Advantage flea and tick control treatment glues dog to plastic carrier

October 8, 2:28 AMPet Health ExaminerLorie Huston

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Advantage® flea and tick control medication can melt plastic.

Advantage® flea and tick control medication is one of the most popular spot-on treatments used in dogs and cats both. However, Advantage® (and possibly other spot-on medications as well) can have a rather unusual side effect that most pet owners have never before considered.

Advantage® flea and tick control treatment side effect

Veterinary Information Network (VIN) News Service is reporting that at least one dog has become "glued" to the bottom of his plastic carrier after its owner applied a dosage of Advantage® spot-on flea and tick control medication prior to crating him.

Culprit is "inert ingredient" benzyl alcohol found in Advantage®, which melts plastic

According to Bayer Animal Health, the manufacturer of Advantage®, the product contains an ingredient known as benzyl alcohol, which has the ability to dissolve plastic.

Apparently, when the Advantage® was placed on the dog in question, the dog was crated before the medication had dried completely and the Advantage® flea and tick control medicine somehow came in contact with the bottom of the plastic carrier in which the dog was crated. This probably occurred as a result of the dog rolling onto its back in the carrier.

When the benzyl alcohol in the Advantage® contacted the plastic in the carrier, it proceeded to melt the plastic, which became entangled in the dog's fur, ultimately leading to the dog being "glued" to the bottom of the carrier overnight.

Dog removed from plastic carrier with scraper

When the owner awoke the next morning and found the dog in this predicament, he rushed the dog, who had not been able to eat, drink or relieve itself for the past 15 hours, to the veterinarian, complete with carrier, because he had been unable to free the dog from the melted plastic.

The dog was eventually freed from his carrier using a tool used to remove plaster from drywall. Fortunately, the dog is healthy and doing well and has sustained no injuries from the incident.

Bayer accepts responsibility, admits Advantage® likely to blame

Bayer Animal Health has admitted that their product, Advantage® flea and tick control treatment, was likely to blame for the incident. They have offered to reimburse the dog's owner for the vet visit, time taken from work and for the cost of the carrier.

EPA considers new rule requiring disclosure of inert ingredients on product label

Currently, manufacturers of spot-on products are not required to list inert ingredients on their product's labels. Therefore, it is impossible to determine which products contain the ingredient benzyl alcohol. However, it is likely that there are other spot-on products which do contain the same ingredient.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering implementing a rule which would require manufacturers to list the inert ingredients, as well as the active ingredients, on the product label.

In the meantime, pet owners using spot-on products for the prevention and control of fleas, ticks and/or heartworms are urged to avoid placing their pet's in plastic carriers or in areas where they are likely to contact other plastics until the products have dried completely.

Readers who enjoyed this article might also enjoy:

• Pet health 101: Most common flea control mistakes
• Flea Prevention and Flea Control in Dogs and Cats
• Flea and tick products for dogs and cats: How safe are they?
• Promeris flea and tick control for dogs
• Revolution for cats: Monthly flea and heartworm control
• Revolution for dogs: Monthly canine heartworm and flea control
• Frontline flea and tick control products—Are fleas becoming resistant?
• Best flea control and flea prevention medicines for dogs
• Natural flea control methods

The copyright of the article Advantage® flea and tick control treatment glues dog to plastic carrier is owned by Lorie Huston. Permission to republish Advantage® flea and tick control treatment glues dog to plastic carrier in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Photo Credit: Morguefile.com/taliesin