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  1. #1
    House Broken Murrisha's Avatar
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    Flea and tick treatment?

    So, it's been awhile before we've had a large dog that's outdoors often. We treat all of our animals for fleas with Frontline but we treat our yard for mosquitos and take our small dog out so infrequently that we haven't done heartworm meds in a couple of years (I know, I know it's irresponsible). But, now that we have Teller and he is outside quite a bit going on walks and accompanying me various places, it's obviously a must to do heartworm meds. The shelter had him on Heartgard and Frontline but when I took him to the vet I learned that there are several combination medicines that treat for fleas, ticks, heartworms, and other worms with one pill or application. Teller is good until November on his medicine and the last thing he received was a dose of Comboguard. I was going over some of the treatments and prices with the vet and all of that stuff is expensive, but I am looking for the most bang for my buck, per se. I am a college student and right now I am not working because I have knee surgery in December and I am studying for the LSAT, so I don't want the treatment to break the bank.

    I have several friends who get their flea/heartworm stuff from the pet store or internet, but the vet said a lot of these products don't work as well as advertised. I could do Frontline/Heartgard but I would prefer a combination of the two because it's both easier on me and him. Anybody have any advice on the subject? I have spoken with the vet and my friends but most of them just don't care and treat their dogs with stuff they buy at PetsMart.

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Charlotte K.'s Avatar
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    The combination pills, Bravecto and Nexguard, are being blamed by pet owners and some vets for horrible illness in some dogs. You cannot get it out of the dog for mONTHS if the dog reacts badly to Bravecto. A friend's Lab experienced vomiting after nexguard. Interceptor or Heartgard Plus for heartworm and worms and Frontline Plus for fleas and ticks may be the safest chemical treatments. I do not give them on the same day but about a week apart.

    I have also used Revolution to protect my dogs when the area foxes had mange. It is a heartworm and flea med, and removes roundworms. It only works on some ticks.

    Check manufacturers' websites or your vet for rebates or coupons.

  3. #3
    House Broken Murrisha's Avatar
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    I've heard about Revolution from my PT (who uses it on her dogs) and the tick prevention is less of a prerogative because I do not live in a heavily wooded area and we haven't had any problems with ticks. In addition, Teller's light fur and single coat makes it relatively easy to check him for ticks. I don't absolutely NEED a tick preventative until we start hunting training, which won't be until next year. Thanks for the info on those two particular medicines. I would just prefer to have everything bundled together because that way I wouldn't need to remember to treat/give him a pill.

    Which reminds me, is 1-800-PetMeds reputable? They have Revolution for much cheaper than the vet's prescription services.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Charlotte K.'s Avatar
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    Pet Meds is legit, but often expensive. Heartland Vet and Drs. Foster and Smith appear to be much cheaper for 6 months supply if Revolution. Heartland Vet was recommended by a vet cardiologist when I had an old dog who needed heart medication.

  5. #5
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    Mine had a horrible reaction to ComboGuard.

    I use QuadriGuard and FrontLine TopSpot (not FL Plus...bad reaction there, too). I get my FL from EntirelyPets.com

  6. #6
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    For HW I like to use IverHeart Max. And then for fleas & ticks (as needed) I use Natural Chemistry Flea & Tick Spray

  7. #7
    Senior Dog arentspowell's Avatar
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    We use heart guard every month for heartworm and Advantix for fleas and ticks. Frontline did not work for us and Daisy got fleas.

    I would never skimp on the heart guard because we have a lot of mosquitos down here and heartworm is so terrible but if I was looking to save money, AND I didn't take my dog to any dog parks or into the woods, I could get away with not doing the flea preventative every month.

    Good luck with the LSAT! I was a poor law student not too long ago

  8. #8
    House Broken Murrisha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by arentspowell View Post
    We use heart guard every month for heartworm and Advantix for fleas and ticks. Frontline did not work for us and Daisy got fleas.

    I would never skimp on the heart guard because we have a lot of mosquitos down here and heartworm is so terrible but if I was looking to save money, AND I didn't take my dog to any dog parks or into the woods, I could get away with not doing the flea preventative every month.

    Good luck with the LSAT! I was a poor law student not too long ago
    Thanks! I understand because we live in Georgia and we have mosquitos until the first frost (which I am eagerly awaiting). Because of my knee, I have to take Teller to dog parks or other outdoor places so that he can get his daily exercise. It is too cold already for water retrieving or swimming since he has a single coat, although on warmer days we will go to the river to play. Since we live in very metro suburbs, there really aren't a lot of places other than the dog park and my neighbor's yard where we can let him truly run free and off-leash. Even by the river there are tons of joggers, hikers, and the ever-annoying photographers, who act highly offended that I dare bring a controlled, leashed dog to walk in a PUBLIC park. We would let him run around in my backyard but we have an unheated pool and he would most certainly take advantage off-leash, lol. So year-round heartworm and flea medicine are musts. Plus, I know for a fact that my neighbor's yard has fleas because she asked me if he had gotten any (they weren't previously treating their pets but the outside cat brought fleas into their yard).

    I went through the Vet-VIPPS list of reputable online pet pharmacies and found some good deals on Trifexis and Revolution. I am between those two products after looking up the price for Frontline and Advantix for a dog his size; it's more economical for me to buy some type of combination. The last dose he had was of the Comboguard (Trifexis) last month and he had no adverse reactions to it. A lot of people I know swear by Revolution and it's a bit cheaper than Trifexis. I also believe the vet mentioned that she would price match the online pharmacies because she's sort of preachy about the validity of them, like so many other vets today.

    Anyways, the deciding factor now is over whether he would need protection from the intestinal parasites, which Trifexis does but Revolution does not. I haven't ever had a dog that is out and about at dog parks or in the outdoors, so I've never really had experience with which things you should protect against. In addition, my parents handled all of that stuff previously. Do you think I should protect him against the intestinal parasites? He's never had them before according to his medical records from the shelter (he came to the shelter at 12 weeks). How do dogs get them? He doesn't eat feces of other dogs (sometimes tries to eat his own, though) and doesn't really play in the dirt or eat things he finds outside. Again, sorry if I seem sort of ignorant over how these parasites are spread, I assume that they are spread like parasites in humans dog-to-dog, through poop, dirt, dead things, contaminated meat, etc.

  9. #9
    Senior Dog Charlotte K.'s Avatar
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    If your vet will price match, get your meds there. Maybe continue with what worked instead of changing.

    Also, I am attaching a shot from a veterinary site that indicates what intestinal worms and ticks Revolution covers.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails -image-jpg  

  10. #10
    House Broken Murrisha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charlotte K. View Post
    If your vet will price match, get your meds there. Maybe continue with what worked instead of changing.

    Also, I am attaching a shot from a veterinary site that indicates what intestinal worms and ticks Revolution covers.
    Thank you for this! I called the vet and they said they would price match. I decided to go with the Trifexis since he was already on it with no adverse reactions. The vet also said they I can return it and get something else if he does have a reaction. My neighbor (whose backyard he sometimes runs in) currently has a flea infestation and she does the Frontline/Heartgard combo, it hasn't worked thus far and I helped her pick the fleas off each of her 4 animals the other night. So that sort of put me off Frontline. Since I take Teller to the dog park on a regular basis and I've gotten to know the people and dogs, I chose Trifexis over Revolution because it protects against roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms. Lastly, I got a 6-month supply of Trifexis for $85, which is cheaper than 6 months of just Frontline. I've found the vet's office to be very flexible and helpful, they didn't try to lecture me about buying online and said they will always price match/allow returns of the product or exchanges (if he gets over 60 lbs in the next 6 months).

 



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