My dog licked his flea and tick medicine. Is it safe for him?

No. Unfortunately the topical product will get on their hair. It’s almost impossible to prevent this. It is best to prevent them from licking it but it shouldn’t hurt them. I would just watch them for any abnormal behaviors. If that product doesn’t seem to be helping much I would consider an oral flea preventative next time. These sometimes work better due to a faster kill time. I hope this helps!

Some dogs are sensitive to the active ingredient or the vehicle of a topical medication. I would ensure that you apply to the skin, not the hair, in an area he cannot reach such as the area between his shoulder blades. I am unsure of the type you have used, however most over the counter products are safe if ingested in small amounts, infrequently. To be safe you can certainly call the number on the packaging for more detail. However there are so many types of preventative out there, if Puku seems sensitive to one type there are plenty to choose from!

Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking. Some of these products can cause GI upset, excess drooling or irritation around the mounting if licked or ingested. These products typically dry in several hours. Apply it before bedtime, place the e-collar and by morning, she should be fine. As an alternative, there are oral flea and tick preventatives that can be used instead of topicals. Discuss options with your veterinarian.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Isley. She will not likely experience toxicity if she has not already. However, I recommend contacting the manufacturer of the product that she consumed. They will be able to tell you if the product is expected to be poisonous or not. If the manufacturer is not available, you can call ASPCA Animal Poison Control. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If she is licking the flea and tick collar occasionally, this should be fine. She should not experience any adverse side effects. I do tend to find that the flea / tick collars are not as effective as the oral preventative medications such as Bravecto. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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.

No, typically tick spray isn't fatal if licked. There is a potential it could have some toxicity, but the dog would have to ingest a large amount. Given that they lived outdoors and were strays, it could be that they got into something toxic outside, could have had a serious disease like parvo or distemper, could have been attacked by another animal, or could have been hit by a car. I'm very sorry they died. If you come across any more strays, I would contact your local RSPCA to come and get them. I hope this helps.