Subject: K-9 Advantix
Dear Family and Friends:
I am sending e-mails to everyone on our address list who may have a dog or knows someone with a dog. This is in regard to the flea and tick treatment for dogs called "K-9 Advantix". In the past I have used Frontline on my dog but I am now taking her to a different vet and he is discontinuing the sale of Frontline and only going to sell K-9 Advantix.
This week we had a terrible experience with this product when we used it on our dog, Abbie. I applied it between the shoulder blades, as instructed, late in the evening prior to going to bed. Normally, I would do this during the day but I had forgotten and, with some warmer weather in the forecast, I wanted to get her started on protection right away. The next morning we noticed that she was acting a bit strangely but thought no more about it as I was in a hurry to get to an appointment. It just so happened that my plan included a stop at the vets office for more heartworm meds and tick and flea repellent. While at the vet's office, I inquired if they had received any reports of adverse affects from people using K-9 Advantix. I was told they had not. The receptionist did, however, tell me to hold off on buying an additional supply of the K-9 Advantix and to keep an eye on Abbie. If problems persist, I should call them.
Later in the day when Kaye and I returned home we both noticed Abbie's unusual behavior. She seemed very unsettled, kept turning to look at her rear end, was acting like she wanted to scratch herself with her back legs and did not want to come to us when we called her. I looked at the spot between her shoulders and it appeared to be inflamed, so I used some mild Dove soap and a soft cloth to try to wash the area and then rinsed it well. In another hour, I repeated that process. Abbie was very reluctant to go to her bed, which is uncommon. She (and I) was awake all night, leaving her bed to just sit in the middle of the bedroom floor in the dark. She would not go back to bed when I called - only if in a demanding voice. She seemed so frantic about something, I knew something was not right. I finally got up about three or four but she remained in one place in her bed. She has always followed me wherever I go in the house. When my feet hit the floor in the morning, she beats me to the door...not this time. I knew something was seriously wrong and while I waited for the vet to open at 7:30, I went to Snopes to search for K-9 Advantix. I only went to a couple of sites but did find postings from a couple of people that were very upsetting.
One woman told of using the med on her sheep dog mix and the dog had an immediate reaction - running around, "reaching at his rear" (which is what Abbie was doing), and scratching like crazy. When she called her vet, he told her to use Dawn dish liquid and scrub it off immediately and rinse, rinse, rinse. Her dog later developed cancer -- which cannot be proven to be connected to the Advantix; however, the product does contain Permethrin which is a mosquito repellent and used to kill termites. The website indicated that the Environmental Protection Agency has classified Permethrin as a suspected carcinogen.
I took Abbie to the vet as soon as they opened yesterday and they kept her all day, running all kinds of blood tests and observing her behavior. We picked her up last night and, right now, the blood work appears to be o.k. She is not quite herself but she is better - my concern is that this med is in her system for one entire month and I wonder what it is doing and how it may be affecting vital organs during that time.
My niece has a Scottie (Rudy) who was sick for a long period of time last year. He was jokingly classified as "nuts" but the problem of most concern was his vomiting - with blood in it. They took him to the vet more than once but the root of his problem was never found; however, Rudy has improved throughout the winter. When I called them last night to tell them of our experience with K-9 Advantix, they told me that they had been using Advantix on Rudy all last season for flea and tick protection. They were getting ready to start him on it again as they still had some unopened containers in the package. They do not plan to use it again and we certainly hope that Rudy has no permanent damage to his body.
A neighbor and friend of mine has a brother who lives in Oklahoma City and has told me that he had a similar experience with his two dogs: A Cocker Spaniel and a Shitzu. He put K-9 Advantix on them. I don't know what the time interval was but the Cocker lost bladder control and went into convulsions and the Shitzu began to become very lethargic and "wierd". He immediately put them both in the tub and tried to wash off the Advantix as best he could - the oily liquid is absorbed into the skin so quickly. He is an Anesthiologist and used his knowledge from that field to watch and care for his dogs. They were not their "normal" selves for awhile but are fine now.
What I am telling you all here are FACTS - not some story sent to me via e-mail but our own experience with Abbie and my niece's dog, and a friend's dog. We are talking about a medicine that stays in the dogs system for at least one month so we know that, even though the dog appears to feel better, he/she is still going to be affected in some way for the next thirty days. The severity of problems this drug may cause dogs probably also depends on the dog's size and general health. Some may not be affected as bad as others - perhaps some could die.
What I am asking you to do today is to send this e-mail to anyone you know who has a dog. They may be using this product on their dog and not recognize that the change in their animal's behavior is related to it. IT IS FATAL TO CATS and some cats like to lick - "clean"- the coats of dogs they live with. Please forward this to everyone on your address list and ask them to do the same.
Animals are God's creatures - he entrusts them to us for their care and to be our companions. In return, they give us their undying love and devotion and forgive us for any and all sins......they love us no matter how terrible we are or how we treat them. I believe that forwarding this e-mail is the least we can do for them.
My thanks to all my family and friends.
THIS WAS SENT TO US BY A CONCERNED PARTY SO WE FELT IT NEEDED TO BE SHARED
