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Over the years, I've observed various negative side effects in the dogs of clients, friends, and neighbors who were given oral flea medications. From my viewpoint, administering a toxic substance to your pet every month to eliminate a flea that might land on them is unsettling. I've always focused on prevention in my dog training and my pets' health. Maintaining a healthy diet and using the least toxic flea solutions is a method to prevent diseases, fleas, and negative behaviors.
Understanding the Risks: The Worst-Case Scenario for Your Pet
What's the worst that could happen? Well, your dog could die.
Here are some examples of experiences:
A friend administered an oral flea medication to her dog, which immediately resulted in a seizure.
Another friend gave it to her cat, which then exhibited uncontrolled movement, lethargy, and drooling.
A client gave it to a highly anxious dog she had just rescued and needed training assistance for due to extreme separation anxiety. When I visited, the dog was lethargic, had vomited, and had diarrhea, behaving completely out of character. We were able to leave the apartment without any reaction from the dog, as it was too ill from the medication to work with.
A neighbor's dog lost its ability to walk (ataxia) after years of taking oral flea meds. He spent thousands at the vet seeking the cause of his dog's mobility issues and discovered this was a side effect of the medication.
One client administered a first dose to both of her young dogs, and one died immediately, believed to be from a heart attack. Although no necropsy was performed to confirm the cause of death, since there were no other factors and dogs have been known to die from these meds, I suspect the oral flea medication was responsible.
I've also observed dogs becoming more aggressive and agitated on oral flea meds, which hinders efforts to address behavioral issues, especially if they are the cause of the behavior!
I refuse to assume responsibility for a dog on these medications while in my care, as it's unpredictable when or if the dog will have a reaction. I cannot work with dogs on drugs that trigger such reactions; it's akin to playing Russian roulette. Some dogs react immediately, while for others, it might take weeks, months, or even years (like the dog that suddenly couldn't walk at age six after taking it for years).
Effective Strategies for Safeguarding My Dogs
I VERY SPARINGLY use topical flea medications such as Revolution (a vet prescription is required to ensure you're getting the genuine product and not a counterfeit) and Sentry Natural Defense. The active ingredient in Sentry is Isopropyl Myristate, which is not toxic like Sarolaner, the insecticide in the isoxazoline group found in Simparica and other oral medications.
Even though veterinarians have stated that topicals are no longer effective, they still work for me. I don't apply them to my pets every month, which helps prevent resistance. While topical flea treatments can still be toxic and have caused negative effects in some dogs, I believe they have fewer harmful side effects than oral medications. None of my dogs have experienced adverse reactions to topical flea treatments, and I've been using them sporadically for years.
Recommended Products and Personal Picks
Sentry Home Flea & Tick Household Spray baxterboo.sjv.io/xLZXD3
Wondercide Flea, Tick & Mosquito Spray for Pets + Home - Click below for link to purchase your favorite scent:
I use a traditional flea comb, baths, and topical sprays such as Wondercide. I apply topical flea treatments directly to their skin when needed during the hottest months if I find a flea on them, alternating between Revolution and Sentry. However, I try to extend the time between doses as much as I can, instead of following the suggested 30-day schedule, to avoid resistance buildup. My dogs get 2-3 applications a year of the topicals that we are told to apply every 30 days.
I also feed my dogs as healthy as possible and don't feed kibble or give a lot of processed treats. A good diet is preventive care in many areas of a dogs life and with flea prevention it seems to be a factor too. I've rescued many dogs that were sick and have seen their overall health improve with diet and detox. For more on your dogs diet, check out this blog about pet foods.
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Unveiling Project Jake: A Deep Dive into Real Research
Below is a copy of an independent study on oral flea medications that I suggest everyone to download and read. Pet owners need to make an informed decision when giving these to their pets...
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If you search online for whether Simparica, Bravecto, or Nexgard can harm dogs, you'll come across news articles and personal accounts detailing the adverse effects experienced by pets that received these medications. You can also find Facebook page groups and feature videos of dogs exhibiting negative reactions after being given a dose and owners stories regarding their pets reactions.
If you've administered toxins to your pet and are concerned about their effects, there are methods to detoxify the body. I suggest reaching out to a pet detox specialist if this is a concern for you.
The below is copied from the insert (most people don't read these) of the oral flea med for Simparica:
Mode of Action
The active substance of SIMPARICA, sarolaner, is an acaricide and insecticide belonging to the isoxazoline group. Sarolaner inhibits the function of the neurotransmitter gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor and glutamate receptor, and works at the neuromuscular junction in insects. This results in uncontrolled neuromuscular activity leading to death in insects or acarines.
Abnormal neurologic signs such as tremors, decreased conscious proprioception, ataxia, decreased or absent menace, and/or seizures were reported in dogs receiving SIMPARICA (see Animal Safety).
Precautions
Sarolaner is a member of the isoxazoline class. This class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions including tremors, ataxia, and seizures. Seizures have been reported in dogs receiving isoxazoline class drugs, even in dogs without a history of seizures. Use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. Post Approval Experience (2019): The following adverse events are based on post-approval adverse drug experience reporting for SIMPARICA. Not all adverse events are reported to FDA CVM. It is not always possible to reliably estimate the adverse event frequency or establish a causal relationship to product exposure using these data. The following adverse events reported for dogs are listed in decreasing order of reporting frequency: Vomiting, tremors, lethargy, seizure, diarrhea (with and without blood), anorexia, ataxia, pruritus, hypersalivation and hyperactivity.
Animal Safety In a margin of safety study, SIMPARICA was administered orally to 8-week-old Beagle puppies at doses of 0, 1X, 3X, and 5X the maximum recommended dose (4 mg/kg) at 28-day intervals for 10 doses (8 dogs per group). The control group received placebo tablets. No neurologic signs were observed in the 1X group. In the3X group, one male dog exhibited tremors and ataxia post-dose on Day 0; one female dog exhibited tremors on Days 1, 2, 3, and 5; and one female dog exhibited tremors on Day 1. In the 5X group, one female dog had a seizure on Day 61 (5 days after third dose); one female dog had tremors post-dose on Day 0 and abnormal head coordination after dosing on Day 140; and one female dog exhibited seizures associated with the second and fourth doses and tremors associated with the second and third doses. All dogs recovered without treatment. Except for the observation of abnormal head coordination in one dog in the 5X group two hours after dosing on Day 140 (dose 6). There were no treatment-related neurological signs observed once the dogs reached the age of 6 months.
In a separate exploratory pharmacokinetic study, one female dog dosed at 12 mg/kg (3X the maximum recommended dose) exhibited lethargy, anorexia, and multiple neurological signs including ataxia, tremors, disorientation, hypersalivation, diminished proprioception, and absent menace, approximately 2 days after a third monthly dose. The dog was not treated, and was ultimately euthanized. The first two doses resulted in plasma concentrations that were consistent with those of the other dogs in the treatment group. Starting at 7 hours after the third dose, there was a rapid 2.5 fold increase in plasma concentrations within 41 hours, resulting in a Cmax more than 7-fold higher than the mean Cmax at the maximum recommended use dose. No cause for the sudden increase in sarolaner plasma concentrations was identified.
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