Regular frontline did not work for me for fleas. Only the frontline Plus.
Thank you everybody for the feedback!! I agree that it sounds prudent to only use the flea and tick during the months it's needed and not overmedicate him.
Regular frontline did not work for me for fleas. Only the frontline Plus.
Patty
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Our new puppy vet, when we brought Ellie in for her first vet visit, gave her a puppy dose of Trifexis and she vomited profusely for 24 hours. I was very, very angry. Then she recommended oral comfortis and she had the same exact experience. My take away? They are not appropriate for puppies (and I needed a new vet).
When we lived in Colorado, we used heartworm meds only in the summer and never needed a flea or tick preventative (one of the advantages of living at 8500 feet). In the southeast, however, you're going to need them year round (as did we when we lived in Georgia). I found ivermectin (heartguard) effective for heartworm with little side effects (loose stool for a day) and topical fipronil (frontline) effective for fleas and ticks. On the rare occasion that Stella picked up a few fleas, we administered a single oral dose of Capstar, but that was perhaps twice in her entire life. We administer them staggered (one on the 1st of the month, the other on the 15th). I think combo products are especially hard on the little ones.
I don't know why vets are suddenly pushing the Trifexis (other than they are getting marketed hard by their parent company). The incidence of severe side effects are fairly high and well documented.
We have had our dogs on Trifexis for three years now. It is the ONLY flea medication that works in our area as the fleas have become resistant to the preventatives. Ours had lost nearly all their hair and were covered in hot spots that nothing was helping. Within a few weeks of their first Trifexis dose, they were no longer losing their hair and all hot spots were taken care of.
IF you have the funds and the fleas in your area can be controlled by another preventative, I would say go that route. But, if not, Trifexis works and is safe.
jertom (05-27-2015)
I would not use it either. I use Heartguard Plus year round and Vectra3D as needed.
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Tammy
Maxx and Emma Jean
Ozzy - 10/2002 - 06/2011 - Rest well my sweet boy. You are forever remembered, forever missed, forever in my heart.
I fought this same battle with food threads, if you have first hand experience then you should share and I'll listen, but if you're just repeating something that you read on the internet or this forum then at least say that;
"I heard somewhere"
" I once read"
It bothers me when I think of the new puppy owner that takes all he/she sees here as the gospel.
There's no doubt that somewhere out there on the internet there's a person that will claim to have had a problem with anything. Who knows what their motives are?
We are currently using Heartgard Plus and Nexgard. Last month was our first dose of Nexgard in a 13 mo and a 19 mo lab.
A few comments on the observations found on a board such as this. And full disclosure, I worked in pharma for many years.
The 'holy grail' of testing is double blinded, placebo controlled studies. Required for people, not sure about small animal testing. Other types of studies are statistically extrapolated to determine safety and effectiveness. Things such as fillers, flavoring et al are 'extra' ingredients and aren't studied specifically for safety and effectiveness.
Any observations on a board like this are defined as 'anecdotal', not controlled for other medications, or for example status of spay/neuter experience. It is personal experience and nothing more. All of it is classified as post marketing experience and because it is not controlled for variables is not viewed as scientifically rigorous enough.
In my opinion it is best to follow your vets guidance and their anecdotal experience rather than the 'vast Internet' where you have no understanding of the numerical reference that is in play ie is it 10 bad experiences or 10,000? My personal opinion on Trifexis is what I heard from doctors who didn't want to prescribe a combination product; they didn't like not knowing what component may have caused a side effect. I had just as many doctors who would prescribe a drug like Trifexis for its convenience. Neither would be willing to compromise on safety no matter what a drug company told them.
Finally as an executive in pharma, please know that none of us got up in the morning saying 'I wonder how many vets/MDs' I can hornswoggle today. I was proud to have been involved iwith a company that brought forth breakthrough drugs to treat diseases such as heart worm, HIV, cholesterol, diabetes, and antibiotics in both people and animals. Lives were literally saved because of research and while side effects can and do occur the alternative lost a lot of lives in the past.
So listen to your vet, he's not a marketing shill and if you think he is, find another one.
doubledip1 (05-29-2015), FourLabsAndATri-Pawd (05-27-2015), jertom (05-27-2015), Maxx&Emma (05-29-2015), Snowshoe (05-28-2015), WhoopsaDaisy (05-27-2015)
As I said, we have been using Trifexis for years now. Our current Vet - who is also the breeder of two of our four Labradors - is the second Vet to have suggested it due to the fact that our fleas have grown resistant to the most commonly used and oldest of the preventatives. It is highly doubtful that he (and the other Vet) are getting kickbacks for selling it since he has a vested interest in the health and well being of our two Labs. All three of my youngest were given their first dose at approximately 9 weeks of age with no issues.
It really comes down to this…what works for your dog in the area you live beside what you are comfortable with giving your dog. We can find horror stories about just about any product on the market. Until some medical research is done to back up those stories, I choose to trust my Vet and the results I see in my own dogs.
jertom (05-27-2015)
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