Important! Regarding Advantage, Frontline -flea control products (kittens, fleas, natural)

[emilybh]

[SIZE=3]#1. I knew that Advantage was toxic but I thought it was the lesser of two evils and was going to give my cat some relief from fleas when natural methods didn't seem to be working well enough. With all the warnings posted about the dangers of the products to humans, it is no wonder cats are practically guaranteed to experience side effects. If a 100 lb human is supposed to rinse for 20 mins if it gets on your skin, how on earth could it be safe to LEAVE on a 12 lb cat’s skin???[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]Turns out I probably wasn’t vigilant enough about using the safe alternatives. However, when my cat finally seemed to have been driven so crazy by the fleas and started biting his tail until it was dripping blood, I decided I had to do something, (even though I’d read one of the articles below which documents a case where 8 kittens died after being given the proper dose). So, after reading the article I decided, I’d be conservative and only give him ½ a dose of the Advantage. It zonked him out for a few hours and almost immediately fleas that I had no idea were on him, dropped off him. (He’s a Norwegian Forest cat with VERY THICK LONG FUR.) He seemed ok for a few days but then started to act strangely. He’d get a startled look in his face out of the blue and run into another room. Then he started with the constant scratching himself and overgrooming – even though this time he had no fleas. I’ve come to find out that these products may be more harmful than they are worth.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3][SIZE=3]I read this before going ahead and giving him Advantage:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]http://www.apnm.org/publications/resources/fleachemfin.pdf[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]I’d not seen this but wish I had:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]http://www.elversonpuzzle.com/biospotlettersv10.html[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]I think from now on I’ll be doing this:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3]http://www.homevet.com/petcare/documents/fleacontrol.pdf[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]http://www.helpinganimals.com/animalsHome_fleaControl.asp[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3]http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petallergies.htm[/SIZE]
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