Advantage

Yesterday morning, I put some expensive Advantage flea material from a
tiny tube on the back of my cats neck as directed and he got sick. He
seems to be able to get his foot up there, scratch it off, and lick
it. He was extremely sluggish yesterday evening, he threw up, and
today he isnt hungry. Is this normal. What are the alternatives to
using Advantage, I wonder. Should I take him to a vet for a bath?
What is a flea dip? Im new to this stuff. Beebe is about 2 years
old, goes outside, and usually has an excellent appitite. Thanks for
any help with this.

honeybunch wrote:

Yesterday morning, I put some expensive Advantage flea material
from a tiny tube on the back of my cats neck as directed and he
got sick. He seems to be able to get his foot up there, scratch
it off, and lick it.

You can use an Elizabethan collar for an hour or so after the
application. They are commonly available at pet supply stores.

On Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:55:33 -0700, honeybunch
wrote:

Yesterday morning, I put some expensive Advantage flea material from a
tiny tube on the back of my cats neck as directed and he got sick. He
seems to be able to get his foot up there, scratch it off, and lick
it. He was extremely sluggish yesterday evening, he threw up, and
today he isnt hungry. Is this normal.

Occasionally. The dose may have been too large. I prefer to give the
minimum effective dose, which for Advantage is a little less than
..05 ml/lb of body weight. The large tube is .8 ml which will treat a
cat close to 20 lb. You might want to cut the dose in half next
time. For kittens I put a drop on my finger and rub it into their
necks.

What are the alternatives to using Advantage, I wonder.

On the other hand you might want to return the rest of the
Advantage, presuming you bought a six-month supply, and try
something like Revolution, Frontline or Program.

Should I take him to a vet for a bath?

No, you want to stick with a simple, effective and regular once a
month treatment. The flea bites the cat and dies or, in the case of
Program, does not lay viable eggs. A bath today wouldn't help
tomorrow when your cat picked up more fleas outside.

What is a flea dip? Im new to this stuff. Beebe is about 2 years
old, goes outside, and usually has an excellent appitite. Thanks for
any help with this.

I prefer Revolution, particularly for an outside animal. It is a
little more expensive but also controls heartworms, ear mites and
other parasites. Again I'm careful to give only a minimum dose to
each animal. I have had no problems with it and I handle rescues
many of whom come in covered with fleas.

K/

You should have called your vet rather than or at least in addition to
asking us in this case. The standard procedure when a cat or dog shows
sensitivity to Advantage is to bath it. I'd still call your vet as soon as
you can. I understand reactions are fairly uncommon but they do happen.
My beloved cat Zipper lost his hearing in 1993 after a flea treatment and
the final conclusion was that he was the 1 in 500,000 cats that ever had a
reaction to it.

Call your vet. It's what they are there for. Your cat just may not be able
to handle it. Get professional advice before doing anything more.

Paul

"honeybunch" wrote in message
ups.com...
Yesterday morning, I put some expensive Advantage flea material from a
tiny tube on the back of my cats neck as directed and he got sick. He
seems to be able to get his foot up there, scratch it off, and lick
it. He was extremely sluggish yesterday evening, he threw up, and
today he isnt hungry. Is this normal. What are the alternatives to
using Advantage, I wonder. Should I take him to a vet for a bath?
What is a flea dip? Im new to this stuff. Beebe is about 2 years
old, goes outside, and usually has an excellent appitite. Thanks for
any help with this.