Dog's fur black and smelly after flea medicine. What should I do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Puppy! I recommend taking her to the Vet. It sounds like she has a bad skin infection from reacting to the medications. The fur should be shaved away, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories should be given. There are great flea and tick medications out there now that are oral: Nexgard, Simparica and Bravecto. The topical flea medications do not work nearly as well. And for puppy this will hopefully avoid reactions like this in the future. I hope this helps and I wish Puppy a speedy recovery!

Use dawn dish soap to wash Kuni as it will strip the medication out better. Keep a watch on her- some dogs only have a mild reaction and washing is fine. If she develops a sore where it was applied, has trembling or seizure like activity she needs to be seen. And you may want to contact her vet anyway for a different flea control option.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cash. If he is very uncomfortable, (but not displaying any other signs such as vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors) I would recommend bathing him with Dawn dish soap. This will remove the product from his skin and should provide him with some relief. Then he should follow up with his veterinarian tomorrow. If he is acting ill, you will need to seek emergency veterinary care for him tonight. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for visiting Petcoach. Poor guy. If he is having a localized reaction to the ingredients in the topical medication, then it's best to bathe him in an aloe based or oatmeal based shampoo from your local pet store at this point. You have stripped off as much product as you can with the Dawn. Also try applying a topical hot spot spray from your local pet store may help provide some topical relief. Hot spot sprays typically have a steroid in them, which is a good anti-inflammatory. If all else fails here is a website link for financial resources that can help you afford a vet visit to get Kenjis skin examined and treated. http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html Best of luck with Kenji's skin. I hope he gets some relief soon. Take care.

The flea medication should not have caused this change in the skin, or weight loss. Something else is happening and it may be due to a skin infection. The weight loss indicates a separate problem and can happen with multiple disease processes. It's difficult to tell how concerning this is without seeing her and knowing the weight difference. It's best to have a vet check her out, so they can identify the problem and provide the most appropriate treatment. For now, you can give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo to help give some relief. You can get these shampoos at the pet store. I hope that helps and Cleo gets better soon.

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.

I would monitor Mufasa for now and if he begins to tremble, shake, twitch or have seizures, take him to the veterinarian immediately. You did the right thing by rinsing him off immediately. If you were able to rinse off the shampoo right away, there should be no side effects. I hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other questions or concerns that you may have.