10/16/2022
What should I do if I believe my pet is having an adverse reaction?
First and foremost, take your pet to the veterinarian immediately if you believe your animal is having an adverse reaction. Many pet owners like that some of these products come in tablet form which makes for easy administration. The problem with this form of administration (oral ingestion) with any medication is that once something is ingested by the animal, it cannot be removed easily unless the patient is presented within an hour of dosing. In my clinics, I did see some emergency cases where a pet would come in experiencing a severe reaction to a topical flea or tick medication; in those cases, one piece of my treatment protocol would be bathing the animal to remove as much of the medication as possible. We do not have this option with medications that are given orally.
These animals need to have their liver and kidneys detoxed, then supported. In my book, Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs, you can use the Liver Support, Liver Draining, Blood Tonic, and Kidney diets.
Here is my suggested detox protocol: https://drjudymorgan.com/blogs/blog/side-effects-from-common-flea-and-tick-products?_pos=14&_sid=c373585f8&_ss=r
It is also important to report the adverse reactions to the FDA and the manufacturer of the medication that was given. The FDA continues to monitor adverse drug event reports for these products and encourages pet owners and veterinarians to report adverse drug events. You can do this by reporting to the drugs’ manufacturers, who are required to report this information to the FDA, or by submitting a report directly to the FDA.
To report suspected adverse drug events for these products and/or obtain a copy of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) or for technical assistance, contact the appropriate manufacturers at the following phone numbers:
Merck Animal Health (Bravecto, Bravecto Plus): 800-224-5318
Elanco Animal Health (Credelio): 888-545-5973
Boehringer Ingelheim (Nexgard): 888-637-4251
Zoetis (Simparica, Simparica Trio, Revolution Plus): 888-963-8471