Members Warning: Preventic Collar...
 

I hope 107barney doesn't mind but I'm posting this warning from her in another thread. She used this product on one of her pups and he had a terrible reaction and is at the vets being treated. The product was Preventic Tick Collar.... please everyone heed her warning ......

This is from a poison center about the ingredient in/on the collar..

Amitraz
Poisonous to: Cats, Dogs

Level of toxicity: Generally moderate to severe

Common signs to watch for:

Lethargy
Walking drunk
Dilated pupils
Seizures
Coma
Drooling
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Bloating
Slowed heart rate
Collapse
Hypotension
Hypertension

Amitraz is an ectoparasiticide (kills fleas, ticks, etc.) used in veterinary products. This chemical is an alpha2-adrenergic agonist and monoamine oxidase inhibitor. When accidentally ingested or applied to pets inappropriately, it can result in severe clinical signs of the central nervous system (e.g., lethargy, walking drunk, dilated pupils, seizures, coma), gastrointestinal system (e.g., drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating), and cardiac system (e.g., slowed heart rate, low or high blood pressure). Treatment includes veterinary attention for the antidote (e.g., atipamazole, yohimbine), blood pressure monitoring, IV fluids, and symptomatic supportive care. Immediate veterinary attention should be sought.

Poison type: Insecticides

Alternate names: insecticide, acaracide, immiticide, Mitaban, Mitac, Preventic, Taktic, Zema, Mitacur, Ovasyn, parasiticide, ProMeris

Everyone who is seeing this please send your thoughts,prayers and well wishes for her pup to have a speedy recovery and is back home soon.

Thank you again Cathy for taking the time to let others know this product needs a serious warning if you choose to use it.

As I mentioned in my other thread, I put the collars on all four dogs. Within 30 minutes, one dog had a severe reaction. I will post the details another time. Prayers for Barney are appreciated, we almost lost him.

I am so sorry this happened. Prayers for little Barney.

I posted in the other thread but I've thought of you all morning. I'm so sorry your precious Barney had this happen to him. I can tell from your posts your pups mean everything to you, you must be a wreck over this. I wish Barney a full and speedy recovery,and for you the strength with helping him through this.

I HATE these flea and tick collars...my brother almost lost his beagle wearing one....I almost lost a Chihuahua wearing one.....and then years late, I dipped a yorkie my friend had that was eaten up with fleas....threw the pup into a fulminating pulmonary edema with concurrent severe neurological ataxia and seizure activity......OMG!!! and that was following the instruction exactly, even maybe weakening the solution out of caution....I do not even allow dips and sprays or collars on my property!!!! I had sprayed one of my Yorkies with a mosquito repellant...woke up in the middle of the night with her twitching and legs stiffening on and off.....bathed her and bathed her to wash off any residual repellant and then rushed to the er vet....4 hours and $1700.00 later, we went home recovering.....no, never again, not in THIS house!!!! Praying for Barney....

Oh my gosh, I so hope he will be okay!!! This is very scary, I can't imagine what you probably went through. Lots of positive, healing thoughts coming to Barney.

Holy crap! I hope Barney will be ok. Why do they make these things for pets when they are poisonous for the very animals you are supposed to use them on?!

Freaked me out. I am SO glad Barney is ok.

Prayers for Barney

Barney Update
 

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.

How horrible, pesticides really scare me, and even though you don't always get symptoms right away, I believe they can cause long term harm. Sending prayers for Barney, and I hope the others are okay as well.

I just read your reply, how adorable that he perked up when you yelled cookies! Cookies may have saved his life!

Yes, everyone is just fine. I've had extensive discussions today with the ER vet and their team, and my own vets, who all share the opinion that these preventatives are generally safe, but there are these sensitive dogs who can react, and it's unfortunate. If you live in a high tick area as I do, it's really hard to make a choice. I know a few people who have had tick borne illnesses cause things like encephalitis and even auto-immune problems.

I should have mentioned that I had to scream because not only was he semi conscious, but he is hard of hearing!

Yeah, I know it's hard to decipher if the benefits out way the risks and I'm glad I don't have to make those choices. I think it's great advice to tell people to not leave the dogs alone when first starting to use something like this.

Oh Wow, how scary! I have tears in my eyes. So happy to see Barney's doing well, sending positive thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

Glad to hear he will make a full recovery. How scary!