I would suspect that the office cat was unfortunate enough to have two copies of the defective MDR1 gene, and thus the protective P-glycoprotein was completely ineffective at protecting the brain, so the drug went straight in and acted on it like it would on an insect or worm. This is what has happened to dogs with this defect in the past. The macrocyclic lactones are all lipids, i.e. fat, and can pass freely through the body anywhere EXCEPT the brain, which is protected by the P-glycoprotein. Furthermore, they are partially recycled back into the intestine through the liver (bile) and can be reabsorbed again and again. That is why most of them work better over time, because they are cumulative. After awhile, the cumulative effect is like an overdose, and an overdose of any macrocyclic lactone will kill any animal by inhibiting the P-glycoprotein and breaking through into the brain.
Wow, interesting information. I wish Dr. Brooks was my vet! He is so right when he says pets are sicker because of food and meds. It all adds up doesn't it? I'm so sorry about your kitty @Jules10, and I just can't help but wonder why it is that your cat took so long to develop the symptoms that quickly killed the OP's office kitty.
I still have the box from last month (since I still have a couple of days until the 1 month dose expires) and looked for the ingredients. It wasn't stated on the box, but on the long paper inside. All it said was spinetoram as an active ingredient and the other ingredients aren't listed but contains 88.8%. So thank you for letting me know about macrocyclic lactone & selamectin. But can you please elaborate on the neurological signs you mentioned? I know about the hair loss (I'm not sure if it's cause he's a short-haired cat or because it's summer but I do feel/see he's been shedding A LOT), inflammation, itchiness, and vomiting as side effects of flea meds.
I'm so sorry to hear about your 18 year old cat & that the medicine did not do it's purpose.
Interesting! In other words, they didn't record the complaints that were made. That's why it's good to have independent websites like this one to keep people informed of the truth. Shame on Elanco! What did your neurologist say about this?
Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. In the early 1980s, when I began having some neurological problems that disappeared when I cut Diet Coke (sweetened with aspartame) from my diet, I reported this to either Coca Cola or Searle (who had the patent on aspartame). I was at that time in contact with a very large community of people who had had and reported similar problems from aspartame use, but the response that I got from the company was:
What's so funny is that Cheristin never gave my cats clumpy hair and seemed to absorb rather quickly. It isn't greasy like others and has a rather pleasant pine smell. We never experienced hair loss or lethargy. In fact, my cats didn't like having it put on them, but once on them they were ok. They acted totally normal. HOWEVER, Pepper must be part owl because no matter where I placed it (and I tried several very high spots), she always was able to lick at it. Not good.
Maybe the formula was changed. Yea my orange tabby has a long neck so i have to apply it a little higher up. A little above shoulder blades doesnt work for him with that long neck.
Yeah, totally safe. Big companies and their apologists make me sick.
Thank you for this! After using Cheristin once on my cat, and he acted negatively to it, I had switched to Revolution.
