In the United States and most other parts of the world, a family’s pet is an integral and cherished part of the family. Even during the early years as the animals became domesticated and suitable as pets, there was an undeniable affection and loyalty from both the humans and the pets. It is no wonder there is such a demand for pet supplies and medical products, no family wants to see one of its animals to suffer unnecessarily.
When the first flea collars and medications became available, it was a huge breakthrough for both the animal and the owners alike and for obvious reasons. Like everything else, these products have improved with time and sometimes these improvements come with unanticipated consequences.
A recent and sometimes tragic example of these unintended consequences is a result of confusion about the proper use of flea prevention medications Advantage and Advantix. As you can see by the product names, some confusion was inevitable, in retrospect.
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The tragedy is that the difference between the medications can be deadly for cats. The confusion over the proper use of the medications is further complicated by the fact that both medicines are applied topically (directly to the skin) and Advantage has a dog and cat formula whereas Advantix is only for dogs.
To review:
- Product names are nearly identical.
- Both are topical medications.
- One product is for both dogs and cats, the other for dogs only.
Is everyone sufficiently confused?
The real problem is that Advantix contains a separate ingredient to control ticks (Advantix…..get it), biting fleas, lice and other nasty critters in dogs only. The chemical is called permethrin that fluffy the cat’s system just can’t handle. If the cat is exposed to the chemical and it goes untreated, death can result.
The good news is the symptoms should be pretty obvious and include vomiting, twitching or convulsions and drooling among others. Treatment includes getting the permethrin off the animal and treating other symptoms that are present. The treatment is very effective, particularly when discovered early.
Another concern has nothing to do with misusing Advantix, if a cat is exposed to the chemical up to 2 days after proper application to Fido, they can still become ill.
It seems clear that the makers of each product aren’t intentionally trying to harm cats; intentionally killing your customers isn’t exactly good business for drug makers or any other business, they certainly didn’t make it easy for the pet owner in this instance.
The simplest solution is to always read and understand what and who the medication is for, how much to use, etc. If there is aver any doubt, don’t do anything until you are sure.
Fluffy and Fido aren’t just pets after all; they’re part of the family.