Question:
I'm writing to share a horrific incident that my then 14-month-old puppy and I experienced this past summer.After having had Advantage flea control medication applied the previous night, my bulldog/Staffordshire terrier-mix puppy, Nya, went into a full-blown grand mal seizure the following day.The day of the incident, she had been a little clingy and whiny and just did not seem herself. The seizure lasted for 25 minutes. Her entire coat was soaked from all the frothing and she had to be physically restrained to prevent her from crashing into the furniture throughout the house. Needless to say, it was one of the scariest events I have ever experienced, and I was not much reassured by the veterinarian visit immediately afterwards since, according to the test records, there appeared to be no "good" explanation for her seizure. Is there any research to support the correlation between seizures and flea control medication?Incidentally, I've chosen to not use flea control medication anymore, but instead will rely o
M.S., Washington, DC Jan 04, 2004
Answer:
Your letters support my contention that it is unwise to use spot-on or drop-on flea and tick insecticides on a routine preventive basis. Use only with caution when dogs have fleas and all other safer control and prevention measures have failed. The health risks of long-term use may include thyroid disease, neurological problems and immune system impairment, compounded by, and therefore difficult to separate from, adverse vaccine reactions.All adverse drug reactions should be reported by the attending veterinarian to the manufacturers and the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, copies of which should also be provided to the animals' owners. I would like to hear from other readers who may have experienced similar adverse reactions in their animals to these and other flea and tick control chemicals.(Merial was contacted regarding the letter from C.H., but declined to provide a response.)
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