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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Program for fleas
| Does anyone know whether Program oral flea treatment is safe? Not for my IMHA dog Boy, but my sister has a young Yorkshire Terrier with a bad flea problem. She has been using Frontline all the time, which makes me nervous because of the possible link with IMHA. I was wondering if Program or something else might be a safer alternative for flea control? Thanks Hilary |
| Hilary Hampshire |
| Hilary, The major difference between the two is how they are applied and how they work. You apply Frontline to the dog's back and it is taken up into the oil glands in the skin. The fleas or ticks have to slide through the oil that contains the meds and then get it all over their body. This med is designed to alter the flea's neurological processes. The drug never gets into the dog's system, it stays on the surface of the dog. In most breeds, this med cannot past through the blood brain border to affect the nervous system at all. Your vet knows which breeds are most affected. The ingested medication puts the drug into the dog's system and thus the flea or tick absorbs the med from feeding on the blood. You are in essence, as my breeder says, making the dog toxic to the pest. My breeder has always advised owners to first control the environment around the pet, get rid of fleas in the house and yard. Then she advises to use the least amount of meds you can to eliminate the fleas off the dog. Ticks are a whole different problem, but the theory remains the same, eliminate them from the environment as best you can. I use beneficial nematodes in our yard to kill ticks. Patrice |
| Patrice New York State |
| This was in the news the other day: Reuters PrintEmailDigg ItRedditPermalinkStory Bottom December 19, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - Most households have a perfect flea-killer - a vacuum cleaner. Researcher Glen Needham, associate professor of entomology at Ohio State University, said yesterday a standard vacuum cleaner kills 96 percent of adult cat-fleas, the most common fleas found in households, and 100 percent of younger fleas. I've read that vacuuming was a key to getting rid of fleas inside the house, but it's been proven scientifically, so I guess it works! I also use beneficial nematodes outside the house, and they are very effective. Maddie is on Sentinel, and it didn't cause any problems while she was being treated for AIHA/e-coli. Ruth |
| Ruth Aptos |
| Ruth, Cool! Actually, this is something that many people do, vacuum. But they put a flea collar INSIDE the bag so that the vacuumed fleas are exposed to the collar! I had forgotten about this. Be careful handling the collar and storing the vacuum cleaner in a out of the way place. Patrice |
| Patrice New York State |
| 'The drug (frontline) never gets into the dog's system, it stays on the surface of the dog.'YOU ARE WRONG!!!!! Patrice, why do you continue to give readers this eroneous information? I have written numerous posts about Frontline almost killing Choe. I have written to you directly telling you of Choe's (continuing) plight after administering frontline. I have provided a website address started by a pet owner, James Terbush who's pet almost died from biospot and who began a website inviting pet owners to share their stories revealing adverse flea control reactions.. http://www.elversonpuzzle.com/biospot.html These letters writen by pet owners are hardly anecdotal. There are volumes of lettes he has received over the years. Don't you listen to other people on this site or do you work for Merial Pharmaceuticals? Why would you give such dangerous information?? You obviously don't know from personal experience about the pesticide in this product. Look up fibronil. It is a toxic pesticide. It has only been on the market ten years and has not been proven safe. Ask me how Merial would not provide (me) clinical stuy trials on Frontline. Ask me how much research I have done attempting to get a proven effacacy statement from Merial regarding their testing protocol. You are giving advise via merely 'reading' the instructions on the box of the Frontline. Don't believe everything you read. For goodness sake don't give out false information putting animals in danger using this terrible product. Jan |
| jan philly |
| found this in the archieve file. Posted 17 May 2007 at 13:16:04 UK time Gillian, England I've just been reading through another thread and someone mentioned giving their dogs Frontline. My cat died a couple of weeks ago from AIHA, within an hour of being diagnosed. We had always treated her for fleas with Program, but we moved house last year and changed vets and they recommended Frontline. Millie died a week after receiving her second dose of Frontline. I wondered if anyone else thought that their pets may have been affected by this? Thanks Posted 18 May 2007 at 01:20:45 UK time Jan, PA-USA Gillian, hello. I feel your pain in the death of your beloved Millie. I am certain the second dose of Frontline contributed to her illness and death. A number of individual's whose pets have been adversely effected by Frontline are gathering their stories. ABSOLUTELY...Frontline is a dangerous product. My Choe became ill after the second application within a 6 week period and is still battling AIHA and was severely ill for many months, although now shoeing some improvement. I have incurred $7,000 of vet bills. He has had four blood transfusions. I tell everytone I know in the animal world.... DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT!!! It has a strong pesticide as the main ingredient called fipronil. Fipronil has not been proven to be safe in clinical study trials. Merial (the pharmaceutical manufacturer) will provide you with no information on how they run their testing protocols. I have phoned as well as written two letters to their clinical vet associate Dr. Dixon. She is vague and not helpful and natch protective of the company. Please provide me with your e-mail and I will explain how we are in process of gathering multiple consumer experiences. Merial is much more interested in lining their pockets that manufacturing safe products. MERIAL will not take responsibility to explain their clinical trial testing protocols. Consumers must insist on product quality assurance. As we see from the pet food recall, we are at the mercy of powerful companies. |
| jan philly |
| Jan, I am so sorry that you find this information so upsetting. Many pets in this country have been presented with challenges to their health this year, flea and tick preventatives aside, many dogs have died from dog food that can be purchased off the shelf. My nephew lost his beloved dog to kidney failure from dry dog food. If I could bring that dog back today I would. The question is, who would we blame for this death? The dog food company? The US government? The owner? The store that sold the food? China? Here is a link to a website page that addresses all form of prevention for tick diseases. It presents the information pretty much the way I have represented it here. http://blackgsd.googlepages.com/prevention This page, along with all other information on this website, is approved by Dr. Beckett, our resident vet on Tick-L. This forum has been available to owners whose dogs may have been exposed to tick diseases since April 1996. I haven't expressed any opinion of my own. I only echo what I have read many times on the Tick-L list. The information I have about trying to clean up the environment first before treating the dog comes directly from my breeder. She has nearly 40 years of experience with dogs and is a strong advocate of not overvaccinating your dog, feeding a raw diet and avoiding the indiscriminate use of preventatives. I only offer this information as an option.. not a requirement. Each owner must choose their own path. Frontline is a prescription product so each owner must *at least* have a visit with a vet before using it. All vets should be aware of the contraindications for use of Frontline and advise owners. Each owner has the responsiblity to research each medication they give to their dog and make their own choice. I began researching all these products nearly 10 years ago and I have made my own choice with advice from my own vets. Patrice |
| Patrice New York State |
This thread was discussed between 31/12/2007 and 01/01/2008
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