Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My 8-week puppy got Hartz flea drops. Is it toxic? What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Help! I put the Hartz ultra guard drops on my 8 week old puppy. I washed him in Dawn after. What else can I do? I'm scared he will die

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 11th, 2017

You did the right thing by washing the Hartz off of him right away, as it should only be used on puppies 12 weeks and older. Keep an eye on him for signs of toxicity, which include excessive salivation, twitching, vomiting, depression, and muscle tremors. If you see any of those signs, take him into a vet immediately. I would wait a couple of days, and then apply the flea treatment program I will give you below. I would avoid giving Hartz at all. It's an extremely poor product, not very effective, and has caused a number of toxic reactions in dogs and cats. I would never recommend using it. I have a safe program that you can use on him now. First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Vote icon

4Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
im underaged and have no way of of taking my cats to the vet. my mom knowingly put flea drops meant for large dogs on my small cats. she did this when i wasn’t home, and ignored the warnings of the label and me. i know this is very poisonous for them
Hartz is a terrible product, and I would be very concerned this could cause a reaction. Please keep a close eye on your cats, and if you see excessive salivation, vomiting, paw flicking, ear twitching, diarrhea, depression, incoordination, or muscle tremors, they have to see a vet immediately. Because it was put on five hours ago, you can try to wash it off of them now.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I applied Hartz flea and tick topical treatment Wednesday on my 60lb + dog but it is ineffective and she still has oily residue and the fleas haven't gone away! What do I do without harming her to get rid of these fleas?
Unfortunately Hartz is a very poor product and extremely ineffective. I would not recommend using it again. You can give Bella Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas in 30 minutes and it's safe to give now. I would wash her to try to get the oily residue off, but you can't give her another spot on treatment until two weeks have passed. During this two weeks, it is safe to give Capstar daily (only one a day) to keep killing the fleas. After the two weeks have passed, I would apply a better quality flea treatment such as Revolution or Advantage. Keep in mind as well you have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi Cheeto is my outdoor feral cat. Not sure of his age probably 7 or 8. I applied a topical flea and tick Hartz ultra guard plus. After applying I heard i shouldn’t have used it b/c it could cause Neurological issues And seizures. is this true? I tri
Hartz is a very terrible product, I never recommend it. Yes, it can cause those problems. Just keep an eye on Cheeto, and if you do see any of those signs, then rush him into a vet immediately. I can give you a safer (and better!) flea treatment program for him. Best of luck. First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi just spoke with another Boop by Petco vet about hartz ultra guard plus topical flea treatment, about its possible dangers (seizures and neurological issues). I applied it about an hour and 15 minutes ago before knowing these dangers and just washe
Hello & thanks for using Boop by Petco. Cats will often exhibit signs of toxicity within 30 minutes to an hour, so by you washing the flea treatment off so quickly & Cheeto has not shown any symptoms so far, he should be fine. Good job.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I accidentally gave my 3 month old Labradoodle a bath with Hatz flea and tick shampoo and as I was getting ready to rinse off- realized on the instructions only 6 months and up. Immediately washed her twice with warm water and regular dog shampoo. Ho
Usually the symptoms are pretty immediate. If you haven’t seen anything within 2-4 hours she will likely be fine. Most often what you will see is neurological symptoms. Anything abnormal, get her to a vet ASAP. I’d wait about a week before applying any topical flea/tick medications at this point. Please stay away from Hartz products in general. They are not recommended. I suggest you talk to your vet about what products are best to use in your area.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
What is your experience and opinion of Hartz UltraGuard Pro Flea & Tick Treatment for cats? I did a treatment on my cat and then read some reviews and washed it off of her because of what I was reading.
I would not use it on my own cats. It is a harsh product on cats and I have seen a few clients have an intense reaction to it involving seizures and muscle spasms. I would instead use something like the Seresto collar. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Can I use pet action topical flea medicine and hartz flea collar at the same time?
While some flea collars are generally safe to combine with topical flea medication, I do not recommend using either of those products on Khloe. Both are poor quality products that do not work well at all, and Hartz is especially poor. Many animals have had bad reactions to Hartz products, as well as still having problems with fleas. I can give you the flea treatment program I always recommend, which works very well and is safe for Khloe. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I just applied Hartz Pro health Flea drops, behind Bitsys neck. She somehow managed to lick some off. I read online how extremely dangerous this piticular brand of flea drops are. I am so scared she's going to get really sick, or die! She's seems o
Most reactions from that medicine include drooling, shaking, tremors and seizures. If none of these are noted and she is walking and eating fine then you probably do not have anything to worry about. You can monitor for signs over the next 24 hours. In cases of reactions the best thing to do is bath the medicine off
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My Chihuahua has fleas. I have ultra guard dual action topical for dogs and puppies. I applied it on the 1st of this month. He still has them and doesn't seem like it's working. Is it safe to apply another treatment before 30 days is up. Or should I
It usually takes 3-6 months of consistent monthly application of a quality flea preventative to rid a flea infestation. The ingredient in the Hartz Duel Action topical is unlikely to work very well for fleas. I suggest using a product like Frontline Plus, Advantix, Bravecto or Vextra for fleas as these tend to work better in my experience. I suggest thoroughly bathing Lil Feet to get rid of the Hartz topical and then apply one of the products listed above. You should do this monthly for at least 3-6 months to get rid of the problem. If the infestation is really bad you may need to have your house treated. If you are still seeing many fleas after a month or so you should schedule an examination with your veterinarian. Good luck and thanks for using Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has flea allergies and her butt and tail area are all chewed up. We have bathed her 2x with flea shampoo since the flea treatment drops we used didn't work. The fleas are are really bad in our area so we are still finding one here and there on
I'm not sure what flea treatment drops you used, but OTC ones like Hartz are very poor products and don't work well. I can give you a flea treatment program for her, and if it's been at least two weeks since you last gave her the drops, it's fine to use now. First, I would give her Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash her bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. In terms of the hot spots, there are no OTC medications for that. You will need to bring her into the vet to get prescription medication, and I would take her on Monday. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Prescription Flea & Tick Medicine Flea & Tick Solutions for Dogs Dog Flea & Tick Pills & Chews Flea Drops for Cats Prescription Heartworm Medication Flea & Tick Treatment Sprays for Dogs Flea & Tick Shampoos for Dogs Dog Flea & Tick Carpet Powders Flea Bombs & Foggers for Dogs Vetality Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Nextstar Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Advantage Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Revolution Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs PetArmor Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Advantage II Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs XFT Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Naturals Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Vet's Best Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Firstect PLUS Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored