New puppy - a few questions

My Shih Tzu had an adverse reaction to K9 Advantix II yesterday. It was the second time I'd applied it to him, which according to my vet is often when an adverse reaction occurs. Within two hours of application he got extremely itchy and like he couldn't stand to be in his own skin. So I gave him a bath in Dawn dish detergent and took him to the vet to be checked out. He was given a shot of Benadryl and we discussed another option for parasite control.

Does that mean I think K9 Advantix II is dangerous/bad/should be dissed all over the Internet? No. It just means it's not the right product for this particular dog. My oldest son adversely reacts to amoxicillin. Does that mean it's a bad drug overall? No. Of course not.

352 wrote:
You are aware that what kills the fleas kills the dog? Bluntly put. Research it!!!!!!!

I was going to let this go, but I just have to respond :)

This is a very sensational statement long on drama and short on facts. If you have research supporting your assertion, show it.

Have there been deaths reportedly associated with flea products? YES.

These terrible situations have been thoroughly investigated and fit into categories of:
1. owner error (using dog product on cats), improper dosing (using large dog dose on small dog)
2. specific product related problem (a specific Hartz product was implicated a few years ago)
3. use on a sick/debilitated animal
4. use of a product that was tampered with - specifically counterfeit product usually purchases cheaply on the internet from unknown sources.

What these sensational stories/statements fail to mention is that serious diseases ARE transmitted or spread by fleas and ticks and are a threat to people as well as your pets. Fleas and ticks are not just a nuisance.

Responses have mentioned Lyme disease, but other diseases happen as well: Bartonellosis, Erlichiosis, Rickettsial diseases (several including Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever), Meningoencephalitis, tapeworms, and most frightening to me is that there are new ones showing up that we don't know about.

One other note, in 37 years of practice I have not seen a single death from a flea/tick product; and that includes many years when the products used were not as safe as the spot ons we now have.

Reactions were not usual, but not uncommon - those being topical irritation where the spot on was applied.

BTW, advantix is labeled for use in puppies as young as 7 wks of age. Just make sure you use the appropriate size for the weight of the puppy.

Doug, DVM

One thing you did not mention is how old is the puppy? or the breed, Large Dog? Small Dog.........

Talk to the Puppy's vet......

When our son's puppy came with us we did not worry about the big dogs Flea & Tick (nor did the vet) ....... But he is a bigger dog, at a year he's over 70 lbs and a working breed. When he was old enough (about 5 months) he was also put on a Lyme disease vaccine. (A lot of dogs are coming up with the disease here). At two months we had to start his puppy shots over as we could not get the info as to what he already had.

Good Luck !!!!!

If you want to go natural just go to cedarcide.com and get some best yet cedar oil. Put some in a mister or spray bottle and spray starting at the legs up to along the side of your pet. Then do your shoes up to your legs! All natural and smells great! I have been using this for years to fog my chicken coop and when my 3 dogs and I are going outdoors!

You are aware that what kills the fleas kills the dog? Bluntly put. Research it!!!!!!!

As long as the puppy isn't licking/chewing on the other dogs, it should be OK to treat them. I'd recommend keeping puppy away from them for a day so the chemicals can absorb as much as possible.

I've been hesitant to use any flea treatment within a week of inoculations, but as you're going camping in a tick area, I would check with your vet to see what they suggest. I don't use Frontline - found it ineffectual for fleas - so I can't answer to that part.

I do use Advantage/Advantix on an as-needed basis. For fleas, the great thing about Advantage and Advantix is that you don't have to treat every pet in the household. The fleas jump on and off the dogs, so the fleas on the untreated dog will visit a treated dog and get zapped. For ticks, it's not so convenient. I'd recommend a good tick tweezer and a thorough check of the puppy at least twice a day (at bedtime and around noon). I'd also check him after any hiking or rolling around.

Another option you have is to use Zodiac household spray on the puppy's bedding. Spray the bedding a day before you leave so it has a chance to completely dry. I usually spray one side, then flip it so that's on the bottom and not next to the animal.

Quick call to the vet which provides the puppy it's shots will resolve your question accurately .. and won't cost anything. Were babysitting a puppy for a friend and that's what we do.