Flea and heartworm preventative are very important medications your dog should receive. There are topical and oral forms of both available for dogs. Revolution is a topical preventative that covers both fleas and heartworms in addition to other parasites. While the safety of this product has been tested and proven, there is always a possibility your dog may be sensitive to it. If you apply this to your dog and he develops any of the symptoms below, you should contact your veterinarian. While symptoms are typically mild and treatment is supportive, the longer you wait to seek veterinary care your dog’s prognosis of a full recovery may decline.

Revolution, also known as selamectin, is a topical flea and heartworm preventative available for dogs. If you apply this to your dog and he develops side effects, contact your veterinarian immediately. 

Most of the flea and heartworm treatments out there today are topical or ingestible. With the topical medications, you apply a liquid to the back of the neck and onto your dog’s skin. Allergic reactions can happen immediately, after a few hours, or after a few days. As for the ingestible version, depending on what brand you buy, it comes in a flavored or flavorless tablet. If you believe your dog may be experiencing allergies from a flea and heartworm treatment, contact your veterinarian immediately.

The active drug in Revolution is selamectin. This treatment is used to control and prevent fleas, prevent heartworm disease, treatment and control of ear mites, treatment and control of sarcoptic mange, and control of the American dog tick. While studies have been tested using ten times the recommended amount without negative reactions, the possibility remains that your dog may be the one that reacts negatively.

First, the veterinarian will perform a physical examination on your dog and note any and all relevant history relating to his symptoms. When a specific white blood cell level is high, it is indicative of an allergy. This, plus just an overall health screening of your dog, is why the veterinarian will want to run blood work. A complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry panel will provide the veterinarian with needed information for proper assessment. 

If your dog’s skin has a rash or is inflamed in any way, your veterinarian may take a skin scraping sample. She will scrape off a small external layer of your dog’s skin to view under the microscope to check for external parasites or infection. If your dog is experiencing any type of respiratory issue, the veterinarian may take a radiograph to give her a proper look at his lungs. This will help her rule out other possible diagnoses such as pneumonia or bronchitis.

If your dog is experiencing breathing difficulties and his oxygen saturation is low, the veterinarian will begin him on oxygen therapy. She may put your dog on flow by oxygen or place him in an oxygen cage. If this is not sufficient, she may place a nasal catheter for oxygen administration. If your dog is experiencing severe breathing difficulties and swelling and none of the other methods of oxygen therapies are helping, the veterinarian may have to intubate him and maintain oxygen administration via intubation until he stabilizes. An antihistamine will be administered to decrease the swelling of the respiratory system to help your dog able to breathe on his own again without intubation.

If your dog is experiencing any type of skin irritation, the veterinarian may wash your dog with a type of dish soap to wash the topical medication off your dog. Depending on the symptoms your dog is experiencing, additional medications and therapies may be administered according to his needs.

The sooner you receive veterinary care for your dog, the better his prognosis for a full recovery. As long as the topical medication is removed and not repeated, your dog should not suffer any long-term side effects. However, if you wait too long to receive veterinary treatment or continue to apply the treatment month after month, your dog may develop severe symptoms. If this occurs, prognosis for a full recovery declines greatly. 

If your dog is allergic to one type of topical treatment, there are other options you can try. Discuss with your veterinarian the best way to handle fleas and heartworms in your dog. Together, you can come up with a safe way to treat your dog.