Week 3 - Mar 09, Weekly Ask a Vet Q&A

Q:  I just heard it on the news: Some flea and tick killers have pyrethoids in them and they are very dangerous. What about Advantix? I have been giving it to my beagle for years. I just tried looking up the ingredients it shows some and says 42% other ingredients. Is it safe?
Beverly W, CA (question of the week)
Mar 18, 2009

Q:  We have two dogs - one 12 and the other 14. Can we split in half a frontline plus for a 23-44 lb dog and give the dose 1/2 to each dog?. 
Alan D, Wooster, OH

A : Assuming that you accurately measure the dose of Frontline Plus so that both dogs get half a vial you can split the larger size for your two dogs. If you can get a syringe, you can draw up the liquid and accurately measure out the dose.

 

Q: My cat has not eaten anything in two days, and she was vomited the before that hairballs and sometimes clear fluid. i wanted to know if it is because she was vomiting. Does that make her not want to eat?
Erica K, work

A: Any condition that would be upsetting her stomach could cause her to not eat. If it continues, it would be best to have her checked by a vet, however it is possible that the hairballs are the cause of these signs. Hair is very irritant in the stomach and can cause inflammation of the stomach lining or gastritis.

There are products available, for example, Catlax and Cat Laxative and Hairball Remover which helps prevent hairballs if used on a regular basis.

Q: Is there a flea and tick prevention in pill form? He is A Maltese and weighs 3 pounds and 2 ounces and he is 3 months old?
Terresa, Fort Myers, FL

A: There is one tablet that does cover both ticks and fleas called Proban tablets. Proban is given by mouth every 2nd day. The dosage is one tablet per 22 lbs. It is not great for flea control though and if flea numbers are large then a second flea treatment will also be required. It is also not recommended for small breeds of dogs under 10lbs so will not be suitable for your pup. The spot on type products such as Frontline Plus or Advantix may be better for your pup. They are easy to use, effective and safe.

Q: We have pretty high infestation of deer ticks in our area. Can I safely use a tick collar in addition to using Frontline Plus?.
Dan J, Cranesville, PA

A: Yes, you can use a Preventic or Kiltix tick collar as well as the Frontline Plus. For areas with high tick numbers this is the preferred treatment. I do recommend manually checking your dog daily as no treatment is 100% effective against ticks.

Q: I have my dogs on Iverhart Max for heartworm and you do not sell that kind. What can I use in it's place?.
Lisa, PA

A: Iverhart Max is a chewable tablet that contains Ivermectin, Pyrantel and Praziquantel. It will treat heartworm and some of the important intestinal worms, roundworms, hookworms and tapeworms. Unfortunately it does not cover another common worm called whipworm. On our site we have the Heartgard Plus which contains Ivermectin and Pyrantel which will treat heartworm, roundworms and hookworms. To treat the whipworms and tapeworms you should also treat with an allwormer tablet such as Drontal, Canex or Popantel every 3 months. I do recommend this even with the Iverhart Max as it doesn’t cover whipworm. Whipworm can cause severe signs such as diarrhea, weight loss and blood in the motions.

Other heartwormers that we have include Revolution which controls heartworm, fleas, ear mites and sarcoptic mange is used in a topical form monthly. With this product you should still worm with an allwormer every 3 months. The good thing with Revolution is that it is a spot on type product so very easy to use and it covers fleas and some ticks also.  We also have a generic brand of heartwormer called Nuheart which has the same active ingredient to prevent heartworm as the Iverhart Max and Heartgard Plus. It will only cover heartworm, comes in a tablet form and is given monthly. Again you should give an allwormer every 3 months for complete coverage of all of the intestinal worms.

Q: i have a golden retriever she got 8 week i want to know went i can put her advantage and if is normal she got diarrea. all the time?
Beatrix A, Westfield, MA

A : Yes, you can use it now as Advantage is safe to use on puppies from 8 weeks of age. It is not normal for a young puppy to have diarrhea all of the time. Some puppies will develop an intolerance to lactose found in milk at that age so you can try taking her off milk for a while and see if that helps. Puppies are also very prone to worms so if you have not already done so you should worm her with an all wormer such as Drontal, Canex or Popantel. It is usual to deworm puppies every two weeks until they are 12 weeks old and then once monthly until they are 6 months old.  If the diarrhea does not stop it would be a good idea to take her to your local vet to have her checked.
 

Q:I would like to switch to revolution, since it protcts 2 in one, heartworms and fleas. What do you think? I have 4 Jack Russell Terriers.
Anne M, Delaware

A: Revolution is a very safe product and works well due to the fact that it does cover both fleas and heartworms. It also treats ear mites and sarcoptic mange. If your dogs have been on heartworm preventatives you just need to start the first dose of Revolution within one month of the last dose you have given. With Revolution you should also treat with an allwormer tablet such as Drontal, Canex or Popantel every 3 months for adult dogs.

Q: how do stop my dog from constantly barking.
Charles, Warren, OH

A: Constantly barking dogs can be a real problem both for their owners and neighbours. There are a number of different training methods to change this behavior as well as devices such as anti barking collars which help. This link will take you to the most comprehensive resource that I have found on this problem. Please have a look around this site for different ideas on tackling this problem. With time and a bit of effort the problem can be overcome.

Q: We seem to get fleas really bad in the summer time we have been using frontline plus and were wondering if one of the other flea medications were better such as K9 advantix?
Rebecca P, Thayer, KS

A: I have had a number of my customers say that they are finding that the Frontline is not working as well as it once did. It appears that in certain areas, the fleas are developing some resistance to this product. I would lean towards the K9 Advantix however K9 Advantix is best avoided if you also have cats in close proximity to your dogs as this product is extremely toxic to cats. Spring is the time to start your flea prevention program so that you stop the fleas before they lay eggs and build up in very large numbers.

Q:When revolution was given to Prince Charming it seemed to be helping, now the itching/scratching has started to get worse. How long should this product last and how often should it be repeated. Could the itcing be a result of an allergy to the product. Thank you
Lisa C, Montreal

A: Revolution should continue to kill fleas for one month after application. You should check Prince Charming to see if there are many fleas. It is possible that his itching and scratching are not caused by fleas and that Revolution is continuing to work. There are many different causes of itchiness in dogs. If you are finding only the odd flea then it is possible that he may have a flea allergy - only one flea is required to set it off. It is rare but possible for a dog to develop an allergy to any product. If this was the case he would be very itchy for the first few days after applying the Revolution. If you are finding a great number of fleas, it may be that you have a flea plague and you may need to treat the environment also.