ACUGUARD®-Dogs
(spinosad)
Chewable Tablets
For information on cats, see reverse side.
Your veterinarian has chosen to prescribe ACUGUARD to meet your flea treatment and prevention needs. Controlling fleas is very important to the health of your dog. Please read this leaflet, which describes the use of ACUGUARD to treat and prevent flea infestations. If you have any questions about this information, please consult your veterinarian. Additional information can be found at
www.vethical.com.
What is ACUGUARD?
ACUGUARD is a chewable, flavored tablet that you give to your dog to kill fleas and prevent flea infestations for one month. ACUGUARD are for monthly use in dogs and puppies 14 weeks of age or older and 3.3 pounds of body weight or greater.
Why has my veterinarian prescribed ACUGUARD?
Your veterinarian has provided this medication to either prevent a flea infestation or to treat an existing infestation on your dog.
What should I discuss with my veterinarian regarding ACUGUARD for my dog?
Your veterinarian is your dog's healthcare expert and can make the best recommendation for medications for your dog. This includes the prevention and treatment of parasites such as fleas that may cause conditions that include flea allergy dermatitis, anemia, and other flea-related problems. Key points of your discussion may include the following:
- Treatment with ACUGUARD may begin at any time of the year, preferably starting one month before fleas become active and continuing through the end of flea season. In areas where fleas may occur year-round, monthly treatment with ACUGUARD should continue the entire year without interruption.
- If a dose is missed, administer ACUGUARD with food and resume a monthly dosing schedule.
- To minimize the likelihood of flea reinfestation, it is important to treat all animals within a household with an approved flea protection product.
- ACUGUARD is not for use in humans. Like all medications, keep ACUGUARD out of reach of children.
How should I give ACUGUARD to my dog?
Give ACUGUARD with food for maximum effectiveness.
ACUGUARD is a chewable tablet and is readily consumed by dogs when offered by the owner just prior to feeding. Alternatively, ACUGUARD may be offered in food or administered like other tablet medications.
Give ACUGUARD to your dog once a month. To help you remember the monthly dosing schedule, stick-on labels are included for your calendar.
What if I give more than the prescribed amount of ACUGUARD to my dog?
ACUGUARD has been tested in many types of dogs, and no severe adverse reactions have been reported. At elevated dose rates, the most severe adverse reaction observed was increased vomiting. In the event of a possible overdose, contact your veterinarian, who is the healthcare expert for your dog.
Should I restrict either my dog's activity or contact with my dog after the tablet is consumed?
Since ACUGUARD is an oral formulation, you may maintain normal activities and interactions with your dog.
How quickly will ACUGUARD kill fleas?
In a laboratory study, ACUGUARD started to kill fleas within 30 minutes and killed 100% of the fleas within 4 hours. ACUGUARD kills fleas before they can lay eggs.
Does seeing fleas on my dog mean that the flea treatment is not working?
ACUGUARD kills fleas before they can lay eggs when used monthly according to the label directions. Remember that all animals in the household should be treated with an approved flea product to help control the flea population.
Female fleas that are living on animals produce eggs that fall from the animal into their surroundings. These eggs hatch within a week; larvae then emerge and spin cocoons to become pupae. The entire life cycle can be completed in as little as 3 weeks, with new adult fleas emerging from the pupae to jump onto your dog. Because each female flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day there is potential for a large build-up of eggs, larvae and pupae, resulting in a constant supply of new adults emerging in the dog's environment.
Regardless of the product used to kill the fleas, the dog can continue to be exposed to the fleas that live in the environment. When these fleas jump onto the dog, they will be quickly killed by ACUGUARD.
If you see fleas on your dog within a month after your dog receives ACUGUARD, it is most likely that these are new fleas that have very recently emerged from pupae and jumped onto the dog. These new fleas will quickly be killed before they can produce eggs that contaminate the environment.
Is it safe to give my dog ACUGUARD?
ACUGUARD have been demonstrated to be safe in pure and mixed breeds of healthy dogs when used according to label directions. Safety was shown in puppies 14 weeks of age and older and adult dogs in both laboratory studies and clinical field studies. You should discuss the use of ACUGUARD with your veterinarian prior to use if your dog has a history of epilepsy (seizures).
Is it safe to give my breeding dogs ACUGUARD?
Use with caution in breeding females. You should discuss the use of ACUGUARD with your veterinarian prior to use in breeding females. Safe use of ACUGUARD in male dogs intended for breeding has not been evaluated.
What side effects might occur with ACUGUARD?
Like all medications, sometimes side effects may occur. In some cases, dogs vomited after receiving ACUGUARD. If vomiting occurs within an hour of administration, redose with another full dose. During clinical studies, no severe or prolonged vomiting occurred. Additional adverse reactions observed in the clinical studies were decreased appetite, lethargy or decreased activity, diarrhea, cough, increased thirst, vocalization, increased appetite, redness of the skin, hyperactivity and excessive salivation. These reactions were regarded as mild and did not result in any dog being removed from the studies.
Since the introduction of ACUGUARD, additional side effects reported are incoordination, itching, trembling and seizures.
Can other medications be given while my dog is taking ACUGUARD?
Yes, ACUGUARD have been given safely with a wide variety of products and medications. Your veterinarian should be made aware of all products that you administered and/or intend to administer to your dog. For heartworm prevention, use products that are specifically prescribed by your veterinarian.
How should ACUGUARD be stored?
Store at 68-77°F (20-25°C). Temporary periods of time outside of this range between 59-86°F (15-30°C) are permitted.
If you have questions regarding the use of this product, consult your veterinarian, your dog's healthcare expert. For technical assistance or to report an adverse drug reaction, call 1-888-545-5973. Additional information can be found at
www.vethical.com.
All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
NDC 50386-4221-7 CA4221Y07AMC1
NDC 50386-4222-7 CA4222Y07AMC1
NDC 50386-4223-7 CA4223Y07AMC1
NDC 50386-4224-7 CA4224Y07AMC1
NDC 50386-4225-7 CA4225Y07AMC1
NDC 50386-4227-7 CA4227Y07AMC1
February 2013 PA086441AMA