Pet Reaction to Flea Medication

Fleas can cause constant itching and even severe irritations in your pet. What's more, they can infest your home and, if ingested orally, give your pet intestinal parasites. That's why many people choose to use flea medication on their pets. There are many types of flea medications on the market. While most are at least somewhat effective, most also come with side effects that can result in a reaction in your pet to the medication.

  1. Ingredients

    • Different flea medications have different active ingredients that kill fleas in different ways. What they all share in common is that most of these ingredients are pesticides. Common active ingredients found in flea medications are imidacloprid, fipronil, permethrin, methoprene and pyriproxyfen.

    Occurrence

    • The vast majority of reactions from flea and tick products are mild, found a 2009 study by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Yet products for treating fleas kill hundreds of pets yearly and injure thousands more, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Sometimes, those reactions are the result of improper use. Cats and small dogs who are treated with products meant for larger animals are particularly vulnerable to adverse reactions.

    Administration

    • Some flea medications are administered orally, while others are administered topically. According to the EPA, the flea medications that most often caused problems were those meant to be applied topically. The agency received 44,263 reports of harmful reactions to topical flea products in 2008, according to the CBS News report.

    Reactions

    • Often, topical flea products cause mild skin irritations at the application site. These irritations usually go away within a day of application. However, in some pets, spot treatments result in vomiting, diarrhea, trembling, seizures and respiratory problems. An animal exhibiting any of these symptoms needs immediate veterinary care.

    Considerations

    • Because fleas can be so detrimental to your pet's health and well being, it's important to find a way to control fleas that works for your pet. Before trying any pet medication, talk to your vet about your concerns and do your research to find out the experiences others who have used a particular product have had. For instance, Hartzvictims.org has stories of people who have had negative experiences with Hartz products. Additionally, use only veterinarian-recommended products, not those available over the counter, and consider natural alternatives first.