My small dog ate too much Capstar flea medicine. Will she be okay?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Dory. Oh no! I'd give her a bath to get it all off, and just watch her. If you see muscle tremors, excessive salivation, paw flicking, vomiting, diarrhea, or lethargy, take her into a vet immediately. Hopefully, she will be fine.

Capstar comes in two sizes. Cats should get the 11.4mg. A half dose will work to an extent but will not fully work since the dose is smaller than it should be. Yes, you could give the other half tomorrow but it would be better to give the full amount. The larger size is 57mg and half of that would be an over dose for a cat. I do not recommend to give this to a cat. Also, capstar only lasts 24 hours. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This medication contains a combination of Spinosad and Milbemycin. Milbemycin can be used safely in dogs for heartworm prevention but has other uses as well, and can be given at a dose two to four times the normal dose that we use for heartworm prevention, so I would not worry at all about a higher then normal dose of that medication. Spinosad is used for flea prevention and is a relatively safe drug. The most common side effects seen with its use include a decreased appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and rarely, in dogs with a low seizure threshold, possible seizures. Studies on research dogs showed no long term effects on dogs that were given TEN times the recommended dose. Side effects that were seen at that high dose included nausea, vomiting, a decrease in appetite and some diarrhea. She will probably be OK but all you can do at this stage is monitor her for any signs of toxicity. If any are noticed she needs to see a vet immediately.

So this medication contains a combination of Spinosad and Milbemycin. Milbemycin is used in dogs as a heartworm prevention, and can safely be given at two to four times the normal dose used for heartworm prevention. Spinosad is used for flea prevention, and it is a relatively safe drug. The most common side effects seen with its use include a decreased appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, and lethargy. Studies on research dogs showed no long term effects on dogs that were given ten times the recommended dose. More than likely, Molly will be just fine, but if you see any of the side effects that I mentioned above, have her seen by a vet just to be safe. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Simparica has a wide margin of safety, but Abby ingested 4 times her normal dose. You may see tremors or convulsions within the next 24 hours. These symptoms are typically self limiting and, in safety studies, resolved without treatment. Ideally, she should be examined at the nearest veterinary ER. Vomiting can be induced via injection followed by administration of activated charcoal to further reduce absorption. This is most effective when done within an hour or two of ingestion. There is no antidote for sarolaner (the active ingredient in Simparica) overdose, so treatment is largely supportive and symptomatic until recovery is complete. This may include IV fluids and medications to control tremors or convulsions if they develop.

Hello, sorry to hear about your accident. Yes the medicine will work on her and she should be after receiving the wrong dose. This medications is reported to have more toxic effects when ingested than when applied topically. Things you can consider is to bathe your dog if you believe she is feeling unwell to wash the medication off her coat. Call the ASPCA poison control line for better information about the toxic dose of imidacloprid, one of the active ingredients of this medications. Their number is (888) 426-4435. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It would be helpful to know what specific type of flea medication is was, since different brands have different active ingredients. But in general, if he only ate a single dose, I would not expect this to cause any serious problems - these medications typically have a wide margin of safety, even if they are ingested rather than applied topically. You may see some mild stomach upset, but I would not expect any serious toxicity issues. To be safe, you should monitor for any neurologic issues such as muscle tremors or seizures, and take Oscar to the vet right away if he is acting abnormal.