- Joined
- Mar 11, 2018
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This may be a common problem already posted on but want to share a close call with K9 Advantix for dogs that I confused with Advantage which is safe to use on dogs that are around cats. I got this vis Amazon and noted the warning about fatality risk for cats if exposed. The warning indicated a 24 hour interval separation between treated dogs and cats. Vets recommend 48. I should have tossed it out as too risky but I didn't. After treating the dogs outside on a warm Spring morning and keeping them outside until dark when it got cold, I brought them in and by bedtime I forgot and let them come in the bedroom where the cats also sleep. About 4 am I awoke to one of the cats meowing and she was twitching. I knew my mistake in an instant and went straight for the activated charcoal powder that I use regularly for a variety of toxicity issues. I dosed her with a teaspoon mixed in just enough water to create a slurry and syringed it into her mouth which she accepted eagerly despite the trembling. It was a Sunday and we're rural so I was on my own at 4 am. I dosed her with about a tablespoon at half hour intervals and noted no change but she didn't get worse. At noon it began to subside. She was rather incredibly improved inside of an hour and meowed for the first time since the beginning of the crisis. She ate ravenously. I waited but she didn't relapse. I gave charcoal water to the other cats at the start of this and all remained asymptomatic. This experience was a first after forty years of cat and dog ownership. Flea treatments had always been uneventful. I didn't do the research into Advantix until now. The similarity to Advantage is unfortunate and has caused others to make this mistake. The good news is that activated charcoal started immediately at home can be a lifesaver. If I could have gotten her into the vet right away, she would have treated her with IV muscle relaxers in addition to activated charcoal, which would have been a great relief to Cameo. I'm just thankful as can be this wasn't a direct skin contact or ingestion or it could have ended in tragedy. I hope others will benefit from this experience.
I hope that you take advantage of some of the excellent Articles and resources on the forum, as well as post pics of both your dogs and cats here: 
