Why does my dog hate revolution flea treatment?

Question

My dog has been on revolution since I got him at 6 months. I have never used revolution before him.

When I go to the drawer where his revolution is he cringes. The minute I take it out of the drawer he runs away and hides.
I usually find him cowering under or behind things. When I ask him to come out he slinks out with his tail between his legs and head down.

He sits in front of me cowering and trying to make himself as small as possible. When I put it on he is fine. There is no irritation, no redness, no disorientation, no salivating, nothing absolutely nothing is wrong. Once it is over he is back to his normal bouncy self.

I have showed the vet and they say nothing is wrong besides he doesn't like it but it is the best thing on the market. I figured he would get over it but he hasn't. Every month he acts like I am trying to kill him. Has this happened to anyone else? I have tried training and nothing matters. Any ideas?

I use revolution because I camp and hike with my dog and there is real danger from ticks. He is also very sensitive to mites.

I don't know of any other that protects against these issues. My last dogs were on advantage and sentinel without issue. I can get k9 advantix in Canada because of the permithin. I need something that can protect against fleas, ticks and heartworm.

I can't trick my dog, he is trained to follow me around and knows exactly what I am doing at all times. He is my service dog.

To my knowledge nothing bad has ever happened to him in relation to the drug.

I have been doing all kinds of positive re-enforcement and training but that has failed.

I am careful how I am when I apply it and don't apply it with anything but a cheerful mood.

Landwish it is nice to know I am not alone.

Opps I meant that I could not get k9 advantix in Canada.

Answer 1

the breed that i raise are a natural dog, and super sensitive to most chemicals. However, REVOLUTION works great for them, with no side effects..BUT, one of my dogs behaves just as yours does. I think it is because of the smell of it..She is a scent hound, and the others are not..
I think that although it is not stinky to us, that my dog knows that I am putting something on her that will 'stink' for a long time..Their sense of smell is so much stronger than ours..

Can you trick your dog by giving it a 1/2 can of something smelly, such as Cesar's dog food, or a bit of cat food, or canned fish.(sardines) .to overwhelm the senses until you get the stuff applied?

Advantix does protect against ticks a little better than Revolution, but Revolution protects against heartworm and most internal parasites better..

Answer 2

My vet doesn't want me to use Revolution, because it is so toxic. However, I had a dog and a cat with flea allergies, and it was the only thing that would work. Everything is a trade off. But the dog isn't thinking about that--he is smelling poison, something that smells very intensely to him. It is possible that it makes him feel a little ill after it is applied, too, because Revolution is absorbed fairly quickly. The nice thing about Revolution is that it is effective against heartworm as well as fleas, but it is the most toxic of all the medications. You know what you need in your situation, but the dog doesn't. When I feel bad about having to treat the dogs with something, I just give them all kinds of great treats when I do it.

Answer 3

None of my cats or dogs like having Revolution or Frontline applied. They all run from it. (I have 4 dogs and 6 cats) My vet told me it can sting a little bit when applied, like cleaning a wound with alcohol, if the skin is irritated at all. I think the smell freaks them out a little bit, too. They seem fine 10 seconds after it's been applied, though, and Revolution and Frontline are both very effective products.

Answer 4

something must have happened the very first time you used it. he is associating that with the flea treatment.

try this. while he's not around to see it, take the flea stuff and move it to a different drawer. then in the old drawer put some treats in there. so when you go to that drawer he doesn't freak. try to make the experience a positive one for him.

Answer 5

It's psychological. When you started him on it the animal picked up on your dislike of the treatment and went from there. You need MORE training. You need to work out the phobia, like having some training treats before,during and after treatment. Try relocating flea med. And when you give animal med pay attention to how you are acting. He picks up on your emotions

Answer 6

Put it in your pocket...wait till hes sleeping beside you...keep rubbing his neck in the spot you put the medicine to get him use to it feeling good to be rubbed there....when hes fast asleep...pop it on his neck.... If he wakes make a big deal out of him being a good boy and reward him with a treat!

Good Luck!!