Once again, we received a frantic phone call from a puppy parent whose puppy experienced severe adverse effects after being given flea and tick medication by their vet. It was heartbreaking.
- Heartbreaking because there was nothing we could do.
- Heartbreaking because the damage was already done.
- Heartbreaking because we never recommend pesticide-based flea and tick medications for our puppies
- Heartbreaking because despite repeated warnings in our website, blogs, contracts and verbally, another family learned the risks the hard way.
I have no idea how to get people to take this seriously.
We share this not to shame, but to educate.
Conventional flea and tick medications are classified as pesticides. While they are widely marketed as safe and routine, they can carry serious risks, including neurological damage, even in dogs with no prior health issues. These concerns affect dogs everywhere, whether they live in large cities like Seattle, Portland, Boise, Los Angeles, Phoenix, or in quieter towns and rural areas throughout the western United States.
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Safe Flea meds
FDA warnings and class action lawsuits exist for a reason. These flea medications are dangerous. Protect your dog by making an informed choice and saying no.
Why Being Informed Matters
Before administering any pharmaceutical product, pet parents have the right to understand what they are giving their dog and the potential consequences. One of the most important tools available to consumers is the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), which details known risks, reported adverse reactions, and toxicity information.
Below is a list of pharmaceutical companies you may contact directly to request Safety Data Sheets for commonly prescribed flea and tick medications.
Pharmaceutical Companies and Safety Data Requests
Merck (Bravecto)
800-224-5318
Elanco Animal Health (Credelio)
888-545-5973
Boehringer Ingelheim (NexGard, Frontline Plus)
888-637-4251
Zoetis (Simparica, Revolution Plus)
888-963-8471
FDA Warnings and Reported Adverse Effects
Additional information is available through the FDA, including the report titled
“FDA Alerts Pet Owners and Veterinarians About Potential for Neurological Adverse Events Associated with Certain Flea and Tick Products.”
Reported serious adverse effects include:
Muscle tremors
Ataxia
Seizure disorders
Death
Less severe but still concerning symptoms include:
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Colic
- Skin Lesions and Infections
- Itching and Scratching
Notably, these reactions have occurred in dogs with no prior history of neurological disorders, across multiple states including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Montana, and Arizona.
Human Exposure Risks Raise Additional Concerns
Many flea and tick product labels warn against human skin contact or accidental ingestion due to potential effects such as:
Headaches
Nausea
Dizziness
Tremors
Seizures
Respiratory paralysis
Death
Beyond direct contact, residue from these products has been linked to developmental concerns in toddlers through accidental exposure and ingestion. Despite this, these same products are widely promoted as safe for dogs of all sizes, in households from Tacoma to Bend, Boise to Los Angeles, and Phoenix to Missoula.
Make an Informed Decision for Your Puppy
We encourage every pet parent to take a few moments to review the available data and warnings before using conventional flea and tick medications. Being informed allows you to make choices that align with your values and your dog’s long-term health.
If you need guidance or would like references to safer, less toxic flea prevention alternatives, we are always happy to help. Just reach out and ask, whether you are in Redmond, Spokane Valley, Portland, Eugene, Boise, Nampa, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Phoenix.
Your awareness can make all the difference.
Visit our Natural Rearing Page for research and more details
Now the next question is… what can we use for flea and ticks!?
And the answer is… there are lots of great alternatives that won’t hurt your dog.
We’ve had great success with the Wondercide products and the Fur Life collar tags. You will find details and links on our Shop Page. I personally use the flea and tick spray from Pawtree and spray my dogs before going out during tick season. This also repels mosquitoes that carry heartworm. Shop Here
As for medications, Ivermectin (not combined with anything else) has been the least reactive and the only pharmaceutical I would use if needed. You can purchase ivermectin over the counter at many tractor supply stores, and there are online instructions to dose for dogs, off-label, that we have used for years without issue, whether you live in Marysville, Bend, Meridian, San Diego, Los Angeles, Missoula, or Tucson.
How to track and document adverse effects from flea and tick medicines for your Vet
The initial seizure: As soon as you notice seizure activity, either grand mal or petit mal, make note of the time and keep track of how long the abnormal activity lasts.
For example, try if at all possible to notice the symptoms:
- Is there body rigidity or bowing of their spine/back- either concave with the spine bowing out or the spine caving in- look for a type of ‘C’ shape which indicates involuntary spasms.
- Are they able to move freely if called? Often in a petit mal seizure, which is less dramatic, your pup may be frozen in place, unblinking with the mouth locked in place.
- Are they drooling excessively (both petit and grand mal) or gnashing (grand mal) their teeth?
- Loss of bladder and bowel control is typical with grand mal seizures, less frequent with petit mal seizures.
- Loss of vision is also common depending on what part of the brain is being impacted. If your dog loses sight, take notice of how long the temporary blindness lasts. They will often walk into walls or furniture for a few minutes.
Keep track of all the symptoms and write down how long they last so you can relay the information to your vet office or any reports to the FDA. This is important whether you are in Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Boise, Los Angeles, Phoenix, or Missoula—adverse reactions can occur anywhere.
Some of the other details to take note of are:
- The weather conditions, especially times of extreme humidity and extreme heat, which can easily trigger seizures. This is particularly relevant for regions like Tacoma, Bend, Nampa, Fresno, or Yuma.
- The activity that your dog was engaged in immediately before the seizure began. Were they playing, running, sleeping? Were they tense or over-excited?
- Mark down the dates on a calendar! It is the easiest way to spot any cyclical patterns.
- Take a video on your phone for your vet. They’ll be able to see details that you might have missed. Bring all the notes with you for the vet to examine.
What To Do After the seizure:
- Speak normally and do your best not to baby your dog to avoid any overstimulation.
- Offer them water and food. Seizure activity is very taxing for the dogs, and an additional meal may be necessary.
- Give them something familiar to smell, like their blankets or toys. Since we cannot reassure them verbally, providing them with comforting scents will help them calm down.
- If your dog seems agitated, see if they are willing to go on a short walk. Walking is a nice, rhythmic movement that can relax your pup, especially if you take them on a leisurely sniff walk to get re-centered and back to themselves.
- Spend some extra time cuddling or giving your pup skritchies. Again, sensory comfort is the way to go!
Your homework as a pet owner:
- Check out and research alternative methods to toxic topical poisons.
- Investigate non-chemical preventatives, like a Thundershirt or DAP diffusers for comfort.
- Try alternative palliative treatments, like acupuncture to keep your dog calm to avoid triggering seizures from stress.
Make sure you print this out to put on the refrigerator to help you during the seizure remember what to watch for and do. With your loving care, your pup will get through the worst of it.
A note from Christi, a personal experience with vaccinosis & reaction to flea meds
In Memoriam: Gigi Marie
Every year, at least one of our Habibi Bear Tribe members emails or texts us to let us know that their Habibi Bear puppy had an adverse reaction to either a vaccine or flea & tick medicine, and they are heartbroken and devastated. Today, I wanted to take the time to let you know of my own personal experience with pharmaceutical toxic overload in dogs, my own German Shepherd mix, Gigi.
I’m Christi, and I am a dog-sitter and blogger for Habibi Bears. Here’s my story. I had wanted another puppy to raise along with my one year old Sled Dog mix, Nina, who was very, very active and needed another dog to play and interact with due to her breed characteristics. (Tip: Sled dogs need packs. The more, the merrier. Otherwise they get very destructive. That’s another story for another time.) On Craigslist, I found an ad from a rescue group for a small German Shepherd female mix. I filled out the application and had my phone interview. Everything was going smoothly, and then I was told where I could pick up my new addition to the family—at the San Francisco International Airport.
At the San Francisco International Airport.
Gigi was a puppy who had been rescued by a group of students living in dormitories at a college in Taipei. They had been harboring her after seeing her picked up by the animal control, and the students were familiar with her because she came to eat with them daily at their cafeteria. One of the girls let her out of the truck while the Control Officer was getting another dog, and she took Gigi back to the dormitories. After a few days, the girls realized they needed help from a rescue group, and Gigi was put into a foster home, awaiting her forever family.
Because Gigi was being adopted from overseas, she had an extraordinarily high chemical load due to the type of vaccine that she needed to travel, the 7 in 1 vaccine. This is a compound vaccine cocktail that contains Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Corona Viral Enteritis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, and Leptospirosis. In addition to the vaccine, she was administered her flea and tick medicine and a rabies shot.
At 29 pounds and a few months old, she got her shots two days before she was due to travel. She arrived in San Francisco and I went to pick her up at the China Airlines gate. She was such a lovely, friendly puppy who instantly gave me kisses through the crate door. The next morning, I was surprised to hear a rattling and shaking from her cage. I was terrified to see that Gigi was foaming at the mouth and thrashing violently without being lucid. Her mouth was bleeding from the gnashing of her teeth, and she had lost control of her bladder. Panicking, I rushed to get a cloth with water and wiped her face, not knowing what else to do. When the seizure was over, I called my vet, and I took her in for a visit.
At the veterinary office, I found out that there isn’t really anything one can do once a seizure starts, and in general, there is little to be done to prevent a seizure from coming on. I called her rescue group, and asked them if they had any previous knowledge of her condition, which they did not. Her foster mother had not seen any seizures, nor had the girls in the dormitories. The group offered to take her, but I couldn’t bear to part from her. I decided to keep her and do the best possible for her, no matter what.
That began a long journey of trying to manage Gigi’s seizures. I learned to track and time the seizures, and to see if there were any patterns to be recognized so that I could avoid the triggers that provoked her episodes. We went to the Canine Neurological Services at UC Davis, California, where they set Gigi up with a protocol to manage her condition to make her life a little bit better.
Gigi was very popular once again with the Veterinary students, and she was known for her sweet demeanor and gentle nature. Unfortunately, as time went on, Gigi’s seizures got worse, as new neural pathways were being formed by the seizure activity. I was told that eventually, the seizure disorder would kill her. I was told to watch for seizure clusters that would occur in groups and increase in frequency. When that happened, I would need to decide if Gigi’s life was to continue or not.
It was the most heartbreaking thing ever to decide.
I decided when Gigi began experiencing a group of seizures every ½ hr for more than four hours, that it was time to let Gigi go. I had to remind myself that she had a longer life than she would have had if she hadn’t been adopted at all. On Christmas Eve, 2013, Gigi left this earthly plane of existence after the sedation injection was given, before the final euthanasia drug was administered. She was nearly four years old.
It has taken me ten years to be able to talk about Gigi and her death. It was only after her death that I found out that other dogs suffered from developing epilepsy after vigorous rounds of vaccine cocktails.
I am sharing this on this particular platform because Gigi was a much larger dog who was affected by the overwhelming chemical load administered to her in vaccine form. Please do the research or consider performing titer testing before giving your dog vaccine combinations or flea and tick medicine. I hope no other family has to experience the heartbreak of watching their pet have seizures and die from them, whether they live in Spokane, Salem, Boise, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Missoula, or Bend.