Warning about SentryPro XFC - our Alice and Edward both had dreadful reactions

Hudson Valley, NY. Up all night with Alice (above with Mrs. S) and Edward thanks to a product called SentryPro XFC which controls fleas and - more importantly - ticks. Ticks in this part of the world often transmit Lyme disease and after much debate Marianne and I have decided that prevention is necessary. Usually we use something called FrontLine but as the vet wasn't on duty when I went to collect it at our local PetSmart store the assistant recommended SentryPro instead.

Well. We followed the instructions and applied it to the back of both dogs just before bed. But at 2.30 we were awoken by a terribly noise and crying and rushed down to find Alice shaking and falling over and trying to lick her paws. There were little piles of vomit all over the floor. A quick look online and what do we find. Hundreds of references to similar cases. We follow the advice being given out by various sites and wash the dogs several times and then - as they still seem ill - made a visit to the vet (a 45 minute drive each way) who called the manufacturer's hotline. The company's representative said it wasn't an allergic reaction but an overdose and that there was nothing we could do.

Thankfully, by 6ish both dogs had stopped being sick and the worst symptoms had subsided so we all went to bed.

Now. Here are my complaints:

- Nowhere on the packaging does it say the treatment shouldn't be given to dogs weighing under 9lbs (Alice is about 5 or 6 lbs). We assumed that because she weighed less she needed a smaller dose. It was the dose given to me by the pet shop and the assistant had said it would be OK.

- Nowhere on the packaging does it say (that I could find) that you shouldn't leave dogs that have been treated with other dogs as they may lick it off. (We might have thought of this ourselves, of course, but we didn't).

- Nowhere on the packaging is there any warning that the product may cause an allergic reaction or that it could poison the dog.

Happily, it doesn't look as if our dogs have suffered any permanent effects. Still, we are pretty fed up with the manufacturers - Seargent's Pet Care Products - and would strongly advise other US based dog owners to give their products a wide berth. A very wide berth, indeed.