Advantage Flea Medication Allergy in Cats

Hi. I have a large cat and a 4.5 pound kitten (4 months). I purchased the appropriate sized advantage for both cats. Got distracted by kids and put the adult advantage on the kitten. What should I do? This was almost 3 hours ago and she seems fine except for a very strong medicine smell. Should I try washing it off? Take her to vet? Again, she seems perfectly fine for now.

Our 12 year old, 14 pound cat reacted by losing his fur in a 3" radius at the application site between shoulders after Advantage II for large cats was applied. He's an indoor cat, and now has a huge bald spot PLUS fleas still alive.

My three year old Norwegian Forest cat was treated with Advantage II Large Cats medicine on Friday. Today is Sunday, and she is trembling/mild tremors. No other symptoms are being displayed. Is this serious, and what should I do about it? Can this kill my cat?

Hi,

I’ve tried advantage on my two cats twice, the first time they both bolted like I’d branded them with a hot poker.
Henry, one of my cants started squinting and his eye became very weepy, I thought I must have gotten some in my hand and brushed his face accidentally, but he had the same reaction the second time I put it on him! He couldn’t really open his eyes for a couple of hours, Is this an allergic reaction? How do I combat it in future?

Thanks

My three cats were all spayed on 10/22 also they had their rabies and distemper shot and flea treatments for three days now my cats have really had no appitite and been vomiting i thought maybe they licked the flea medicine off one another some of the vomit has been food some bile and some foam the cats are all getting up and moving around still but i figured from the surgury they would be lazy and have. A poor appitite. But im getting worried their vomiting so much? And not keeping much down. And dont really have money for a vet after just paying for this.

I have a 2 year old cat, weighs about 12 pounds, applied advantage 2 after finding fleas on the kitten who is kept only downstairs, saw the 2 year old itching, now after application the cat won’t stop shaking her head, itching around her head and biting at her paws. Is this normal? Or does she have fleas still

We were advised by our vet to treat our Siamese kitten with Advocate a monthly spot on. Actually we were pressured I even raised concerns about possible side effects. Shortly after the vet applied the spot on our kitten developed an upset stomach and his third eyelid showed for a few days (the vet insisted this was just due to settling in to his new home). He then had his second dose two weeks ago as four doses were part of the vaccination package we purchased. Since then he's had third eyelid visable again and OMG he can clear a house with his wind!!!! He was also very off balance for 12 hours after application. We will never use that stuff again they can keep the other two months we paid for. Will his system eventually settle down? He's eating fine, drinking and playing no problem and we've changed all food to one for sensitive tummy. He had a full check up before the damned Advocate and a completely clean bill of health!!

Immediately after applying Advocate spot on my cat reacted as if he was hurting. Bolted down the hallway, I initially thought it was a response to the smell. However when he ran back up the hall way he was hiding under the table foaming at the mouth. I knew immediately he was having an allergic reaction.
I rushed him into the bathroom and washed off the medication. Will never use spot on again especially after reading these comments.
For the small amount of time this product was on him he now also has a pea sized balled spot exactly where I applied the medication.

I applied Advantage 2 large cat to Brass, hes 13.5 lbs and 3 years old. I did this 3 days ago. The day after i saw that he has a small bare patch of skin, about the size of a pea. Then yesterday he vomited twice around 2 pm, mostly food, then later a couple more time just stomach bile, and in the middle of the night he was dry heaving. Hes been lethergic all yesterday too. Once my vet clinic opens in the morning i'll bring him in to see what they can do, and get an allergy test to see if it actually was a reaction.

I used Advantage II for large cats, on my cat who is roughly 10 lbs. He has had this in the past with no problems at all, but this time he is just not himself. He drooled and foamed at the mouth after about an hour. It has been almost 24 hours, and he is so sleepy, hiding, has scratched a ton of fur off, and his ears are twitching constantly. He seems fine otherwise.. still purring and eating. Is he going to be okay? I’ve just never seen the ear twitching before.

My small elderly cat is really old. I’m worried about putting advantage on her this season. She’s lost weight despite her healthy eating habits. She potty’s fine.just aging. Weight is about 4lbs. She’s always been a tiny cat. Please help!

My cat began shaking his head vigorously the day after applying Advantage II small cat drops. I didn't connect the two initially. I checked his ears for a problem. I applied it on top of his head between his ears so he wouldn't lick it off. Once i realized what it may be, i used a wet cloth with waterless shampoo to scrub his head and found several bald spots. He seemed to find relief with this as he didn't struggle at all like when i checked his ears. I'm keeping a close eye on him and will find a different flea med from now on. I think i used Frontline in the past and may go back to that

I gave my 1 1/2 yr old cat today who weighs 8.8lbs the Advantage II Small Cat (5-9lbs). Little bit after putting it on him all of a sudden he starts shaking his head & drooling really bad and acting weird. He really didnt want to come to me since he was moving around so much. He finally calmed down. So I could look him over. The only thing I can say was he had a reaction to the topical flea medication. It really worried me.He is acting fine now with an occasional shake of the head. But overall fine. It really worried me. Our Vets office is closed now and not open till tomorrow maybe I'll have to check since its Easter. Then they prob wont be.. What should I do to consult with someone.

My cat acted like she was having a stroke after I applied the Cat Advantage II, she wandered around like she was drunk , this was about 8 hrs after applying it I then gave her a good bath to wash the stuff off, yesterday she was still in the same shape, very sick and miserable, this morning 2 days after the Advantage, she hasn't come home at all I'm afraid she may have gone off to die

Our vet applied Advantage Plus to our 10 month old male cat. We noticed he was trying to lick the area behind his neck where the product was applied. The vet assured us that it would be impossible to reach the back of his neck and could not ingest it. Several hours later, I noticed my cat could not walk straight without falling, and when standing he would wobble back and forth. His eyes were dilated and his body was trembling. We rushed him to the pet hospital where he stayed overnight receiving IV fluids and a medicine to help metabolize and flush out the Advantage Plus. We brought him home the next day, but he was still unable to walk and was very lethargic. We brought him back to the pet hospital where he stayed for two more nights to receive the IV fluids. This was a very stressful (and expensive) experience, but fortunately our cat made a full recovery. We will not be using this product ever again. If you see your pet trying to lick where the product was applied, either immediately wash it off or put on a neck brace so they can't lick the area.

My cat was treated for fleas by the vet yesterday. He was given Advantage multi drops on the back of the neck AND sprayed with Frontline all over his body. Is this normal protocol? A few hours after treatment, my cat was depressed and lethargic, altough he still had his appetite. But after 20 hours, I noticed some vomit so decided to give him a bath to remove the medication. There's no Dawn where I live, so I used gentle shampoo without parabens and sulfates. He immediately seemed much better. However, after a few hours, this time I noticed slight twitching of the ears. It's been 27 hours since treatment. The vet thinks it'll all go away within 2 days.

My cat is in critical care right now for pancreatitis. He scratched his neck until all fur gone plus scabs plus eyes weepy.
He showed no other symptoms until four days after application which then vomiting and lethargy.
Fever of 105.6 right now in ICU.
This is insane.

We applied the approiate dose of Advantage Multi Cat on my black cat and one day later he had a bald spot the size of a nickle where the Advantage was applied and just a few minutes ago another spot has appeared. My vet told me to wash the area with Dawn, which I did, but what can I do to stop the hair loss and will it ever come back?

I bought Advantage for my cats. I had both sizes as 2 of my cats are small. I put on the treatment to all 4 of them. Within a say, my 8 year old cat Tommy had a seizure. It was mild to start with. I took him to the vet and he was given medication. He has just had another really bad seizure. He will be on the medication for life. I am so angry.

After reading about half of everyone's comments, it saddens me to know that this product is even still allowed to be available to purchase on store shelves! It also saddens me that I did not look up this page before forcing my mother to use advantage on her boyfriend's 12 year old cat (as she baby sits for me sometimes so I can work, and my step daughter is highly allergic to fleas). Over two weeks later now his cat is still very lethargic and won't eat, has lost a ton of weight, and constantly cries as if she is in constant pain. She has lost most of her fur, and has absolutely no fur at all at the application site. All of this is still occurring after weeks of vomiting after the application. The vet can't do anything for her and now their only option is to put her to sleep to end her misery. Does anyone know if the side effects will ever stop before they decide to do so!?!?! I'm filled with nothing but guilt and rage right now! I wouldn't think they would actually be able to sell such a product with these extreme side effects! Especially since I have read these comments, it is obviously very common for cats to have these reactions. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ! THIS PRODUCT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OFF THE SHELVES! Legal action needs to be taken! This is WRONG!!!! NEVER USE ADVANTAGE EVER!!!! I know I surely wish I would have read all of this prior to all of this happening! All I can hope is that others do and that they get this horrible product that is literally killing our animals OFF THE SHELVES!!!!

Only because I had not been given ANY warning that Advantage 2 is dangerous to cats if applied in the proper dose I started giving my old ill ( chronic URI stablized by steroids ) friend Advantage 2 three four weeks ago maybe I would have given her a second small dose ten days ago , I can't recall and would have done so only if she was scratching. Two days ago she looked the same as she has for the last eight months. Today I found her dead in a box in the kitchen. with a bald spot on her face. I know Advantage killed her.Many other cats have had the Advantage 2 including another with chronic URI and several who have problems that have not revealed themselves through extensive testing. Beware use on an ill cat. SD

I treated 6 cats with Advantage II in the same dosages they always received. About 7 hours later I noticed Ozzy acting hyperactive and dashing to hide under/behind things. I checked the application site and it was so fiery red I thought he was bleeding. I washed the area with Dawn dish soap to try to relieve irritation. A couple of hours later I saw his head twitching, some drooling, and pupils dilated and he kept blinking his eyes . Soon he lost all coordination and then went into a full-on thrashing gurgling seizure, at which time we went to the emergency vet, where he was given fluids and anti-convulsants and had to be hospitalized for 12 hours. Three of the other cats showed some loss of coordination, twitching and itchy skin, and hyperactivity followed by lethargy, and all of them lost all appetite for two days.

With 1-2 minutes after applying the medicine my cat Let out a low meow ( almost slow motion sounding) and passed out. I went over and picked him up. In a couple seconds he came to and looked at me. The support rep was very nice, and had not heard of this happening before. It was the first time for us, and it’s the third month of use. Please call in if it happens, so they know. They will ask for the lot number. We used the large cats version (he is 11lbs).
Otherwise there are no fleas

My poor cat had an awful skin reaction to this medication. It literally burned his fur and skin where the product was applied. He has a huge bald spot that was bleeding and is extremely irritated.

My cat Lily is 1 and 1/2 year old. She recently got fleas coz she goes out even though thts only for short times but many times in a day. I applied advantage ll last Friday like 7 days ago and she still has 1 or 2 semi dead fleas that she is dropping here and there. Also she started scratching only her neck and head but not right after advantage. Thts like 3-4 days ago and she still goes out but I limited it which she is not liking. When she had fleas and I didn't apply anything she was scratching all over her body. Now only head and neck and I'm sad to see her like this. I m thinking to give her bath but I'm scared of that Medication might wash away? Kindly help me

I put Advantage Multi on my cat 2.5 days ago. I wasn't thinking and a couple minutes later I rubbed him and when I did it got all down his back. I left him alone for a few minutes when he could have licked it. I came back with a wet washcloth and wiped his back with water, leaving it only on the application site. I then monitored him for an hour with no strange symptoms. He seems normal. I am worried as I read adverse reactions could show up much later?

I have 11 week old kittens we used advantage shampoo. They seemed ok but about an hour later they seem really sleepy I don't know if they're just tuckered out or what. Please help

I'm not sure if they are symptoms of an allergic reaction to flea meds or not. My cat is breathing heavier than normal. He did lick the area. This started after my dog chased my cat through the house and started to bite him. As of right now no other symptoms that I can see.

I applied Advantage II for cats over 9lbs on my adult cat. This is the second time I use it on him, and he is very lethargic. The first time I used it on him he was mildly lethargic, but the symptoms went away the next day. This time its more than before and his pupils are dilated. I used a wet wash cloth to rub off the medication on him. What else can I do to make him better? :(

Hi,I put advantage flea treatment on my 5 month old kitten and he was fine in the evening and the fine in morn ing ie eating and playing, I went to work and he's not himself he's been sick and is sleeping alot, his sister had flea treatment on aswell but I never saw him groom her, he's had this treatment before and he was fine, I'm probably overreacting but I'm scared he's ingested some from his sister

I applied Advantage to my cat a couple of hours ago and his face is now swelled up. Is there anything I can do to reduce the swelling? He doesn't appear to have any other issues.

I gave my male cat Advantage about four hours ago. A few minutes ago he jumped up on my bed and right in front of me peed all over the bed. Just like he was using the litter box. Is there any relationship?

My cat had an allergic reaction with serious skin irritation to a Hart's topical flea medication in the past. I am considering Advantage II, however, my cat is old and somewhat debilitated. He weighs approximately 6 lb due to chronic weight loss and is 17 yrs old.
He is an indoor cat.
Is this product an option for an elderly cat?

i put advantage on my cat she a year old and no sooner got it on her she took off like a bat out of hell and i ran after to see she was forming at the mouth, it scared me to death i picked her up and ran to the bath room put her in sink and got as much of the meds off of her and wiped her mouth out and she seem to be better when i did that. so what I am wondering ca i still give it to her or is it best to leave it off ty julia

I put advantage on my two adult cats. My dog brought in what I thought was fleas (only saw one that might have been a flea but she was itchy too) so everyone got a dose. They both seem a little itchy now. Especially Tig who is probably about ten pounds. He’s the most itchy around his neck where I applied the advantage. I haven’t seen a flea or flea dust on either cat. Is the itching and irritation a bad reaction for Tig? He also seems a little sleepy. Riley and Tig have not been given any flea medication until now.

Hi used advocate on my kitten and 24 hours later she was very limp and hardly moving rushed her to the vets and they said it wouldn't have been from the treatment. But to have test and xrays we were looking over a thousand pound in costs. She got worse wry quickly and was put to sleep. Her heart rate was low and glucose was very high. What do u think it could have been the treatment of not feeling very guilty x

I have a 9 wk old kitten that I initially applied the advantage II medication as he was infested with fleas. We had to keep him quarantined in the bathroom because of our other cat and he wasn't having any of it so we opted to give him a full bath of warm water and Dawn dish soap to remove majority of the fleas. I believe a good portion of the flea medication washed away as well as I was still finding live, active fleas on him a day after his flea bath. It has been 4 days since his flea bath now and he still has live, active fleas crawling around his head and he's trying to bite them off his body. I went ahead and applied the flea medication again as I had given him a very thorough flea bath and was still seeing live fleas crawling on him. My question is, does advantage II wash off? I did see several articles stating that if you start to see symptoms to wash off the flea treatment with dish soap and warm water. Should I wash off his 2nd flea treatment that I applied to him or monitor him for the time being to watch for any symptoms?

Can Advantage Flea and Tick spray cause a dog's testicles to become bloody looking? He doesn't seem to really be bothered by it. He isn't acting as if itches,hurts or anything. Not even licking. It just really looks bad. Please help.

I have used Advantage Flea Medication on my DSH cat for the 8 years I have had her. (She is now 9 years old.) I never noticed any reaction before. This time she became a little lethargic. That has passed but she has a red irritated patch where I applied the medication. I have washed off the area with warm water. Should I apply any antibiotic or cortisone cream to the area? Is age a factor? Is she too old for this medication? Thanks.

My 3 adult cats over 9 pounds each are all vommiting and one is coughing 24 hrs post application. Is this common and should I be worried? Advatage flea treatment was reccomended by my vet as they are indoor cats only and she said they did not need added meds for tick prevention

Hello, I applied flea medication to my 3 1/2 old cat yesterday night and he vomited twice this morning. Not very much vomit, but I am wondering if I should worry. He seems fine otherwise and is eating normally. Some of the liquid dried on his fur when he jerked doing the application so I'm wondering if he was able to lick some off of himself. Should I wash off the dried up liquid on his fur? Thank you.

Hi,
We have a 16 week old kitten and applied advantage on advice about a week ago. She is now very lethargic, has diarrhea and is quite off balance. She also has a very bloated belly that sounds very upset, but still seems happy to eat/drink. Is this potentially a reaction to this medication, or should I be worried about something else. We have 2 other older cats that are fine.

I have used Advantage for many years on my 15 year old Himalayan Persian cat. No other flea medicine has ever worked. But, the last time I used it, he developed a bald, raw spot, right where I put it and about the same size as the wet spot from it. Also, two other small spots nearby. He has never had this before. It scabbed up and I removed the scabs and put Bacatraycin on it. It's been very slowly healing, but still bald.
My questions are: Should I remove scabs after they are dry? Will the fur grow back?
But mostly, can I try putting Advantage on him again? I need to keep him flea free as they attack him so badly now that is old and he picks them up so easily on the daily walks he insists we take him on. Is he now allergic to Advantage when he wasn't before?

I gave my 6 LB cat/kitten (10 weeks old) some Bayer Advantage II Flea Prevention Large Cats, over 9 lbs. I only intended to give her half of the tube but it poured out and i think i gave her too much. Also, I put it on the back of her neck but she was able to lick it. Not even two hours later she had violent diarrhea and its not one day later and she still has it. Should I take her to the vet? Is she going to die? She is still eating and drinking fine and acting fine. Please help.

I just put flea medicine on my cat and he’s darting across the living room back and forth. If I put the flea medication a little higher than the shoulder blades is that going to cause nerve damage?

My cat has fleas. I use advantage flea medication but I notice that she licks herself (all over) until her hair comes off and she has open areas on her body now. Is this an allergy to the medication or is it something else? Before getting the flea medicine, the doctor told me she was allergic to fleas so that is when I started to use advantage.

I applied flea and tick medicine to the back of my cats neck, and i thought she wouldnt be able to reach it. Now shes drooling a little bit and jist laying down in her litter. (I just cleaned it out) should i wash it off her and try something else,or is this normal for cats? I dont have a cone or anything to put around her and im worried she might lick herself and get sick.? What should i do

I believe my cat Bella had a horrible allergic reaction to Advantage II and she was misdiagnosed by the emergency room veterinarian. Here are the details:

Bella had many of the symptoms of an allergic reaction to Advantage; lethargy, vomiting, dehydration, failure to eat or drink, excessive drooling and foul breath. I contacted the 800 number on the Advantage box and was told she probably licked and ingested some of the Advantage, but the symptoms should go away within a short period of time.

Unfortunately, the symptoms became worse, so I took Bella to the emergency room with the box of Advantage. I was certain Bella had a severe allergic reaction to it. The doctor discovered ulcers on Bella’s tongue, gums and the roof of her mouth. The doctor said the wounds in her mouth were consistent with an "electrical cord bite." I was stunned.

I adopted Bella from a shelter six years ago when she was about three years old. In six years, not ONCE did she have any interest in electrical cords, let alone bite one. It might have LOOKED like an electrical burn, but what are the odds that Bella burned her mouth on an electrical cord, the exact same day I gave her Advantage for the first time?

I insisted it wasn’t an electrocution, but the doctor insisted it was. She gave Bella an injection of Cefovecin and a dose of Buprenorphine. I was given SQ fluids (prescribed 100 ml/day), additional Buprenorphine, and Sucralfate to administer at home. That’s it! The doctor also failed to hydrate Bella during her examination.

When I returned home, I read the medical info about Sucralfate and I still have no idea why it was prescribed for ulcers in the mouth. I also looked at every electrical cord in Bella's room and not one of them had bite marks.

The next day I contacted a home health doctor for a second opinion. He came to my home and immediately agreed with me. He diagnosed a “chemical burn” in Bella’s mouth; the result of a severe allergic reaction to licking the Advantage. Bella was also severely dehydrated (5+ %). The doctor had to administer 400 ml of subcutaneous fluids! He also gave Bella a mix of Staydol, Baytril, Vetalog, Pepcid and Vitamin B-12 through the SQ IV. I gave Bella a bath and a saltwater mouthwash, which I squirted around her gums and tongue with a syringe.

Shortly after the doctor left my home, Bella was sipping water for the first time in two days. She also began to purr!

As of this morning, Bella is so much better. She still won’t eat anything, but she did sip on some chicken broth. I also noticed the tip of her tongue is already turning pink again and there is no more drooling or mouth odor. I will continue to administer the doctor’s prescriptions and give Bella SQ as needed.

I’m furious about the original misdiagnosis. I paid $250 for the emergency room visit and meds. Then I had to pay another $257 for the second opinion and treatment. I am curious to know if there are any other cases where a pet received chemical burns from a flea killing topical application? I also know hives are a side effect of Advantage. Is it possible for a pet to get hives in their mouth?

Thank you.

y cat had an allergic reaction (redness, itching, sores on neck) to a %Seresto Flea collar by Bayer. The active ingredients in the collar are Flumethrin 4.5% and Imidacloprid 10.0%. Is it safe to use Bayer Defense Care Flea Protection topical treatment, with the active ingredient of Imidacloprid 9.1% on her?

Hi I gave my 14 week kitten a 4x advantage spot on flea treatment which the Breeder gave me & she has been extremely lathargic now for 2 days , sleeping all day and night only moving to eat & drink & to use the litter tray