Reaction to Vectra 3D flea meds

    • Bronze

    Reaction to Vectra 3D flea meds

     I came on here to find out if an adverse reaction to Vectra 3D flea & tick meds is common. Our 35 lb Boglin had a reaction within hours of using this product. The itching & discomfort lasted about 4 days; we ended up at an emergency vet because we were out of town over the weekend & the reaction seemed to be getting worse. We wanted to make sure it wouldn't turn into an emergency. Poor Buddy walked with his tail between his legs for a couple days, was agitated & barking at us like he was trying to tell us "help!". He carried on like his skin was crawling with bugs & driving him crazy; also drinking lots of water. We gave him a good bath with lots of water & it seemed to calm it down some.

     

    The ER vet said he couldn't see anything & I don't think they believed us actually. He talked about strained muscle or bad disk (don't know where that idea came from with a healthy 4 yr old dog!) But we have no doubt it was a reaction to the Vectra 3D& I've talked to our normal vet now that we're home & they will take it back & refund the money for the remaining 5 months of Vectra 3D that I had purchased. After our experience I wouldn't recommend this product; maybe some dogs do okay on it, but ours certainly did not. We had used Frontline Plus for last 4 years with no reaction at all.

    • Gold Top Dog

    You aer NOT the only one. 

    apparently the way Vectra "works" is it makes the fleas "drunk" and often fleas literally go crazy before they die.  And if there are any fleas in the area it will *attract* them before it kills them.

     One of the girls on here had a dog go into seizures after using Vectra -- I've got about 6 months worth of the stuff as well.  It was so promising but it's nasty nasty stuff.  My dogs all went crazy with itch immediately after using (because of the flea reaction to the meds). 

    Because the risk of seizure is pretty darned great with this I won't use it. 

    Amanda doesn't check in here often, but you can find her in the search:  bevolasvegas -- then find one of her posts and click all the way to the right at the top on the "Contact" button and email her.  She'll let you know if she's found out anything recently.  The dog of hers who seized is an IMHA (immune-mediated hemolytic anemia) which makes it critical that he not be stressed by medicines because it could trigger a relapse. 

     You might want to report your experience to http://www.dogsadversereactions.com -- you are not alone.

    • Bronze

     thanks for your reply - I'll check out the link you sent me.

    I spoke to the manufacturer this morning (we were out of town after we applied the product so had to wait to follow up) and she explained that Vectra 3D (sorry about the typo first time) doesn't absorb into the dog's body, it dries & stays on their skin for the 30 days. I had no idea, I think the Vet should explain that to people. She said some dogs are more sensitive to the sensation of it spreading on their skin & don't react well to it. I don't think that matches with the reaction we were seeing, I'd say it was more like the product was burning his skin & he was experiencing pain & was pretty upset about it.

     The manufacturer said they would contact our vet & when I return the rest of the box they'll not only refund for the remaining 5 months I purchased, but will refund for the tube I used & give all my money back. I appreciate the customer service, but I still have concerns about this product & will never buy it again.

     I don't believe our dog had any fleas on him when we applied this product, he's always been on flea medicine (Frontline or Advantix) & we really had no reason to think he had fleas. So in his case I think it was a chemical thing going on.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I just replied to your email. 

    If you haven't already, bathing in Dawn dishwashing liquid will help remove the Vectra from Buddy's skin.  It makes sense, to me, to get the chemical off of him now instead of waiting the 30 days & hoping that he's not uncomfortable the entire time.  You may also look into giving him benadryl to help him through the most itchy times.

    Fingers crossed that he's back to normal very quickly.

    • Puppy

    On tuesday 11/2/11, I put the vectra on my one year old golden retriever, and she had the same reaction as these other dogs, no seizures, but the scratching, irratablity, panting and wild and wouldn't get calm.....it didn't really kick in until thursday and she was up all night....so first thing friday morning I got on line to find that many dogs have had these same symptoms....so at 8:00 am I phoned the vet who told me to immediately wash her with Dawn liquid and I did just tha....finiished her off with a bath and a good warm rinse.....about 1 p.m. she laid down and slept for 4 straight hours....she was just exhausted from this ordeal.....This Product should be taken off the market......DON'T USE THIS.....you are taking a chance that this could happen to your dog.....Have you ever heard of Mella Luca Oil?  I used this on my other two Goldens and they never had any fleas or ticks.....I will never again use a chemical on her again....We are killing our animals slowly.....What a shame!!!!!