Revolution Flea Treatment Side Effects

[hoegaandit]

I normally use Advantage on my boy for fleas and that seemed to work very effectively. Yesterday however I started him on Revolution, as that also combats ear mites, which Advantage does not.

He seemed to be panting a lot after the application and was panting through the night. Although it was not real bad I first opened the bedroom window and then went to sleep outside with him on the deck, where it was slightly cooler. However all this seemed odd as it is actually quite cool for midsummer here - maybe around 70 degrees F at 2pm and around 60 degrees F middle of the night, and I only recall him panting previously on rare very hot nights. So I went onto the internet and found that about 1% of pets have more severe reactions to Revolution, one of which is rapid breathing.

Given bullies propensity to breathing issues (although our boy is fit and strong, and his breathing is pretty good for a bulldog), I wonder whether anyone on this site has had problems with fleat treatments and Revolution in particular. (I did hear of another bully owner having problems with Frontline). His rapid breathing does incidentally seem to be settling down some, now about twenty hours after the application, and he has been walking and eating otherwise as normal.

Thanks

 

[cali baker]

I have used Revolution on my boys before and one thing I noticed was Tate would get very agitated after application. I wasn't sure if it was just the sensation of the chemical on him that made him uncomfortable or if it was more systemic than that. This would happen each time I applied it on him; he'd just run around the house in a crazy fashion very rapidly. It didn't last very long but it was a bit worrisome to me. I have since not used any flea treatments on my boys and am looking at alternatives.

 

[2BullyMama]

I always used Advantix with no issue...

 

[karenben]

ive never used revolution but after the second application of frontline annie had the most terrible reaction even the vet agreed to not use it again,thankfully we dont have a flea problem and no other pets so i use nothing with pesticides in it,its very difficult with fleas though,what do you use when your dog has fleas but has reactions to the flea meds?i do use garlic but to be honest i dont know what i would use if she got fleas,karen

 

[hoegaandit]

Thanks for your replies; our boy seems more or less back to his normal self now, and is breathing normally.

karenben - someone on our local forums had a very bad experience with frontline too, which put me off using it.

2bullymama - yes we've always used Advantage/Advantix too and it seemed to work well, although unlike Revolution it does not deal with itchy ear mites.

Henny (cali baker) - like Tate our boy does not particularly like having either Advantage or Revolution applied, but it is on a level with having his wrinkles cleaned (not too big a deal) unlike eg cutting his nails which is a mission (and I tend to let his walks on the sidewalks solve that!) However it is concerning to read on the internet that there may be questions about the adequacy of testing of the standard flea remedies, and indeed about their safety. And it was a concern that he was panting to a greater or lesser extent for some 20hours after application.

We do not have a significant flea problem here but our boy does seem to get fleas in the spring/summer seasons. Originally I tried flea powder and it was hopeless. By comparison Advantage/Advantix seemed to work like a miracle, and I suspect Revolution will be similarly efficacious. From your member spotlight I see you are an apothecary, which makes it that more concerning that you have decided not to use the standard flea treatments.

If fleas are bothering my boy it seems quite wrong not to take appropriate steps. I wonder if some of the home made remedies will not be of limited efficacy compared with eg Advantage/Advantix. But is it justified giving poisons like Revolution (absorbed through the bloodstream) with indeterminate longer term effects, or might that be justified given the sad fact of our fur kids lives being rather short anyway?

 

[2BullyMama]

Thanks for your replies; our boy seems more or less back to his normal self now, and is breathing normally.

karenben - someone on our local forums had a very bad experience with frontline too, which put me off using it.

2bullymama - yes we've always used Advantage/Advantix too and it seemed to work well, although unlike Revolution it does not deal with itchy ear mites.

Henny (cali baker) - like Tate our boy does not particularly like having either Advantage or Revolution applied, but it is on a level with having his wrinkles cleaned (not too big a deal) unlike eg cutting his nails which is a mission (and I tend to let his walks on the sidewalks solve that!) However it is concerning to read on the internet that there may be questions about the adequacy of testing of the standard flea remedies, and indeed about their safety. And it was a concern that he was panting to a greater or lesser extent for some 20hours after application.

We do not have a significant flea problem here but our boy does seem to get fleas in the spring/summer seasons. Originally I tried flea powder and it was hopeless. By comparison Advantage/Advantix seemed to work like a miracle, and I suspect Revolution will be similarly efficacious. From your member spotlight I see you are an apothecary, which makes it that more concerning that you have decided not to use the standard flea treatments.

If fleas are bothering my boy it seems quite wrong not to take appropriate steps. I wonder if some of the home made remedies will not be of limited efficacy compared with eg Advantage/Advantix. But is it justified giving poisons like Revolution (absorbed through the bloodstream) with indeterminate longer term effects, or might that be justified given the sad fact of our fur kids lives being rather short anyway?

Like @Karneben my bullies were on a specially made raw diet that had garlic added to the mix, when they were on that we were able to stop the Advantix. After Nitshcke past away, Banks developed colitis and we had to take her off the raw as her system could not handle it (constant bleeding when going ). This all happen in October 2011 so we will need to go back to Advantix this spring/summer becasue we are in a heavy flea/tick region -- especially ticks as we are very close to Valley Forge park which is LOADED with deer.

 

[hoegaandit]

I thought garlic was dangerous for dogs - eg pro garlic use site http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/garlic-for-dogs.html - states if a 60lb dog ate several cloves of garlic that would start an oxidative process which might lead to death in worst case. The site seems to contradict itself later by quoting someone saying several cloves could be eaten a day by a 60 lb dog.

So natural remedies can of course be dangerous too.

On the other hand small doses might be ok. I read elsewhere that if you have a 60 lb dog you would give him 1/4 grated garlic clove in his daily meals - and only when he is at risk of fleas.

What would be a suggested dosage of garlic - and how effective is garlic at flea protection really?

 

[cali baker]

[MENTION=2729]hoegaandit[/MENTION], I'm pretty pro-medication when it's downright necessary and even for prophylaxis meds like Revolution. I think what spooked me was just watching Tate act out of the ordinary and not wanting him to go through that month after month. OR, maybe it was not wanting me go thru that month after month having to watch him act oddly. Of course I would prefer something "natural" but I haven't had much luck w/that either. Right now, I'm still considering a retrial of Revolution, btw.

 

[hoegaandit]

[MENTION=1904]cali baker[/MENTION]

I guess if your dog does act right out of the ordinary that may be an indication that things aren't quite right. I know our boy Aibou doesn't like the application of the flea medication just like he will go under the table if he has sore wrinkles and I am coming to wipe them. But he has certainly never acted like Tate did.

If Revolution was the problem with Tate, Advantix/Advantage did not seem to have side effects for our boy, although he didn't like that being applied either, and it has to be applied to three spots unlike Revolution.

I think I understand what you are stating about medication, which has at least gone through proper scientific trials (albeit I presume much less thorough that with human medication) unlike "natural" remedies which have not undergone such testing and might be dangerous and/or bogus. I don't think it matters that the medication is just for prophylactic use if fleas are very uncomfortable for our fur kids, don't you?

The benefits of medication of medication over "natural" remedies notwithstanding, Tate obviously did not like the application of Revolution and my boy Aibou had some side effects of panting, which is making me wonder if I should continue with it next month, and whether there might be a better alternative.