My dog licked topical flea treatment from their coat. Is it safe?

In general, we do not want dogs to lick the ingredients in the topical flea products. Therefore, most products will contain a "bittering agent" which makes the liquid taste bad, so the dogs will not lick it. If they lick a small amount, they may drool a little due to the bad taste, but they will not lick enough to cause a problem. If you have any concerns about a particular product, I always recommend speaking to the company. I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

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!

Hello, thank you for your question. I believe that keeping a close eye on your cat and trying to prevent her from licking the product is a good option. Most of these products cause mild GI upset or excessive salivation when they are ingested, but rarely life threatening signs. If your cat develops any vomiting, diarrhea, or inappetance I would recommend having her seen by a veterinarian. Hope this helps, good 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.

I would refrain from reapplying this topical product, because you cannot be sure how much of it was rinsed off and it is best to not overdose him. Also the biting and scratching can be normal for any pet that has just received flea preventative if there was a large infestation of fleas. The "itch cascade" as we call it can last even after the parasites are gone, and often pets require a short course of steroids or a steroid shot to stop the itch completely. Your best option at this point, if you still see evidence of fleas or ticks, is to follow up with a medication called Capstar. This is the only flea ridding product that can be used in conjunction with topical flea preventatives, because it does not last in the pets system very long. You can safely redose the Pet armour in 2 weeks time. However I will say I am not a fan of this product and find there are better, more effective ones on the market. For instance, Bravecto, Nexgard, Advantage Multi, just to name a few.

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!