# WARNING Advocate!



## nikkix5

Just treat both dog's with Avocate spot on, Oscar my older dog has came in from the garden and straight up on the sofa. I now have a big patch (about the size of a small plate) what look's like melted leather didn't even give it a thought about him been on the sofa as he always get's up, but forgott about the stuff i put on him, my hubby will kill me


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## nikkix5

I think i've made it worse, i've tried rubbing it with a soapy cloth but if feels all sticky and gooey :arf:
Any idea's on what to do?


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## SEVEN_PETS

it melts leather???  what on earth is it doing to our dog's skin then?


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## nikkix5

SEVEN_PETS said:


> it melts leather???  what on earth is it doing to our dog's skin then?


That was my thought when i've seen what it's done , it's sort of took the top off the leather and feels all sticky.
I've just checked the leaflet and it just say's it may stain


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## nikkix5

I've took a pic to show the damage


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## dodigna

scary thought! 
I would ring advocate and see if they can advice.


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## JJAK

nikkix5 said:


> I've took a pic to show the damage


Ohhh ya fighter!!

stain...thats not a stain....thats demolition of the flea drop kind!


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## ad_1980

SEVEN_PETS said:


> it melts leather???  what on earth is it doing to our dog's skin then?


if its doin damage to the sofa i wonder what sort of damage it would be doing to the dog's skin as sevenpets has said.

Ring advocate.
and then ring your vet to check your dog out, just in case.


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## moboyd

This was posted on the net some time back.

A veterinarian presented with a peculiar case of a poodle stuck in its crate last week traced the problem to the pets spot-on flea treatment, as reported by Edie Lau for VIN News Service.

Residue from the product Advantage, which was applied between the poodles shoulders, somehow came in contact with the plastic base of the animals crate, dissolving the plastic and causing the dogs belly to stick to the crate.When the dog wouldnt come out of its crate the next morning, the concerned owner brought the dog, crate and all, to Dr. Tej Dhaliwal of North Town Veterinary Hospital in Ontario, Canada. Following two hours of investigating, Dhaliwal concluded that benzyl alcohol, an inactive ingredient in Advantage, was to blame.Bob Walker, a spokesman for Bayer in the United States, confirmed that Advantage contains benzyl alcohol, which reacts with certain plastics. He said he consulted with colleagues in veterinary services and was told, We know it can happen, but weve never seen it. In fact, a lead veterinarian at Bayer thought most of the veterinary community was aware that the product could react with plastic. None of the three veterinarians I asked knew of this  and all had prescribed countless doses of Advantage and Advantix. The incident certainly surprised Dr. Dhaliwal, a practitioner for 13 years, who posted his experience in an online discussion board of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN). Some veterinarians said they were familiar with the potential for the product to damage plastic, but many were astonished by the news.Dhaliwal said the owner of the dog, a 15-year-old poodle mix, had applied Advantage to the dog before bedtime. He speculated that the dog rolled over in the crate before the liquid pesticide dried. Presumably, residue of the product made contact with the plastic floor of the crate, causing the plastic to dissolve and glue the dog in place overnight.


The white dog had a patch of dark gray plastic about 6 inches by 4 inches stuck to its fur. Following the advice of representatives at Bayer, Dhaliwal said, he removed the remaining plastic using the Dhaliwal the contents of another two tubes of Advantage. Once freed, the dog was fine. Bayer Animal Health, maker of Advantage, acknowledged that the flea treatment was the likely culprit and offered to pay the owners veterinary bill, compensate him for loss of salary and replace the crate, Dhaliwal said.

Walker at Bayer said the company veterinarian he consulted speculated that benzyl alcohol is found in a variety of spot-on flea treatments besides Advantage. However, its not possible to determine whichproducts contain the compound by reading their labels, as manufacturers are not required to list inactive ingredients. Officials in Canada examined the lot of Advantage used on the dog to check whether it contained an abnormally high concentration of benzyl alcohol but found nothing unusual.All owners and veterinarians should be aware of the dangers of the products we use on our pets, but this one took me completely by surprise! Who would think that something we apply to the skin could melt plastic? And how many times have we applied a product like this to a cat or dog, and placed them in a crate so they could not roll on the carpet or come in contact with the baby while it dried? Does anyone else wonder why there is not a warning on the box about this danger?


Mo


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## JSR

That's shocking!! Glad I don't use any of those sort of things on my dogs skins.


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## dalpup

Yikes! I hope that its maybe just the treated layer of the leather that its damaged, I know they are sometimes coated?

Where did you buy the sofa and do you have insurance? You might be able to get it repaired through insurance if you have it. We bought a sofa at reid, its lovely but hubby would pick the one leather sofa thats made of a type of leather that cant just have a bit replaced if its ripped or torn the WHOLE sofa would need to be done  (yeh and then we buy a dog  although he isnt allowed up on the sofa and doesnt chew it.

I too would say ring advocate to see what they suggest too I hope you can sort it


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## sue&harvey

Thats horrendous....and the poor dog that got stuck to the crate. 
Does anyone know if frontline have this inactive ingredient?


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## nikkix5

I normally use frontline but mentioned to the nurse at the vets yesterday about me having a garden pond and sometimes the dog's try to drink from it so was worried about lung worm as there is snails in the pond so hence why i got Advocate.

Just rang the insurance and they are sending someone out in the next 48hrs to have a look to see if they can repair it, i'm a really annoyed to say the least  they have said if they can't repair it they will only pay out for that sofa which means i will be left with an odd sofa  yet i have extended accidental damage and i'm paying £649.00 per year for buildings & contents i also have to pay £125 excess :eek6: Dunno wether to contact Advocate to see what they say.

Can't believe about that poor dog been stuck to the crate that is horrendous had i not got Oscar off the Sofa who know's he may have been stuck too


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## JSR

I'd most definately be calling the company who make that product!!!! I suspect your insurance company might require you to do so anyway?


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## nikkix5

I 've just also rang Advocate and they want me to e-mail pics to them, first they said "well it does say you have to leave the ointment to dry, as it contains alcohol, as it could stain", i then blasted them with " but it's not a stain, my sofa is ruined it has actually burn't the top layer of leather off my sofa, which is far from a stain". I don't think i'll get anywhere with them but it's worth a try


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## dalpup

just keep digging your heels in with them and keep at them, they cant deny the state the sofa is in, good luck xx


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## welshdoglover

Bl**dy hell, I never knew Advocate could do that, if I were you I'd be bombarding the makers with lots of pics and complaints.

Also, I'd let them know that you will be posting the info onto web forums I'm sure if they're sales figures were harmed they'd soon shell out for a new sofa.

Hope the dog is ok btw x


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## sequeena

Oh my god!


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## Nellybelly

Well, I used a product called Advantix on my Nelson, and it *melted a patch in his skin* as if he'd had acid poured on him. Tooks weeks at the vets for the poor boy to recover and he was really in pain...couldnt wear a collar. Since that day I ahev sworn any dog i own will only wear collars for parasites, and of course also pill for endoparasites.


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## Nellybelly

Nellybelly said:


> Well, I used a product called Advantix on my Nelson, and it *melted a patch in his skin* as if he'd had acid poured on him. Tooks weeks at the vets for the poor boy to recover and he was really in pain...couldnt wear a collar. Since that day I ahev sworn any dog i own will only wear collars for parasites, and of course also pill for endoparasites.


Just to clarify he was not left at the vets, but we visisted daily for cleaning etc!


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## GoldenShadow

The stuff in all flea treatments worry me lots, this just adds to it  someone said to me on here not long ago, Tanya I think, about how they state you must wash your hand immediately after applying and so nasty stuff must be in it.

You can get this stuff from neem oil in powder or oil/bar form. Lots of people use that to prevent fleas mainly but also ticks and so I'm going to get some of that. Its natural and just from a tree or plant I think, you just rub it on your dog's coat for a month's protection or something, I forget but that is what my next move will be.

Hope your sofa somehow recovers!


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## momentofmadness

why should you go through your insurance? get in touch with the company...


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## nikkix5

Tinsley said:


> The stuff in all flea treatments worry me lots, this just adds to it  someone said to me on here not long ago, Tanya I think, about how they state you must wash your hand immediately after applying and so nasty stuff must be in it.
> 
> You can get this stuff from neem oil in powder or oil/bar form. Lots of people use that to prevent fleas mainly but also ticks and so I'm going to get some of that. Its natural and just from a tree or plant I think, you just rub it on your dog's coat for a month's protection or something, I forget but that is what my next move will be.
> 
> Hope your sofa somehow recovers!


Tbh, i've never ever treated my dogs for fleas never had to, but i took my pup to the vet's yesterday for a adolesence check up and got talking to the nurse about lungworm and that i had a garden pond and had caught the dog drinking from it and was a little concerned because there are lots of snails in it, hence why i bought the product to use, just to be on the safe side


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## dinks

You must get in touch with the company that makes this product.You must also get in touch with your vet and report it to them in case it is a faulty batch - so they can with draw that particular batch from their shelf.If you do not report this then the company can not investigate the problem and therefore can not 'fix' the problem.Please report it as its not just your sofa that is at risk!


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## nikkix5

dinks said:


> You must get in touch with the company that makes this product.You must also get in touch with your vet and report it to them in case it is a faulty batch - so they can with draw that particular batch from their shelf.If you do not report this then the company can not investigate the problem and therefore can not 'fix' the problem.Please report it as its not just your sofa that is at risk!


Already have done i rang the vet's not long after it happened and they advised me to get in touch with the company. I e-mailed the company this afternoon, just waiting for a reply, will keep you all updated if in get any progress.


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## moboyd

I keep thinking about this, the fact that leather is animal skin and this amount of damage has been done, its a wonder your dog has not had any damage to its skin, I personally dont use any flea treatments either, I just give the dogs garlic tabs, never once seen a flea on any of my dogs, but the lungworm is a worry now, I have been thinking about I think its spelt damacious earth(sorry about the spelling of that lol, but I have heard really good reports on this.

http://www.midwoof.com/store/docs/DE.pdf

Mo


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## GoldenShadow

I'm actually quite impressed that they have agreed to pay up! Thought it might be a bit more tricky than that but pleased they are doing so for you


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## moboyd

Well they have IMO accepted liability( I am no solicitor) what you may need to watch out for now is in light that they have said they will pay your excess, that your insurance company dont take it into their heads that the company should be responsible for paying for the whole damage. glad you are getting your excess back though that a good thing.

mo


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## nikkix5

Tinsley said:


> I'm actually quite impressed that they have agreed to pay up! Thought it might be a bit more tricky than that but pleased they are doing so for you


 Me too, thought i might of had a bit of a fight on my hands but no they have agreed straight away  at least i'm not out of pocket tho


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## GoldenShadow

nikkix5 said:


> Me too, thought i might of had a bit of a fight on my hands but no they have agreed straight away  at least i'm not out of pocket tho


Does make me a bit suspicious over why they gave in so easy though, makes you think they are a bit guilty or something because even with things like this companies can often worm their way out of it can't they?

Least you've got your money back


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## nikkix5

moboyd said:


> Well they have IMO accepted liability( I am no solicitor) what you may need to watch out for now is in light that they have said they will pay your excess, that your insurance company dont take it into their heads that the company should be responsible for paying for the whole damage. glad you are getting your excess back though that a good thing.
> 
> mo


I spoke to my insurance company after i contacted Bayer just to let them know i had spoke to them, but they said i needn't have bothered. I'm now sat wondering how much my insurance will go up to next year :eek6:


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## nikkix5

Tinsley said:


> Does make me a bit suspicious over why they gave in so easy though, makes you think they are a bit guilty or something because even with things like this companies can often worm their way out of it can't they?
> 
> Least you've got your money back


 My thoughts exactly


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## welshdoglover

Wow, I'm glad you got a positive outcome from the manufacturer, I do wonder why they gave in so easily. Perhaps this isn't the first incident they know about this? Hmm...


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## ad_1980

probably didn't want to be sued lol

ok seriously, i am glad they are covering the damage, but just in case i would keep that email safe just incase you have a fight on your hands


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## Mollydoodle

It does warn you on the label and instructions of this happening and not to allow on furniture until completely dry.


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## nikkix5

Mollydoodle said:


> It does warn you on the label and instructions of this happening and not to allow on furniture until completely dry.


Errrr no it doesn't, it states it may cause stains to leather and fabric, doesn't mention anything about burning the top layer off the leather.
It does say to wait until dry, but it was purley accident how my dog got on the sofa.


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## Mollydoodle

Well I suppose the warning about leather etc was enuff so your lucky that the company have offered you enythingk imo. coz it does say keep off until dry! If we used it on molly we;d keep her outside until it was safe to come in.


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## nikkix5

Mollydoodle said:


> Well I suppose the warning about leather etc was enuff so your lucky that the company have offered you enythingk imo. coz it does say keep off until dry! If we used it on molly we;d keep her outside until it was safe to come in.


If you read the e-mail i sent, it say's he was in the garden when i applied it, but i accidently left the back door open when i went upstairs to put some laundry away, when i came back down he was already on the sofa. Accidents do happen but would never expected the consequences that happened to my sofa, just pleased it was my sofa and not my poor dogs skin, especially with what happened to the dog that got stuck to the crate.

And NO the warning wasn't enough, It shouldn't state it MAY STAIN when the damage is alot more severe!


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## colliemerles

well im very shocked, to think that could happen to a settee, and we put it on our animals,
As for that poor poodle sticking to the crate, well i just dont know what to say,

im sorry about your settee, i think its awful this could happen.


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## dodigna

the fact that they pay out so quickly sounds to me like the want to put the issue to sleep asap, little they know the matter is on a public forum already...

There is no mention of suurprise at the level of damage your sofa had meaning to me it is almost expected, but if in fact mentioned on the instructions it would, unserstandibly, put a lot of people off from using the product.

Can you imagine, keep pets away from furniture as it melts leather


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## Aurelia

Errr, you might want to edit out the copy and paste you did of their return email. They could sue you for that! You can clearly see the bit about confidentiality. Just replace it with a brief run down of what they said, not a copy and paste.

As for the whole situation... I would have pushed for new matching sofas from Bayer, not through your insurance company. They would have paid. Bad publicity like this would cost them a whole lot more than the price of a sofa! Also I would have demanded they did a recall on the batch your vet used, just to check the levels before re releasing it. Just to be safe!


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## salukigirl

I have just stumbled on this forum and post as I googled for "advocate damage leather sofa". Guess what has happened to my leather sofa! The top laquer layer has been melted off by Advocate. The dog was not allowed ont he sofa for over an hour after the stuff was applied but it still did the damage.
I have emailed Bayer but at the moment I haven't heard anything back.


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## CarolineK

Nellybelly said:


> Well, I used a product called Advantix on my Nelson, and it *melted a patch in his skin* as if he'd had acid poured on him. Tooks weeks at the vets for the poor boy to recover and he was really in pain...couldnt wear a collar. Since that day I ahev sworn any dog i own will only wear collars for parasites, and of course also pill for endoparasites.


Same happened to one of my dog's and he was put on steriods until it healed.
I will never use the stuff again.


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## Maiisiku

This is really concerning me as I use advocate every month for all 3 of mine. Shiloh came up with a sore in the area it was used. I didn't think anything of it until I read this post. I just thought maybe Yuri was a bit rough with him when they were playing. Yuri and Aya have never had a reaction but Shiloh has allergies so I may need to rethink his treatment options.. but they eat snails so I am concerned about heartworm.


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## Tracy1973

nikkix5 said:


> Just treat both dog's with Avocate spot on, Oscar my older dog has came in from the garden and straight up on the sofa. I now have a big patch (about the size of a small plate) what look's like melted leather didn't even give it a thought about him been on the sofa as he always get's up, but forgott about the stuff i put on him, my hubby will kill me


That happened to our new flat screen tv when the cat layed against it, like it melted the plastic....god only knows what it does to the cats!


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## DoodlesRule

When I used Frontline on my previous dog it splashed onto the door & bubbled the paint! I don't use any flea treatment now, will deal with it if he gets fleas - he is over one year old with loads of hair but hasn't had fleas yet. Figure its like people - you would never use nit stuff every 3 months on a child just in case.

I asked previous vets about the lungworm/snail issue, said really its mostly a marketing ploy to get you to buy that particular brand. Have since moved vets (only because its closer) & had a newsletter from them yesterday. It mentioned this & said its mainly effecting areas in the South so if holidaying that way talk to them but its really easy to treat anyway


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## shirleystarr

OMG the thought of that poor dog stuck to his crate thats horendous why sell this product when it can cause damage like that.
I only use garlic pills and never seen a flea on the cats or the dogs.
I would get hold of them again and say I want a new sofa and 2 chairs to match say you have contacted the press that will move them into action hopefully .
If it does this after as the other poster said on a dog that had it on for over an hour then to me thats dangerous wonder what it can do to a dogs skin if it does this to furniture


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## Horse and Hound

I treat mine with advocate once every 3 months in summer and don't bother in winter.

I squeezed a full dropper of it all over the sofa once as Rupert moved.

Didn't do a thing.


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## 5rivers79

nikkix5 said:


> Tbh, i've never ever treated my dogs for fleas never had to, but i took my pup to the vet's yesterday for a adolesence check up and got talking to the nurse about lungworm and that i had a garden pond and had caught the dog drinking from it and was a little concerned because there are lots of snails in it, hence why i bought the product to use, just to be on the safe side


Lungworm from garden pond??  I leave a bucket full of water in the garden which Samson drinks from after hes been playing in the garden... i do change it couple times a day..should i stop doing that?


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## Maiisiku

5rivers79 said:


> Lungworm from garden pond??  I leave a bucket full of water in the garden which Samson drinks from after hes been playing in the garden... i do change it couple times a day..should i stop doing that?


No thats fresh, my dog bowls are kept in the garden as they spill them, they are filled up a few times a day. It's fresh water so there shouldn't be an issue, pondwater is stagnated and has been there for ages, it has algea in it which is bad for dogs.


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## pamjacko

nikkix5 said:


> I think i've made it worse, i've tried rubbing it with a soapy cloth but if feels all sticky and gooey :arf:
> Any idea's on what to do?


This has just happened to our sofa I am gutted any advice the vets didnt give any warning when i bought it!!!:confused1:


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## pamjacko

nikkix5 said:


> I 've just also rang Advocate and they want me to e-mail pics to them, first they said "well it does say you have to leave the ointment to dry, as it contains alcohol, as it could stain", i then blasted them with " but it's not a stain, my sofa is ruined it has actually burn't the top layer of leather off my sofa, which is far from a stain". I don't think i'll get anywhere with them but it's worth a try


I know this is a old thread but any advice on what happened when you contacted Advocate? I am going to complain to our vets tomorrow


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## Mandabcakes72

nikkix5 said:


> Just treat both dog's with Avocate spot on, Oscar my older dog has came in from the garden and straight up on the sofa. I now have a big patch (about the size of a small plate) what look's like melted leather didn't even give it a thought about him been on the sofa as he always get's up, but forgott about the stuff i put on him, my hubby will kill me


I applied avacote on my dog last night, and have noticed this morning my settee has spots of damage on it, she must have jumped up on it and shook. Not sure what to do, I've only had settee since February from dfs. Got insurance on it but worried it's not covered for this


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## Mandabcakes72

nikkix5 said:


> Just treat both dog's with Avocate spot on, Oscar my older dog has came in from the garden and straight up on the sofa. I now have a big patch (about the size of a small plate) what look's like melted leather didn't even give it a thought about him been on the sofa as he always get's up, but forgott about the stuff i put on him, my hubby will kill me


hi sorry i know it's an old post but wondered how you got on with sofa?


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## Blitz

Well, that made me read the whole thread, must have missed it first time or I have a short memory. I have never even thought of keeping the dogs away from things till it dries and not seen any warnings either.

I would contact the company. they should have massive warnings on it by the sound of it. The only drug problem I have had is a reaction in a pony after a tetanus booster and the drug company paid the vets bills - organised by my vet so I did not have to do anything.


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