FDA Alerts Pet Owners and Veterinarians About Potential for Neurologic Adverse Events Associated with Certain Flea and Tick Products

Joy

Joy

Location
East Sussex
Nevertheless if I were living in an area with high risk of ticks, I'd use a preventative. I've seen a human terribly ill as a result of a tick bite. The study does go on to say that the products named (Bravecto etc are still considered safe in most cases.)
 
Jacqui-S

Jacqui-S

Moderator
Location
Fife, Scotland
This is an interesting topic.
I happily use Bravecto, but would be wary of recommending it to others.

What I think is interesting is relating this to human "febrile convulsions" in children.
The infection/fever is blamed widely for causing the seizure, but in fact the infection/fever is just the catalyst for the underlying seizure potential to be released. It may never happen again, but there is a genetic link, so person-related rather than external stimulus-related.
I wonder if this is the same for external "toxins" such as Bravecto?
It would be interesting if this WAS looked into a bit more.
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
Joy said:
Nevertheless if I were living in an area with high risk of ticks, I'd use a preventative. I've seen a human terribly ill as a result of a tick bite. The study does go on to say that the products named (Bravecto etc are still considered safe in most cases.)
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For sure. My lot would be ridden with ticks if we didn't use a preventative, and that's far more worrisome than the drug itself. A friend of mine has been hospitalised several times due to chronic Lyme's from a single bite many years ago. The last time she was unable to walk for ten weeks.

I think Jac is probably onto something and that the underlying propensity for seizures already exists in the animal and this drug happens to express it. It doesn't mean it's not worrying, but if your dog doesn't have that propensity, then it would remain a perfectly safe drug. In my mind it's just another potential side-effect alongside all the others that always make me laugh when I hear them listed on American drug commercials.
 
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snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
I should probably clarify, they make me laugh not because I think the side effects themselves are funny, but because of the delivery of the list, at a hundred miles an hour, and it normally ends with "or death!" - and yet, people still happily knock back their Advil.
 
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Jacqui-S

Jacqui-S

Moderator
Location
Fife, Scotland
snowbunny said:
just another potential side-effect alongside all the others that always make me laugh when I hear them listed on American drug commercials.
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Yup - I find them pretty hilarious too.
Although actually maybe not, as often they are advertising things like potent biologic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (that seemed flavour of the month in Los Angeles) and are about 26th line in the UK. Good? Bad? Hmmm....
I always say to people - "have you looked at the information sheet in a packet of paracetamol lately?"
 
Boogie

Boogie

Moderator
Location
Manchester UK
1,400 Guide Dog puppies and 5,000 Guide Dogs in the U.K. are on flea and tick preventative medication - Nexgard and Milbemax. They wouldn’t risk their dogs if these were not safe.

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kateincornwall

kateincornwall

Location
Cornwall , UK
Nelly has Bravecto , and so did Sam . Totally my choice , up to the individual I think , as long as we make informed decisions and not swayed by the opinions of those who are not qualified to do so .
I walk Nelly in deer forests on a daily basis and with her low down long haired appearance , she would be a prime target for ticks , so I do what I feel is right . I think with any drug , chemical , there is a risk just as there is for humans , its weighing up the pros and cons , then doing what feels right x
 
Charlie

Charlie

Location
Argyll & Bute, Scotland
High tick area for us too due to deer in wooded areas, there's no question in my mind, Hattie & Charlie are treated every 8 weeks during the hotter months. My neighbour was very ill after a tick bite it's not worth the risk to us. It appears to me that there's a problem with almost everything we eat, put on our skin, drink and so the list goes on and now it's the same for our dogs. Common sense ust prevail xx
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

Well, as some of you know, I no longer use Bravecto, because Poppy had more seizures while she was using it than when she didn't. I think Jac and Fiona are right - if your dog has a seizure tendency, then this COULD be one of the triggers. It certainly is with Poppy. As an alternative, I use the Scalibor collar in the spring - and she was weird for about a week while wearing it, and then had a seizure. It could be coincidence, but it has happened too many times. For me, tick and flea treatments are definitely one of the triggers for seizures for her.

Nonetheless, I have to use something, as our woods are alive with ticks in the spring - and they can carry borreliosis and encephalitis. I watch for tick activity, and only put the collar on her once she starts picking them up, and take it off again when the ticks stop being so prevalent - around June/July.
 
snowbunny

snowbunny

Location
Andorra and Spain
MellowYellow said:
Well, as some of you know, I no longer use Bravecto, because Poppy had more seizures while she was using it than when she didn't. I think Jac and Fiona are right - if your dog has a seizure tendency, then this COULD be one of the triggers. It certainly is with Poppy. As an alternative, I use the Scalibor collar in the spring - and she was weird for about a week while wearing it, and then had a seizure. It could be coincidence, but it has happened too many times. For me, tick and flea treatments are definitely one of the triggers for seizures for her.

Nonetheless, I have to use something, as our woods are alive with ticks in the spring - and they can carry borreliosis and encephalitis. I watch for tick activity, and only put the collar on her once she starts picking them up, and take it off again when the ticks stop being so prevalent - around June/July.
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This must be a real worry for you as you believe it to be a seizure trigger yet can't be without it. I do the same as you and only treat when necessary. I've not used the Advantix over the summer and haven't yet started again for the autumn. I will do so if and when I see the first tick - but it's still too bloomin' hot out there for them at the moment - 37C today!
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

I will also say that Poppy almost exclusively has seizures in the spring and autumn. These are of course the times when we use tick treatments... I am not using anything this autumn, and will be interested to see whether this has a positive effect or not, especially since she is experiencing one of her other triggers (stress caused by OH being away) right now. There seems to be a sort of trigger stacking effect with her; often she can deal with one thing (e.g. stress), but if that is compounded by a sudden change in temperature, or tick medication, or (before we had her spayed) a certain period of her hormonal cycle, then that might bring about a seizure.

It's just occurred to me - my normal vet (i.e. not the specialist, who advised me not to use the Bravecto) said to me once that she has noticed that lots of dogs have seizures in spring and autumn; she referred to it as 'seizure season'. Hmmmm - is that because of the change of season, or because dogs are on tick/flea medication at those times of the year? It's all anecdotal; conjecture and speculation - would definitely be worth someone doing some serious investigation though.
 
Shaz82

Shaz82

Location
Essex, U.K.
Boogie said:
1,400 Guide Dog puppies and 5,000 Guide Dogs in the U.K. are on flea and tick preventative medication - Nexgard and Milbemax. They wouldn’t risk their dogs if these were not safe.

.
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I am using Nexgard and Milbemax from our local vets, lately though I have been worrying about giving this sort of thing to Maisy every month. I know it is necessary and I am scared to bits about fleas getting in the house, worms not so much but lungworm is a huge worry and this is a high risk area (according to the vet). I will continue giving it to her though and this comment has made me feel less worried about it.

The other day a man told me his dog had just died of heart cancer and the vet had blamed it on the regular use of Frontline. He recommended using tea tree oil under the collar instead. Don't know about that but it would be great if there was a proved, no risk, worry-free, natural prevention we could use instead.
 
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