[margog85]

Hello- I am new to the forum and have a quick question. If anyone could provide any insight, I would appreciate it.

We had a 3 year old Pomapoo join our family about a month and a half ago, and upon bringing him home discovered that he had a major flea problem. It was so bad that if you parted the hair practically anywhere on him, you were guaranteed to see at least three or four fleas hanging out there. We took him to PetSmart to get groomed immediately, and he was flea-free after his flea bath and haircut, but the woman said it was necessary to get some sort of treatment to keep him from being reinfested, because he likely had eggs on him that would hatch. We purchased SentryPro XFC at the recommendation of the PetSmart employee, and it nearly killed him. It burned his back severely, caused him to vomit, gag, shake... it didn't take much time until we found this website (Problems with SentryPro XFC flea and tick medication | Gibberish Is My Native Language) which says it's been linked to seizures, kidney failure, death... We washed it off him that night with water, only to find out the next day that all that probably did was soothe his burn, since the product is oil-based and water alone won't wash it off- so by the time we washed him with the recommended dish soap, it had been absorbed into his system and was circulating through his blood stream. It took about two weeks for him to get back to normal.

Anyway, long story short, the fleas are back in action, not as badly as before but we want to do something to help him before it gets to that point. Took him to the vet today- got him his vaccinations for the first time, got a test done for heartworms, had a stool sample tested (ends up that he has hookworms... poor little guy!)- and came home with a small tube of Advantage for his fleas, a syringe full of de-wormer, and three months worth of heartworm medication. But, after our experience with the SentryPro, I'm terrified to put anything in him or on him that isn't totally necessary or that could potentially harm him.

The vet said that Advantage doesn't get absorbed into his system like other products do, so it's a lot safer in that regard- that it's very rare that a dog has a reaction to it, and if he does it'd just be irritating to his skin and you could easily wash it off- So I applied it about half an hour ago, and he seems to be normal- a little more tired than usual, but that may just be due to his over-excitement at the vet earlier. He had a reaction to the SentryPro about 15 minutes after application, so I'm hopeful with this...

But does anyone have any opinions on the safety of this product? Anything I should watch out for to make sure he's okay? Any common reactions that anyone knows of? I'd appreciate any feedback I can get- The vet said it was safe, but he was trying to sell it to me. I searched the internet, but all I've found so far are advertisements, which I know are bound to be at least slightly (:p ) biased. So I wanted some real-person feedback on advantage.

Thanks for your time!

[AlwaysWrite]

Hello- I am new to the forum and have a quick question. If anyone could provide any insight, I would appreciate it.

We had a 3 year old Pomapoo join our family about a month and a half ago, and upon bringing him home discovered that he had a major flea problem. It was so bad that if you parted the hair practically anywhere on him, you were guaranteed to see at least three or four fleas hanging out there. We took him to PetSmart to get groomed immediately, and he was flea-free after his flea bath and haircut, but the woman said it was necessary to get some sort of treatment to keep him from being reinfested, because he likely had eggs on him that would hatch. We purchased SentryPro XFC at the recommendation of the PetSmart employee, and it nearly killed him. It burned his back severely, caused him to vomit, gag, shake... it didn't take much time until we found this website (Problems with SentryPro XFC flea and tick medication | Gibberish Is My Native Language) which says it's been linked to seizures, kidney failure, death... We washed it off of him that night with water, only to find out the next day that all that probably did was soothe his burn, since the product is oil-based and water alone won't wash it off- so by the time we washed him with the recommended dish soap, it had been absorbed into his system and was circulating through his blood stream. It took about two weeks for him to get back to normal.

Anyway, long story short, the fleas are back in action, not as badly as before but we want to do something to help him before it gets to that point. Took him to the vet today- got him his vaccinations for the first time, got a test done for heartworms, had a stool sample tested (ends up that he has hookworms... poor little guy!)- and came home with a small tube of Advantage for his fleas, a syringe full of de-wormer, and three months worth of heartworm medication. But, after our experience with the SentryPro, I'm terrified to put anything in him or on him that isn't totally necessary or that could potentially harm him.

The vet said that Advantage doesn't get absorbed into his system like other products do, so it's a lot safer in that regard- that it's very rare that a dog has a reaction to it, and if he does it'd just be irritating to his skin and you could easily wash it off- So I applied it about half an hour ago, and he seems to be normal- a little more tired than usual, but that may just be due to his over-excitement at the vet earlier. He had a reaction to the SentryPro about 15 minutes after application, so I'm hopeful with this...

But does anyone have any opinions on the safety of this product? Anything I should watch out for to make sure he's okay? Any common reactions that anyone knows of? I'd appreciate any feedback I can get- The vet said it was safe, but he was trying to sell it to me. I searched the internet, but all I've found so far are advertisements, which I know are bound to be at least slightly (:p ) biased. So I wanted some real-person feedback on advantage.

Thanks for your time!

We have been using Advantage for years and years on all our pets, granted none are as little as yours, but the box should have a weight range on it to assist you in deciding if you want to continue.

[margog85]

We bought the tube from the vet, so I don't have a box to refer to... I'm assuming the vet would probably gave him the correct dosage for his size- Thanks for your feedback though- it's good to know that you've been using it for a long time and are satisfied with it. I'm basically working off the assumption that when I searched for things online like 'advantage flea control dangers' or 'side effects of advantage for dogs' and didn't come up with much of anything that this was a good sign- (esp. noting that when I type in only 'sentrypro xfc' the first thing that comes up is a horror story about the side effects!)
Thanks again!

[AlwaysWrite]

You might want to ask the vet what the pound range is, so you'll know what to order next time. We have three dogs and two cats so Advantage is always in our budget.

[labman]

Advantage has been in wide use for years, and I never heard of any problems. Although most of the people I know have larger dogs, I think my friend that breeds Yorkies uses it. I know some of myfriends use it on young puppies. I have heard that flea remedies from the pet store aren't safe although never a specific brand. I would trust your vet.

[margog85]

Advantage has been in wide use for years, and I never heard of any problems. Although most of the people I know have larger dogs, I think my friend that breeds Yorkies uses it. I know some of myfriends use it on young puppies. I have heard that flea remedies from the pet store aren't safe although never a specific brand. I would trust your vet.

Thanks for your input- I'm so glad to hear the positive responses about Advantage after our SentryPro fiasco, and my boy has been sleeping soundly next to me for about an hour and a half now since I applied it- so as long as this cures his flea dilemma, I'll be pleased with it!

Thanks!:)

[bushg]

Margog I have used advantage on kittens that weighed a few pounds with no problems. I have also used frontline on my dogs both small and no problems with that brand either.

[margog85]

Great to hear! I also just gave him his dewormer, which I was worried he wouldn't take because I had trouble putting the syringe in his mouth... but I squirted it into my hand and he gulped it down, and is now jumping up looking for more... =)
So he seems to be doing well with the vaccines, the advantage, the dewormer... such a relief!
Any feedback on how affective advantage is in controlling fleas? I keep reading that Frontline is better, but... we live in Buffalo, flea season is basically over and done with, so I'm hoping that we can get rid of them all in one shot and he'll be good for the winter... any thoughts?

[labman]

I have heard nothing except successful reports with all the modern remedies.

[margog85]

I posted this a long time ago--- since then, my dog has been having seizures. They started on Christmas Eve 2007- some sources are saying that this flea med can cause neurological damage. He still has seizures regularly and is now on medication for it.
This is first of all an FYI for anyone with a small dog who is considering flea treatment--- do NOT use this product! Dogs have DIED from it!
And I also would like to know if anything can be done to sue this company? I don't have any proof anymore of my purchase of it... and I didn't take him to the vet for it, as he seemed to get better little by little, and I washed it off about an hour after applying it--- but since then, we've had MANY vet bills related to his seizures. He was fine before this medication...
Any advice?

[shazamataz]

While I'm definitely not promoting this product the seizures are most likely unrelated.
You don't know his breeding so it could be genetic, neurological disorders and epilepsy are inherited problems. There are also medications which can help in extreme cases or if it is mild you could try Alty's green been diet.
All you do is add some green beans to their regular food, I'm not sure how it works but it did for Alty!

[margog85]

I sincerely hope that it was not due to this product. I've been feeling so guilty since I did some research on it yesterday. Back in '07 when it happened, there was only one article I could find about it- but now, three years later, if you Google "SentryPro XFC" literally HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of bad reviews, with the same terrible side effects come up. And it's not just bad reviews saying that it caused a skin rash or itching... these dogs have gotten really really sick, or died. And it just kills me to think that I may have possibly given my dog something that caused him to suffer for the rest of his life.

He was about 3 1/2 when he started having seizures- I don't know if that's the average age for things like epilepsy to show up. But it was about 4 months after using this flea treatment on him--- which he had a bad reaction to at the time. He is now on Potassium Bromide for the seizures, because they've gotten more intense over the years. I'm not entirely confident yet that it's helping much... but the vet said it'll take a little time. We're trying to hold off on PB because my bichon had really bad liver damage from being on it for years-- and the vet said the Potassium Bromide is easier on his system.

But either way, regardless of the cause of his ongoing seizure problems, I also wanted to update this post because I realized that my experience with the product was not unique- and that I was lucky my dog actually survived, because many did not. Apparently (from what I read- I am in no way an expert) the chemical they use, Cyphenothrin, is a very inexpensive, potent,and dangerous chemical- it attacks the nervous system of the fleas and ticks to kill them, but can have the same effect on the dog as well.

Websites like this:
HartzVictims.org - My Dog just died from Sentry Pro XFC Flea
Prompted me to repost, because I'm not the only one who has experienced these issues-- and this product is still being sold and recommended by pet store employees!

But I hope you are right, shazamataz- I really hope that I didn't give my dog something that is hurting him for the rest of his life... it breaks my heart to think of that as even a possibility.

[Cat1864]

But I hope you are right, shazamataz- I really hope that I didn't give my dog something that is hurting him for the rest of his life... it breaks my heart to think of that as even a possibility.

Try not to beat yourself up over the choice you made years ago with the best information you could find then.

It is obvious that you care a lot about your pups and wouldn't do anything to harm them. It sounds like you trusted the information out there at the time. That is all you can do at any given time.

[shazamataz]

We have all made out fair share of mistakes.

Just last week I made a dog coat for my chinese crested, I used a material I thought would be nice and soft and warm.

Turns out he was highly allergic to it and his whole skin came out in lumps which then turned into itchy scabs.

I should have tested the fabric first, but I didn't.
Nothing I can do about it now, it's over and done with but I just know in the future I need to be more careful about what fabrics I use on him.

I have been living with dogs for 24 years and I'm still learning a lot about them.

[Sariss]

Advantage has an INSANE margin of safety. (Really, 200x recommended dose in small breed puppies).

The seizures are probably unrelated.

[Catsmine]

Which product did you use? In 07 you said "Advantage," which does not contain cyphenothrin, then you mention later a product containing cyphenothrin (Sargeant's and Triforce do) and a Hartz website.

Please be as specific as you can remember.

[margog85]

Initially had given him SentryPro XFC, which is what he had the reaction to:

We purchased SentryPro XFC at the recommendation of the PetSmart employee, and it nearly killed him. It burned his back severely, caused him to vomit, gag, shake... it didn't take much time until we found this website (Problems with SentryPro XFC flea and tick medication | Gibberish Is My Native Language) which says it's been linked to seizures, kidney failure, death...

Still had flea issues, and gave him Advantage as per our vet:

Took him to the vet today- got him his vaccinations for the first time, got a test done for heartworms, had a stool sample tested (ends up that he has hookworms... poor little guy!)- and came home with a small tube of Advantage for his fleas, a syringe full of de-wormer, and three months worth of heartworm medication. But, after our experience with the SentryPro, I'm terrified to put anything in him or on him that isn't totally necessary or that could potentially harm him.

The vet said that Advantage doesn't get absorbed into his system like other products do, so it's a lot safer in that regard- that it's very rare that a dog has a reaction to it, and if he does it'd just be irritating to his skin and you could easily wash it off- So I applied it about half an hour ago, and he seems to be normal- a little more tired than usual, but that may just be due to his over-excitement at the vet earlier. He had a reaction to the SentryPro about 15 minutes after application, so I'm hopeful with this...

The purpose of the post initially was to check on the safety of Advantage, after having had such a scary experience with SentryPro XFC. He has been using Advantage for the past three years w/o any problems- it was the SentryPro XFC that caused the issues.

I came back to update now because I realized that my experience with SentryPro XFC is far from an isolated incident, and there are MANY more people who have had a similar problem with the product since 2007 when I first posted.

Also, I was concerned that my use of SentryPro XF (not Advantage) could have resulted in his seizure problem by causing some sort of neurological damage. SentryPro XFC was applied at the end of August 2007 and seizures began on Christmas Eve 2007 (that we witnessed, at least- could've been closer together than I know of if he had any seizures when I wasn't home). He has been having seizures periodically ever since.

Hope that clarifies everything!

[Catsmine]

Initially had given him SentryPro XFC, which is what he had the reaction to:



Still had flea issues, and gave him Advantage as per our vet:



The purpose of the post initially was to check on the safety of Advantage, after having had such a scary experience with SentryPro XFC. He has been using Advantage for the past three years w/o any problems- it was the SentryPro XFC that caused the issues.

I came back to update now because I realized that my experience with SentryPro XFC is far from an isolated incident, and there are MANY more people who have had a similar problem with the product since 2007 when I first posted.

Also, I was concerned that my use of SentryPro XF (not Advantage) could have resulted in his seizure problem by causing some sort of neurological damage. SentryPro XFC was applied at the end of August 2007 and seizures began on Christmas Eve 2007 (that we witnessed, at least- could've been closer together than I know of if he had any seizures when I wasn't home). He has been having seizures periodically ever since.

Hope that clarifies everything!

Thanks very much. In my line of work I have to keep up with the "Over the Counter" and veterinarian markets to avoid interactions which can do just what happened to your poor little guy.

This thread explains why I recommend mechanical controls such as grass mowing and vacuuming before chemicals. If an infestation does develop, people like me that train to keep everybody as safe as possible are preferable to a "flea bomb" that contaminates your dishes and his bedding. I'm more expensive, but I try to be worth it.

Back to your pup, I'm very glad he's making it okay. He's very lucky to have you, as demonstrated by your agonizing over this. Nobody knew about it in 07, or it would never have gone to market.