Revolution

[misty8723]

I got Revolution from the vet for my cats, but after reading the insert I don't want to use it. I guess the side effects are rare, but with death being one of them, I just don't want to take a chance.

I got the Revolution because they won't eat the heartgard.

So I went to read about heartgard side effects and find out one of them is blindness!

Now I just don't know what to do. I've already given them some heartgard mashed up in their food, and they didn't go blind, so does that mean it's okay for them? I doubt either one of them got the whole dose because they didn't eat all the food.

I guess I'm looking for any advice from anyone with a little more knowledge on the subject than I have.

Why isn't any of this easy??

 

[sea witch]

The problem with strong medications, is that they often have side effects. All medications do have some sort of side effect or another. As do immunizations. Fortunately for all of us, usually the side effects are a very rare occurrence.

So, at this point, it would be a matter of picking which med's side effects you can live with, as opposed to the other, knowing that in all likelihood, your cats will not be affected.

 

[familytimerags]

I used to use Advantage on both my dogs and cats, but one dog and one cat had an bad reaction to it.
I have used Revolution on all of my cats and many kittens at age 8 weeks and up without any side effects or problems. I also recommend it to our adopting kitten families to continue using, and so far there hasn't been a problem.
I think reactions from any of the products are rare, but can happen. Just choose what works best for your fur family.

 

[zissou'smom]

One very important thing to realize is that during the controlled studies of any medication, they have to list ANYTHING that happens to those taking the medication, even with human trials. So, if, say, 2 animals in the study not taking the medicine die, and 5 taking the medicine die, they have to list that as a side effect. Same is true with human meds.
Look at the percentage comparisons listed on the insert, and see if the percentage of the side effect seems statistically significant to you, comparatively.

That said, I personally don't trust any flea medicines. If you're in a place where you need to worry about heartworm, then you need to protect them from it. Have you talked to a vet about your new concerns?

 

[misty8723]

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

One very important thing to realize is that during the controlled studies of any medication, they have to list ANYTHING that happens to those taking the medication, even with human trials. So, if, say, 2 animals in the study not taking the medicine die, and 5 taking the medicine die, they have to list that as a side effect. Same is true with human meds.
Look at the percentage comparisons listed on the insert, and see if the percentage of the side effect seems statistically significant to you, comparatively.

That said, I personally don't trust any flea medicines. If you're in a place where you need to worry about heartworm, then you need to protect them from it. Have you talked to a vet about your new concerns?

I plan to discuss it with the vet, I just want to be completely informed (pro and con) before I do.

I understand that they have to report everything that happens in the studies, and it's one thing if I choose to take a medication knowing the potential risks. But I can't ask them if they'll willing to chance it. Even a 1% chance of death is statistically significant to me. Maybe I overreact, but I'm of the opinion that neither we nor our pets need half of the medications that are shoved at us these days.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

Does anyone know what holistic vets recommend? I don't have any in this area I can consult.

 

[zissou'smom]

This is what I use for fleas: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/Only_N...y_p/999012.htm
It works better than anything else, used it once and never saw fleas again (she was heavily infested when we found her). It doesn't protect against anything, it just immediately kills every stage of the flea. It says nothing about heartworms, ticks, etc. Zissou is an indoor cat though.

My point was that the 1% chance of death may not have anything to do with the medicine at all, and was just a coincidence of the animals in the study. I'm sure your vet can help you more with that.

All of the topical flea meds are meant to kill something, and coat the body of your pet, so I don't like them on principle.

 

[kitytize]

I have 5 cats and 1 dog and use revolution. I really perfer it over the others. And I have not had any side effects.

 

[misty8723]

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

This is what I use for fleas: http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/Only_N...y_p/999012.htm
It works better than anything else, used it once and never saw fleas again (she was heavily infested when we found her). It doesn't protect against anything, it just immediately kills every stage of the flea. It says nothing about heartworms, ticks, etc. Zissou is an indoor cat though.

My point was that the 1% chance of death may not have anything to do with the medicine at all, and was just a coincidence of the animals in the study. I'm sure your vet can help you more with that.

All of the topical flea meds are meant to kill something, and coat the body of your pet, so I don't like them on principle.

Thanks for the link, I just took a look at the product.

As far as I know, they don't have fleas. The vet originally gave me Frontline Plus because of Cynthia's excessive grooming. She said it could be any number of things that would cause that, but it could be a flea that we couldn't see but that Cindy was allergic to. The vet also gave me heartgard, which neither of my cats will eat as a treat. So when I read about Revolution doing both, I thought I would try that. Now I'm wondering if I need anything at all. I'm going to ask the vet what the chance of them getting heartworm is and go from there. I may just skip the flea treatment altogether unless I actually see a flea somewhere. And if I do see one, I may try that Only Natural stuff.

Mine are indoor cats as well.

 

[misty8723]

Everyone, thanks so much for the thoughts and advice.

I'm going to call the vet tomorrow. I may pay for an appointment for myself to go discuss it all with her in person.

 

[leilaluv]

I use revolution and it works great, I woudn;t mind switching over to the natural stuff tho, ive been browsing that site and contemplating buying a few things. But anyway revolution hasnt harmed my kitty's.

 

[yosemite]

We also use Revolution and no problems for our babies.

 

[familytimerags]

Originally Posted by Misty8723

I plan to discuss it with the vet, I just want to be completely informed (pro and con) before I do.

I understand that they have to report everything that happens in the studies, and it's one thing if I choose to take a medication knowing the potential risks. But I can't ask them if they'll willing to chance it. Even a 1% chance of death is statistically significant to me. Maybe I overreact, but I'm of the opinion that neither we nor our pets need half of the medications that are shoved at us these days.

Thanks to everyone for your input.

Does anyone know what holistic vets recommend? I don't have any in this area I can consult.

I do understand your concern about your pets health and medications. I have read that cats can usually keep themselves pretty clean of fleas by eating them, so although you may not see fleas, you could see the flea dirt or tapeworm is another sign of fleas, (from the cat eating the fleas).
Fleas can cause problems on their own if not treated, that is why it is important to use something. I also think it depends on where you live. I live in Oklahoma, are winters aren't very harsh, so we have to worry about fleas year around, as well we have 2 dogs that could bring something in.
The natural flea prevention sounds like something to check into as well.
I hope you find something that works, please keep us updated on what the vet recommends.

 

[misty8723]

Originally Posted by FamilytimeRags

I do understand your concern about your pets health and medications. I have read that cats can usually keep themselves pretty clean of fleas by eating them, so although you may not see fleas, you could see the flea dirt or tapeworm is another sign of fleas, (from the cat eating the fleas).
Fleas can cause problems on their own if not treated, that is why it is important to use something. I also think it depends on where you live. I live in Oklahoma, are winters aren't very harsh, so we have to worry about fleas year around, as well we have 2 dogs that could bring something in.
The natural flea prevention sounds like something to check into as well.
I hope you find something that works, please keep us updated on what the vet recommends.

Thank you very much for that input.

I spoke with the vet, and have decided to go back with what I was originally using - Frontline Plus and Heartgard. Even though she says Revolution is perfectly safe, I just have a feeling I shouldn't use it. Since I've already used the frontline and heartgard, and the cats didn't have a reaction to either, I feel fairly confident - as confident as I get with anything chemical

- in using it.

I'm also looking at the natural stuff. Didn't mention that to the vet yet, I will if I get serious about using it.

 

[tru]

I just want to chime in that the natural stuff is mostly "Diatomaceous Earth".
Yes it is safe for ingestion and is used as a healthful mineral for cats as well as to kill fleas and worms and pretty much any insects or parasites.
Here is a link telling a lot about it
http://www.answers.com/diatomaceous+earth&r=67
and another that even tells you how to pronounce it
http://www.answers.com/topic/diatomaceous?method=22

This can be purchased for a lot less money when you know what you are buying.

I spent $30 for a gallon jug of this stuff some years back when I didn't know what it was.
After learning here from Hissy what it was I searched and found it on ebay for a reasonable price.

What the "Diatomaceous Earth".does is kill the parasites from the inside as the silica is like eating razor blades for parasites, but is perfectly safe for mammals.

I also want to mention that I had two cats have a reaction to Frontline in the past, but not to Revolution. I think it is as some else mentioned. It depends on your particular animals what they may or may not react to.

 

[lucius&cissa]

My cat, Cissa, has a reaction to Revolution. She gets a bald spot at the location, about 1" round. So we put her on Frontline and the heardguard. She did fine for 6 months, and this month refused to eat it.

Next month we are moving, and I have to become diligent about the flea meds as we will be living with a dog that goes outside, so fleas will be a problem possibly. I'll have to make sure the dog is also treated.

I'm not sure what to do. My main point is that Revolution does cause problems for some pets.