Fleas

[ashley]

Does anyone know if you can use Zodian Spot On Plus for cats on my bun? I haven't actually seen any fleas on him, but a couple pieces of flea poop. The cat definitely has them tho and we just treated her.

 

[naturestee]

Is that an over-the-counter flea treatment? If so, please do not use it on your rabbit. Some of the OTC treatments can cause serious side affects. There are two prescription spot-on treatments that are known to be rabbit safe- Advantage and Revolution. Checkout Rabbit Health References for more info on safe ways to treat rabbits for fleas.

You'll want to treat your carpets and such too. I'm not sure which products are safe, but I do know you can put a flea collar in your vacuum bag to kill any fleasas you clean.

 

[m.e.]

Just as a sidenote: my friend nearly lost her three cats after using Zodiac fleatreatment. It wreaked havoc on their nervous systems causing seizuresand paralysis. They were at the vet for several days, and managed topull through, but she came very close to losing them

 

[ashley]

OMG!!! Thank you for the info. We're going to wash it off the cat right now!Don't worry...did not put it anywhere near Thump. The people at the pet store highly recommened it. Ugh. I will have to get some Advantage for Thumper. How would I know if the fleas are bothering him?

 

[m.e.]

:hug2:

I use Frontline on our cats; I know Advantage and Revolution are safefor cats too. Here's more info:http://www.ask-the-vet.com/flea-spot-on-treatments.htm

Our cats have had fleas twice (once from the latest rescue, and anothertime from my uncle's dog :growl The rabbits were not affected eithertime :dunno

Here's the Rabbit Health References page on fleas:

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=12922&forum_id=10

 

[tenacrewoods]

You can buy Advantage from Petco onlinefor a small cat under 9lbs for a four mounths supply for $38.99without a prescription! It's exactly the same thing you'd get from a vet!


Edit: Do Not use Front Line It has been known to be Harmful to Rabbits.


MikeE.

"Tell Me,I'll Forget"
"Show Me,I'll Remember"
"Involve Me,I'll Understand"

 

[Haley]

Also, a cheap alternative to try first is the small animal spray they sell at pet stores. I bought some for Basil and Max when they had mites. It was flea/tick spray for small animals and I had to spray it on them 2x a day for 10 days. I also treated the carpet with a carpet/vacuum powder (and moved the bunnies out of the room for this, of course).

Sometimes, with fleas, if you set a white sheet down and put your pet on it you can see them jump around. Otherwise, just watch for excessive itching, scratching and any hair loss.

Good Luck!

 

[pamnock]

Zodiac topical treatment for cats contains the active ingredient S-methoprene, which did not cause any serious side effects in a lab test on rabbits (Hallesy and Hill1973). However, it can cause a toxic reaction in rabbits sensitive to the drug.

Other Zodiac products contain pyrethrins, which have caused toxic effects on some rabbits when applied topically. (I use pyrethrin sprayers in my barn, which have not caused any health problems in my rabbits).

Zodiac flea powder contains Carbaryl, a produce which has been used for many years on rabbits. I used it for many years without any rabbits having side effects, however, as with all drugs, side effect shave been reported in individuals sensitive to Carbaryl.Symptoms generally cease once the product is washed off the skin.

In rare cases, severe burning and skin reactions have been reported from Revolution. Illness/death was reported in a few rare cases of rabbits licking Advantage off another rabbit.

There is no product that is completely safe. I highly recommend consulting a vet before giving a rabbit any flea treatment due to possible toxic effects of the drugs.

 

[Maureen Las]

at our shelter we use either advantage or Revolution for KITTENS on our rabbits.

 

[ashley]

Thank you all so much for the advice! Here's what it seems like I can do ...just want to make sure I'm right. Advantage for kittens for my rabbit and a different advantage for my cat being that she's about 15lbs or so and 6 years old. The powder seems like the best bet?

Thanks!