Okay, I know I am paranoid, the more so since Tessa had a reaction to vaccines, but I was wondering if any of you ever had a dog with adverse reactions to a flea/tick control product.

I have heard that K9 Advantix is especially toxic, more so than Frontline Plus, but I have used it on my bulldog with no problems. I had some left over from my late dog and just put some on Tessa this morning, but am getting a little worried...

Well, I gave Tessa the regular dose yesterday a.m. before posting, and so far, no ill effects, it's been 24 hours, so I am sure we'll be fine. Which is great, because lyme disease is definitely a possibility, she's out with the ticks quite a bit. Don't want to take my chance.

I really wish though that there were some studies out there in regards to the adverse reactions that a lot of dogs seem to have to this stuff, more so than other preventatives. What I would like to know, the dogs that reacted, were they on other meds, did they have underlying health problems, did they have skin sores through which the liquid could have penetrated into the blood stream (supposedly it stays in the skin), age, breed, sex, etc. Without such studies, all info on line is purely anecdotal, although the number of anecdotes is overwhelming!

 

Lymes is horrible in our area as well.  I know quite a few dogs and people that have gotten it. I use Frontline on my guys.
 

From what I understand it is applied to the skin, the dog's movements distribute it over the body, and it is absorbed by the skin, but does not penetrate the skin/enter blood stream. When the flea/mosquito/tick bites the SKIN it dies.

And while you should wash your hands after applying it, I don't think you need to wash your hands every time you touch the dog for the rest of the month. I stay clear of the greasy spots of application until the next bath (4 days later or so) but am not too worried about it. Maybe I should!

I do agree that for those people with cats, it's tricky, as this stuff is fatal for cats, so I'd be worried that they lick it off the dog...

Just received my Drs Foster and Smith catalog today. They are offering free shipping and handling on their monthly flea and tic prevention. They are offering the free shipping and handling on-line too.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/?ref=4397&subref=AA&s_kwcid=drs%20foster%20and%20smith|914620521

Hope this will help some!!  PS Rocky is a K9 Advantix dog and is down to his last tube so this couldnot have come at a better time.  Does it work as I have had zero tics on Rocky all spring

Thought this was an interesting article on the subject of tick prevention.

http://www.rodale.com/ticks-dogs-and-cats?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_07_07-_-Top5-_-NA

I would much rather risk that a particular doggie be allergic to Frontline than I would risk that it contracted any of a number of tick-borne diseases (not just lyme). From babesia to ehrlichia, to lyme disease, to Rocky Mountain spotted fever ... to one of the most dangerous emerging threats out there leishmaniasis ... the number of deadly and debilitating diseases dogs can and do get from ticks makes fighting them mandatory.

Leishmaniasis makes lyme disease seem like kid's play, and it is one of the fastest-growing tick-borne diseases in the US right now. The primary vector is the sandfly, but it is now known to be transmitted by ticks. Leishmaniasis is always fatal to dogs, in addition to being transmissable to humans, where it is fatal also unless the person is given treatment (currently, there is no treatment that works on dogs).

So I wouldn't worry so much about whether any particular dog might get sick or not from a tick preventative; I would worry more if that dog might catch any number of the dangerous tick-borne diseases out there if you live in an area where ticks are prevalent.

In that regard, Frontline (fipronil) provides better tick coverage than any other remedy. For fleas, Advantix is usually more effective, but the truth is both products are starting not to work so well anymore, as in many areas of the country fleas are building resistance to both Frontline and Advantix. However, for ticks, this resistance doesn't seem to be as widespread, especially for Frontline.