Did too much flea medicine cause my sick dog's sudden death?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I’m so sorry to hear about Misty! If you want an answer you need to have her neceopsied (autopsy for animals). Fleas can kill a pet if there are so many they suck all the blood out of the pet. Typically we don’t see this in adult pets but it can happen. Because Misty died suddenly I would be more suspicious of underlying heart disease. Cats can have undiagnosed heart problems which can arise suddenly. If not, I would be concerned of a toxin. Again, it’s hard to say for sure but at least you know she didn’t suffer. My thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.

I'm so sorry to hear this happened. It is too hard for me to say if anything you did caused his death. You will not know for sure unless you have your vet do a necropsy (autopsy) on him. Severe flea infestation can cause a life threatening anemia so it could be from the fleas. I don't know what brand of the "tube" you put on the back of his neck but you have to be careful with those - Hartz and Seargants are not recommended as they are not regulated by any organization and it is easy to overdose them. In the future, you need to get flea prevention from your vet and you should apply it every month like clockwork, no matter what (even if it is winter). A 5 pound dog can easily get anemic from having a lot of fleas.

I am sorry to hear that Peanut is feeling so cruddy To be honest, that kind of reaction from flea / tick medication starting 24-36 hours after application would not be very typical. Usually signs of illness would start pretty shortly after. The only reason it could be delayed is it Peanut waited awhile and then managed to lick the stuff off his fur. Depending on the type of drug that was used, some have antidotes while others are just treated supportively. There are no antibiotics that are used to help with this kind of issue, unless the vet believes that one might assist with inflammation or prevent a secondary infection. Based on the clinical signs you have described, the best medication that the vet could prescribe would be something to nausea, diarrhea, and acid production. In terms of diagnostics I would run if you came into my office with these symptoms, I would definitely recommend starting with some baseline blood work and potentially some x-rays to rule out a possible foreign body in the intestines. Hope this is helpful.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. With this much vomiting I would be worried about the possibility of Penelope eating something she shouldn't have, such as a toy or other foreign material, which could have caused a blockage or obstruction of her intestines. The topical flea and tick medication should not cause her to vomit. I recommend offering Penelope a small amount of boiled chicken and rice, and see if she tolerates this. If she vomits this up and/or cannot even keep water down, she should be seen by your veterinarian for x-rays. If she can eat a small amount of this bland diet, I recommend feeding this boiled chicken and rice for the next 2-3 days and slowly transitioning her back to her usual diet. I hope this is helpful!

Hi there. There are many things that we cannot know without a full exam here. First I am very sorry to hear of the loss of your kitten. Secondly, yes-flea and tick medications can have adverse reactions in some of our patients, albeit somewhat rarely. If you have used a dog medication on your kitten or one too large, they can definitely cause seizures and death. Your kitten could also have had some underlying issues like congenital heart disease or congenital kidney disease that could have caused sudden, unexplained death. Sorry for the loss of your friend. I hope this helps.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry to hear about your pup. These are very general signs that could have happened due to many different conditions such as ones affecting the heart or it could have possibly been due to internal bleeding. It is hard to know with just a brief description provided but those are some things that can affect a dog suddenly. So sorry to hear this again.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I suspect him not eating his food and having that topical medication applied are unrelated issues. He may have an infection or perhaps if this was noted at the site where the topical was administered, this could be due to a reaction for instance. I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck and have a great day!