Michelin host!
2   These products are used by the vet when you want to take the animal back to the UK, so what are the implications if he cant have them?

Thank you

Diana

[/quote]

 

How awful for you and your poor little dog [:'(]!  I had a similar problem with Advantix on my little dog but not as serious. However, as it turned out I learned from the vet in France that the UK vet had sold me the capsules for medium sized dogs (I believe up to 10kg) and they make a smaller capsule [:@]. My dog is about 4.5kg so I was overdosing him each time and the last time he had a reaction shaking, red burn mark and sick etc..

I now give him the smallest capsule of Advantix and he has been absolutely fine with no problems. He is probably a similar size to your dog, perhaps you should check to see if you have overdosed him with the incorrect dosage.[:(] I hope he is better. Please let us know how he gets on?

[nom de plume]

Thank you all for replying. Thankfully he is now just fine. In the

evening after collecting him form the vet he was still very groggy but

after a long good sleep he woke up full of life and immediately started

to chase the cat so we knew everything was OK.

The vet has suggested going back to Frontline Combo in conjuction with

Program tablets. I have also contacted the Lhasa club in the UK and

they suggested a natural product called "Critter oil". This is diluted

and used directly on the pet and also can be sprayed on bedding etc, as

well as in the garden on plants and grass.

Diana

[WJT]

[quote user="nom de plume"]Thank you all for replying. Thankfully he is now just fine. In the evening after collecting him form the vet he was still very groggy but after a long good sleep he woke up full of life and immediately started to chase the cat so we knew everything was OK.
The vet has suggested going back to Frontline Combo in conjuction with Program tablets. I have also contacted the Lhasa club in the UK and they suggested a natural product called "Critter oil". This is diluted and used directly on the pet and also can be sprayed on bedding etc, as well as in the garden on plants and grass.

Diana

[/quote]

Diana, that is very good news, I am sure you must be so relieved. I will have to look into "Critter Oil" as well. I assume it protects against the tick disease "Piroplasmosis" (sp?). However, for us it wouldn't help when we return to the UK because they require a Frontline or Advantix treatment. In any case very happy to hear your boy recovered.[:)]

[PossumGirl]

From what I recall, Program is actually "flea birth control," so it doesn't prevent the fleas from biting in the first place.  It does eventually wipe out the infestation in your home, however.  But, if you're taking your dog to other places, he can still cat bitten.  So, it's good that the Frontline is doing the job for him as well.

PG

[Gail Smith]

Tea tree oil is a natural flea repellent if you can stand the smell.  I have used it on a very susceptible dog and it worked brilliantly.  Obviously it isnt any good to satisfy the PP rules for returning to the UK.

Gail

[Junlesley]

I also use Tea Tree Oil, its very good for any cuts or scratches, on humans or animals as well as being a natural flea repellent.

[michelle]

Try giving them odourless garlic pearls, pop them and let them lick it off. Fleas ands ticks hate garlic. Once in the blood supply of the dog or cat they will not bite. I give it to my 2 cats and dog and they love it!

Also lavender oil is good for sore skin but water it down first in a carrier oil, it will help to sooth.

hope that helps.

I am looking to move to france in the next 12 months with all above including my horse.

Finding this site really helpful thanks all!!

[hoverfrog]

it sounds like the batch of Advantix you had was a rogue batch.

I had the same problem once with my dog many years ago with Tiguvon (sp?) A few months after my dog had the reaction several batch numbers of the product were recalled - but too late for him. He survived, others were not so lucky. After this episode, he used to hide behind the sofa if I brought out those little tubes!

Talk to your vet, make sure he knows about it and that it is documented. Write to the product manufacturer if needbe, and remember to quote the batch number in your correspondence.