Warning: Please Read

[EmrldShdwQueen]

Sorry this is in bad format. My mom forwarded it to me, and it really scared me. Please be careful with this stuff. I have used it on my Yorkies in the past...

Subject: IMPORTANT Toxic flea/tick treatments

Pass this on. Sad, but true...........

> Sorry for the lengthy story...but it is important to pass on to anyone
> who has a dog or cat. This is absolutely a true story. It is my very
> own, sad, story.
>
> As most of you know, Paul and I have always had dogs as part of our
> family. Two years ago, a good friend gave us two beautiful
> pomeranian/chihuahua mix puppies to care for and love. But something
> went terribly wrong this week. We lost our beautiful, playful, loving,
> 4.45 lb, Jaz. She died so unexpectedly, and so tragically. We are
> really struggling with this more than any other animal we have ever
> lost.. We are still in shock! HOW did she die? Well, this is what you
> have to pass on to everyone you know who has a dog, particularly if it
> is under 25 lbs.
>
> Since Jaz was 1 yr old I started giving her K9 Advantix, from mid
> spring
> to early fall, to protect her from fleas, mosquitos and ticks. I was
> sure to watch the label to give her the appropriate dosage, and apply
> it
> in the manner suggested. The package I bought was for, and I quote,
> "puppies over 7 weeks old and older dogs under 10 lbs." Little did I
> know I wasn't protecting her, but slowly killing her. (Revolution does
> have doses for dogs under 5 lbs...but it had never been prescribed for
> Jaz.) In fact, I was so sure of this product, I was trying to coerce my
> sister into using a similar product on her cats.
>
> Products that we are all familiar with, such as the one I used, and
> including Advantage, Frontline, Capstar and Revolucion are all
> pesticides.. Do you know what Permithrin or Selamectin is used for?
> Killing ants and other insects. It is very toxic. The vet said, it
> would
> be the same as giving your dog a teaspoon of Raid every day.
> (Revolution
> seems to have a lower percentage of active ingredients...so it might be
> safer to use...or just might take longer before signs are recognized).
> K9 Advantix has TWO toxic active ingredients!
>
> If you were to call the manufacturers of these products they will tell
> you it does not enter the blood stream. And, if the dog/cat show signs
> of stress, just simply give them a bath to wash it away. Revolutions
> label states it enters the blood stream and cannot be washed away. All
> will insist their product does no harm to your pet. However, the Vet
> says something quite different. Jaz was taken care of by two Vets over
> the past three days. Each from a different facility and not related to
> each other. Each told me the same thing!
>
> Here is what happens: Once the poison is given to your dog via a liquid
> applied to the skin. It enters their system...and never fully leaves
> it.
> Some of the toxins remain. The following month you give another dose
> and
> more toxins remain in the body...until finally the toxicity is so great
> it begins to break down the organs, gets into the blood stream, and
> then
> all havoc breaks loose. The Vets said, because Jaz was so small, after
> the first six doses, I probably would never have had to give her
> anymore
> for the next THREE YEARS. That's how long it could have stayed active
> in her body. Larger dogs & cats tolerate it better, but in time, the
> same thing happens. By the time a larger dog starts having problems,
> their owners and vets think it is a sign of aging...and rarely ever
> look
> into toxic poisoning. They said they are seeing more and more evidence
> of this happening to our pets. Advantage and Advantix have only been
> out
> since aprx. 2002. Over the past two years we are hearing more about the
> actual affects of these products.
>
> There are symptoms to watch for. The unfortunate thing is, you don't
> recognize the symptoms, until too late. Why is this? Because one
> doesn't
> usually acquaint the symptoms with a product you have been giving your
> pet for some time. Early symptoms could simply be, skin rashes, and a
> little more shedding than usual. In larger dogs, they might become more
> aggressive. By the way, there are no signs to watch for on the
> label...only instructions for humans if they touch or swallow this
> poison. (Revolution dose have a few warnings) Jaz had a small skin
> problem on her lower back. I was told it was just a normal dog thing
> and
> to change shampoo, and given an ointment. Well it turns out, it was a
> "burn" from the toxins.
>
> Later symptoms are, seizures, (most people think seizures are due to
> breed and aging dogs, brain malfunctions, etc.). Throwing up two to
> three times a day (many will think it do to food or something they ate
> outside). Increased urinating and a need for a lot of water. Listless.
> Runny eyes. Eventually bleeding.
>
> The only sympton Jaz had that we could have caught was the small skin
> rash or "burn." Notice how things quickly progressed. After giving her
> the last dose, a week ago Monday, within two days she seemed to become
> listless. Then she perked up again, like her old self, so we thought
> she was over whatever ailed her...a 48 hour flu. Then we noticed on
> Friday, she was always going to the bathroom. She chose not to sleep in
> her bed with her sister, and using her stuffed bunny as a pillow, but
> she wanted to be away from everyone, choosing to sleep on a cold floor
> on the side of the sofa, where she could not be seen. For three days,
> we
> filled her water dish every couple of hours, and within minutes she was
> eliminating it. However, she was eating well. But, by Sunday, she could
> barely walk, now preferring to lay on the cool tile floor but near her
> water dish. When we returned home from church, we noticed her
> shivering.
> So I sat with her, covered in a blanket. On Sunday she also stopped
> eating. No Vet or animal hospital was open. Even the animal emergency
> center had closed for some reason. We had to wait until Monday to get
> her to a vet. First thing Monday I took her to the vet, who immediately
> recommended hospitalization. He said it was either kidney failure or
> diabetes. At the hospital they gave her xrays and blood tests, took
> stool samples, urinalysis. They ruled out everything. All her vital
> organs seemed OK. She had slight fever so they put her on an antibiotic
> drip. As the hours went by, nothing worked. Then she had a seizure. As
> more time went by they realized it was Toxic poisoning. The doctors
> drilled me on things she ate. Things and plants to look for in our
> yard.
> Then they asked what type of flea control I was using. That did it.
> However, because these reactions are just now making themselves known,
> most vets do not know what antidote to give. They put her on various
> drips of stronger antibiotics and other things to try to flush the
> poison out, but nothing worked. That began their mad search to find out
> more. One vet had three people on-line to find out as much as they
> could. I pulled out my lap-top and tried to help. At 2Am we were still
> trying to find a way to help her. Another tried to get info from the
> Bayer Co. who manufactures K9 Ad. They were more concerned about a law
> suit, insisting their product couldn't be at fault. Two vets kept
> making
> calls to Poison Control Center...but no one would return calls. We knew
> she wasn't going to survive, but thought we would give docs until 10AM
> the next morning. If nothing changed, we would approve of putting her
> down. However, I was called into the hospital at 7Am, she had three
> seizures that night, after I left at 2:30AM. When she saw me, her eyes
> seem to say I'm glad your here to be with me. Doctor said she was not
> in
> pain, just in panic from being in a strange place with strange people.
> We decided not to "put her to sleep" unless she started having
> problems.
> She went into a peaceful sleep and died two hours later. Then, we got
> the call from the Poison Control Center. They didn't know what to give
> a
> dog.
>
> The information we found on-line is incredible. There are thousands of
> blogs all over the country. People begging other people to stop using
> these products on their dogs. (To be fair, there are as many that say
> how great the products are...most are on websites that sell the
> products). What happened to Jaz, has and will continue to happen to
> other dogs until word gets out, or the manufacturers change the
> product,
> does better labeling, responds to emergencies, and prepares antidotes
> for those who are suffering from this poison. Vets must learn more.
> Jaz body was donated to a Veternarian research team. Perhaps her small
> body will aid in finding a way to help other small pets survive this
> poison.
>
CONTINUED BELOW.....

[EmrldShdwQueen]

> Within three hours of Jaz dying...I heard EIGHT stories of other people
> having the same thing happen to them or a friend of theirs. These
> stories were not from strangers, but from people I know. If they had
> passed on their story earlier, perhaps I could have saved my little
> friend the agony she went through. I also learned there was recently an
> episode on a program similar to 20/20 or 60 minutes that investigted
> the
> same things I am mentioned, I am hoping, through my hurt and sadness,
> that I can, maybe, help prevent the same thing happening to you or
> someone you know.
>
> My advice, please tell your friends and family, to stop using these
> products on their small pets. In fact, use it with great caution on
> larger dogs as well.
>
> We all want them,and our homes to be free from fleas. So, if you or
> your
> friends decide to keep using these poisons, do so sparingly...and watch
> over your pet ever so closely for any type of reaction or change,
> however minor it might be...even during the months you don't give them
> this 'medication.' Help your friends and family help their pets! I
> only wish I had known this earlier.
>
> Please pass on the word...and thank you for reading such a long story.
> (Someday I may learn how to make a long story short, rather than a
> short
> story, long)

[saphire]

Thank you so much for posting this warning. I have just recently started selling grooming and health care products here in S.A. The owner of the company (Wampum) is a Bio Chemist at one of our universities, and breeds and shows Maltese. She has developed this wonderful range of products that are completly harmless to our pets. She wanted to develop products that would not harm her dogs and keep them beautiful and healthy. She has advised me on the dangers of Frontline etc. ( I had never imagined these products could be harmful) She has developed an insecticidal spray which is harmless to all vertibrates, and is safe to use on very young animals as well as humans.

It is EPA and WHO approved. CLEVER LADY I only use this on my pets now ( and on us too )

Hopefully there is something similar for you guys to use over there.
My own vet (who is also a family friend) is not interested in the product! Why do they always go with the BIG companies?? They are supposed to have our babies health at heart.

My sympathies to the person who lost her pet in this awful way.

[Yorkiedaze]

When a product is meant to "kill" fleas and ticks, and the list of ingredients are long and foreign, you have to know this is going to go into the blood stream and has to cause some major medical problems. We just need to stick to the "all-natural", such as "real" basic foods and use a natural herb repellent. Make our own dog treats as well. It's all so simple to keep them healthy.

[Yorkiekids]

Thank you for all the information. It's very valuable. Sorry you had to lose your little one before you found out.

[YorkieShadow]

Im so sorry for your loss, Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I had just started a prayer thread for a friend when your thread caught my eye. Her little yorkie is in bad shape and at the ER right now. I sent her this Thread.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sho...85#post1324185

[EmrldShdwQueen]

Luckily it wasn't me who lost one... ...I would've been completely heartbroken. I'm not sure who this is exactly, but my mom works with someone who knows her, and she forwarded this to everyone she knew. I thought it was very important for us all to read concerning our babies. Our Yorkies are so fragile, like real children, and need to be taken care of accordingly. You wouldn't put poison on your kids would you? Just think, the boxes on all these flea meds say to wash your hands immediately if your skin touches any...and that's what we're putting on our little guys...just BE careful...

[dwerten]

wow this broke my heart - i keep fighting with dermatologist about frontline plus as i refuse to put it on dd even though she has flea allergy as the fleas will still bite her anyway with the product on

[cekaai]

K9 Advantix killing dogs and/or cats is an urban legend, myth, it never happened

[ILUVSADIE]

I used K9 Advantix on my Westie for a short while. One time when I opened the sealed tube, a few drops flew up and splashed my microwave door. It TOTALLY corroded the door - almost like it melted the door where is splashed. THAT is when I stopped using ANY kind of topical flea medication on her - and have never used any kind of flea medication on Sadie. It truly scared me to death - and to think I was applying that strong of a chemical onto my dog's skin!!!!!

[EmrldShdwQueen]

K9 Advantix killing dogs and/or cats is an urban legend, myth, it never happened

Actually that's the exact product that killed this ladies' baby...I used to think it was a myth too, until it hit this close to home...

[cekaai]

What's interesting:

1) you don't know who this person is

2) it's sent en masse via email

3) i just googled k-9 advantix kills dogs/cats couldn't find anything

4) i googled k-9 advantix poisons dogs/cats couldn't find anything.

If it was true and all these animals were sick k-9 advantix would be pulled off the shelf

[EmrldShdwQueen]

I'm not trying to argue with you, and I don't know her PERSONALLY but she does exist, my mom knows her, and I've never met her, I just know this happened to her and that's what she was using. They determined that it was the toxicity levels that killed her. I'm sure there are some that can use it for a dogs entire life and be ok, but I'm just putting it out there as a warning. I'm trying to help, just passing on information that I feel is helpful.

[ILUVSADIE]

And let's not forget what it did to my microwave door!!!! That cannot be good to put on a Yorkie!!

[rhiannon80]

My vet and groomer have told me something similar. They said that it is actually more harmful to cats because they metabolize things differently than humans and dogs. The vet also told me that anything you put on your skin or your pets skin makes it into your or their blood stream. It will even enter into the blood stream faster the younger the human, dog or cat is, as the skin as thinner when you are younger. My vet and groomer recommend eucalyptus oil, which is not toxic to humans and pets, and can be applied in either a dip (mix the oil in their bath water) or the same way you use Frontline or the others. (a few drops on the back of the neck) I has worked so far for my pets, and is well worth a try. Good Luck!