[107barney]

Thanks so much for starting this thread. I think it is very important that owners be aware that ANY tick prevention, a pesticide, has the potential to cause a serious reaction.

I don't want to single out this one product as being somehow more serious than another, as that is not true. No pesticide product is completely safe. The irony here is that I selected this product upon careful consideration and input from my very trusted vets who are specialists with many years of experience with a variety of products for their patients. I used the product on all of my dogs and only Barney had a problem.

The take home lesson here I believe to be a few things:
(1) do not use any new product unless you plan to be w/ your pup for a while. Had I used this and gone out, I would be posting a RIP thread today. (2) Know the ASPCA poison control number, put it in your phone, get an APP, put it on your fridge as a magnet. Having that number on my fridge as I walked out the door with a collapsing, semi-conscious dog set up the next steps for the emergency vet and saved his life!
(3) Know your dog's history COLD. In a situation like this, you do not have the time to confer with people or pull records. If you can, be prepared to have someone go with you.

Now for the story, and before I start, please know that Barney is fine and is expected to make a full recovery.

Around 6 PM, I put the collars on all four dogs. At 6:45, Barney was ataxic, in respiratory distress not breathing well, and having trouble responding. His mouth was turning pale pink. I knew we were in trouble, my gut told me it was the collar, and I cut it off all four dogs. I screamed to my husband to throw him in the crate, which was right in the room. I dialed the ASPCA poison on the way out the door. I tried to call a local vet I sometimes use, but they were closed an hour before. I had serious reservations about being able to make it, because he was not breathing well, and the fact that it is a 25 min ride to the ER vet. I navigated as fast as practicable through local traffic and got on the highway. I had to cut across four lanes getting on to avoid this stupid electric truck in my way and barely scaled the wall on the entry ramp. I just hit the gas. At one point I looked at the speedometer as I was on hold with poison control and the adrenaline through my blood offset my utter shock at how fast I was going. We were about half way there when my husband said "I don't think he has much time, drive faster" and I had tears run down my face I can't go any faster, if he cant make it, we have done our best. Then I stopped the tears immediately as they started and I said BARNEY BARNEY STAY WITH US and I was SCREAMING at HIM
COOOKIEEESSSSS and all of a sudden little two terrier ears popped up. I said OMG he heard COOKIES. We called the ER vet saying we have a critical situation, be ready for him, and as I came off the exit ramp about 2 miles from the hospital, feeling the home stretch and a glimmer of hope that he might make it, he defecated on himself. I literally burned rubber into the parking lot, parked in the middle of the doors and ran him inside where a tech triaged him. I calmly rattled off that he reacting to amitraz, I have a case #, He needs a reversal drug, he has a significant heart enlargement, please talk to me before giving any fluid, could set off heart failure.

They took him from me and put us in a room, and it was about 10 minutes before I heard anything. The vet came in and told me he was in oxygen and not stable. I asked her did you call the aspca and give him the reversal agent and she said she did. She said she had concerns that he was in heart failure. I said it's the collar, I know it is the collar.

She asked to do basic labs and a chest xray so we could know if it was heart failure or just a reaction or both. I was by this time in touch with my vet via email who was giving me guidance and trying to brace me for the possibility that this was not the collar, but something else.

I waited forever, it was like an hour and a half. Finally, the vet came back and told me that she took him off oxygen 30 minutes earlier and that he was pink in the mouth again. She said we could see him. He was still very drunk walking. We admitted him overnight for observation and in case another dose of antisedan had to be given, which did in fact need to be given.

We took him home today and he is expected to make a full recovery. I don't know how I got him there in time, but I did, I believe I had an angel on my shoulder. He doesn't have age on his side and I thought he was not going to make it.

The emergency vet and my own vets agree that Barney should never be on any tick preventative pesticide again due to his severe sensitivity because he could react to any of them. His already compromised airway caused respiratory distress and collapse, complicating the reaction and treatment.

I had a hard night without him, but with every passing hour, I knew he was one step closer to coming home again. I'm grateful he made it.

I hope this story helps others to be prepared in an emergency and to act quickly at any type of serious sign like this. Any dog can have a reaction to any product, at any time. I felt out of control but acted swiftly and systematically. I was glad I had a full tank of gas too, note to self, don't let it get that low!! Thanks for your thoughts.