the more I research, the more scared I get
 

So I have decided to take my Shih Tzu off of Trifexis. He has never had any bad reactions to it and has been taking it for over a year. however, I decided with all the bad stuff out there about it, if there are other options, why not switch to be safe.

Ok so thinking Heartgard for heart worm. Good product, no really bad reviews that I can find, an been around forever. Also its cheap. A heck of alot cheaper then Trifexis.

But now I have to decide what to get for fleas, as we do have big flea problems here where I live.

Someone suggested "Comfortis", ok, havnt seen bad reviews as of yet, but, it is expensive. That with the heartgard together, I will be paying just as much as I do for Trifexis. But, at least it would be safer ( provided I dont find bad reports about it, still researching), and that after all is what is most important. But still, if I can find a cheaper SAFE alternative I would prefer that.

But the more I research, the more scared I get. Im researching topical's. Advantix has a whole lot of really bad stories of bad side effects. im seeing reports that topicals are especially dangerous to toy breeds. that Shih Tzu's and Yorkies are among those most at risk.
Dangers of Flea and Tick Problems


I havnt even finished my research and im scared to death to put any topical on them to. I dont know .....It seems like no matter what road I go, im going to be playing Russian roulette.

Need to ad I have to make a decision this week as he is due this week for heartworm.

Reviews on advantix

World Wide Woof

I feel the same way -- hate the pesticide topicals. The oral flea meds scare me too. We use the flea and tick preventatives as little as possible and split the dose according to weight (heartworm preventatives and oral meds cannot be split or they are not effective).

For ticks, I check my boys carefully when we come in from outside. However, some of the most dangerous ticks are smaller than the head of a pin.

Some people use "natural" things, but be very careful with these. Many products sold as natural are not really safe. Arsenic is a natural substance, but it isn't safe (not that arsenic is sold as a flea preventative).

Various concoctions of natural oils -- some natural oils or combinations are toxic to dogs. There is a lot of debate over which ones. This makes me very nervous.

Diatomaceous earth, food grade is a must, is a popular alternative, but has to be applied daily, I think. I'm on the fence about this one. It's silica, isn't it? I worry about the long term effects of inhaling silica, natural though it may be.

I have been using Frontline and Heartgard Plus with no ill effects! I have a very tiny yorkie and she does fine on both and so does my other two, who weighs 4lbs and 6 lbs. Heartgard is given monthly and Frontline, I just use in the summer months. With the Frontline, my vet measures out the proper dosage by their current weight. Last year, we were able to treat all 4 dogs with 1 dose of Fronline.....a cocker spaniel and 3 yorkies!

Talk to your vet about your concerns!

When you say you split the does according to weight, do you mean if using a product that doesnt already come for their weight, an so have to get one that is for larger weight? I ask because many of the topical's do come for pups for 5 pound on up. I think I even saw one for smaller then 5 pounds, I cant remember which one though.

I was thinking about Frontline Plus. The smallest dose is for 1 - 22 pounds. I split one between my 2 boys.

If a flea/tick preventative comes in the right dose for your dog's weight, then apply the whole thing.

ok yeah. 1-22 pounds would certainly have to be split.

On the other side, any flea treatment that must be ingested terrifies me! With the topical, I tell myself if Kaji has a reaction I can try to scrub most of it off. But the kind that must be ingested, what do I do once it's absorbed in Kaji's system and he has a bad reaction?!?! I can't get rid of it. I hate these things. I feel like I'm damned if I do, and I'm damned if I don't. I can't win. :'(

Exactly! thats how I feel.:mad:

Revolution has a dose for puppies under 5 pounds. Bella has been on it for almost a year with no ill effects. It controls heartworms, fleas, dog ticks, and internal parasites.

This is what we're using. We just did her second dose last night. We've only had her for a little over a month. I didn't notice any reactions.

I havnt heard of this one. Ill look into it. Thanks.

Ok in case your interested, I just started researching this and there is concern that some pets have been getting heartworm while taking revolution. You might want to research it if you havnt. again I have only just started. At the link below a person stated taht they love it, but thier vet has been urging them to switch because he ( the vet) has seen a few cases of dogs getting heartworm despite being on the revolution.

Problems with Revolution for dogs? - Yahoo Answers

I work in a vet clinic and I haven't heard of any of our patients having a reaction to Trifexis. With that being said, I trust Heartgard more just because it's been around for so much longer. I have also given Trifexis when we get free samples with no problems though. I will say though if you don't trust Trifexis, you may not want to give Comfortis either. It has the same ingredient in it (spinosad) as Trifexis for killing fleas.

I appreciate the info. It is all over the internet however and news stations have done stories of people claiming trifexis is the cause of dogs death. Now mind you I dont know. I most certainly am not going to sit here and say trifexis kills, or that those dogs that did die for certain it was from that or they did not have underlying issues. I personally dont know and have never had a problem with trifexis. but, if there are other options, then why not switch rather then take the chance. TO the best of my knowledge, He doesnt have an allergy to fleas, so no reason for me to stick with it.

Those stories are all anecdotal and are from 7 years ago. I've read scholarly articles that indicate that it is highly effective and well-tolerated. I'll look into it a little further tomorrow when I have access to the research journals and let you know what I find out.

Edit: I just found an article saying that the issue might be with topicals in general--you have to be sure that they come in contact with the skin so they are properly absorbed into the bloodstream. If you just put them on the hair, the dog won't get the active ingredient into its bloodstream.

Awesome.

I'll have to look into this. I honestly hadn't heard all these things about Trifexis. The worst I'd heard is some vomiting if not given with a meal. That's scary. It's so hard to know whats right for our babies.:confused:

Here are some links I got from other post. Thats a start. Again I dont know either, but im not willing to take the chance with my babies that there is truth to the stories and find out the hard way that there is.

Owners blame 700 dog deaths on Trifexis | www.wsbtv.com

here is a thread where there is alot of argument about it and good points on both sides. only fair to show both I think.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...nyone-use.html

Thanks.

There are members here who have had problems with trifexis, recently. So no these stories aren't all from 7 years ago.

pstinard was talking about Revolution not Trifexis.

dog
 

Bless you for doing this research. I did a lot myself and in the past I used Revolution with no problems. Vet tried to give me triflexis but the side effects scared me. I hope we can find something safe for our dogs and stop using such strong poisons. I will keep looking into this too. One dog sick is not right!

I have used Revolution for a long time and have never had heartworms in any dog. All my puppies go to new homes on the puppy Revolution. My vet had told me several years ago that there seemed to be a corelation to people not applying the Revolution correctly and the number of dogs that developed heartworms....separate the hair and be sure to get the medication directly onto the skin for effectiveness. I always rotate the site just about an inch or so, so that I am not putting the medication directly on the very same spot each month.....like a clock, @ 12-3-6-9....dont know if that is even necessary, but it makes me feel better about it in my mind!

I took Athena to her first vaccination today. We switched Zeus to Tri-heart plus which is a genaric form of heartgaurd. But for Athena he gave Revolution. He said we could switch her when she gets older if wanted. she is only 8 1/2 weeks old so I am a little Leary about putting it on her so soon. he said to wait a couple days since she just had her vaccinations.

How do you feel about putting it on a pup so young? she weighs 3.3 pounds.

I have used Heartgard and Sentinel for many years without any adverse effects. I used to use Advantage, but I don't have a flea problem here (not sure why) so I stopped using it about three years ago.

Those are the only products I have used and I have used them on all of my own pups and fosters.

Geezh, I feel really lucky that we don't have to use flea products here.

What about trying Neem Oil? It's been used as a natural repellent for many years throughout the rest of the world and is becoming more popular here. You can make your own or buy a prepared spray.

Here are some natural products from Ark Naturals: All Flea Tick Products :: Natural Pet Products | Holistic Wellness & Remedy Items Dogs & Cats

Revolution research information
 

Hi,

I looked at the scholarly literature and found that Revolution is 100% effective against heartworms. I think that a problem with topicals not being effective is that people don't always use them properly. The drops are supposed to be put at the base of the hair in direct contact with skin so that the active ingredient can be absorbed properly into the blood. Sometimes if the dog is squirming, the drops get on the hair only, and not the skin. Here is a link to an article on Revolution (selamectin). It's behind a pay wall, but I believe that everyone can read the abstract. Just in case, I copied the abstract below:

Prevention of experimentally induced heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infections in dogs and cats with a single topical application of selamectin

Prevention of experimentally induced heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infections in dogs and cats with a single topical application of selamectin. McTiera et al. 2000. Veterinary Parasitology. Volume 91, Issues 3–4, 23 July 2000, Pages 259–268.

Abstract

In a series of six controlled studies (four in dogs, two in cats), heartworm-free dogs and cats were inoculated with Dirofilaria immitis larvae (L3) prior to topical treatment with the novel avermectin selamectin or a negative control containing inert formulation ingredients (vehicle). Selamectin and negative-control treatments were administered topically to the skin at the base of the neck in front of the scapulae. In dogs, selamectin was applied topically at dosages of 3 or 6 mg kg−1 at 30 days post-inoculation (PI), or of 3 or 6 mg kg−1 at 45 days PI, or of 6 mg kg−1 at 60 days PI. Cats were treated topically with unit doses providing a minimum dosage of 6 mg kg−1 selamectin at 30 days PI. Of the animals that were treated 30 days PI, some dogs were bathed with water or shampoo between 2 and 96 h after treatment, and some cats were bathed with shampoo at 24 h after treatment. Between 140 and 199 days PI, the animals were euthanized and examined for adult D. immitis. Adult heartworms developed in all control dogs (geometric mean count, 18.7 worms) and in 88% of control cats (geometric mean count, 2.1 worms). Selamectin was 100% effective in preventing heartworm development in dogs when administered as a single topical dose of 3 or 6 mg kg–1 at 30 days after infection, 3 or 6 mg kg−1 at 45 days after infection, or 6 mg kg−1 at 60 days after infection. Selamectin was 100% effective against heartworm infections in cats when administered as a single topical unit dose of 6 mg kg−1. Bathing with water or shampoo between 2 and 96 h after treatment did not reduce the efficacy of selamectin as a heartworm prophylactic in dogs. Likewise, bathing with shampoo at 24 h after treatment did not reduce the efficacy of selamectin in cats. These studies demonstrated that, at the recommended dosage and treatment interval, a single topical administration of selamectin was 100% effective in preventing the development of D. immitis in dogs and cats.

We use Advantage Multi for both pups - no problems. I was using Trifexis for P-Nut for about 6 months. He was having significant GI issues that whole time, but I never associated it with the Trifexis. He was at the vet's at least once a month for vomiting and diarrhea. Then I read about suspected issues with it here on YT. There seemed to be a lot of anecdotal evidence but not much actual proof that Trifexis was the problem in numerous cases I read about, but I stopped using it anyway. We've been gastroenteritis free ever since! I checked to see if P-Nut getting sick could be correlated to the day I gave Trifexis and it was usually about 4 days after he got his monthly dose that he became ill.

Like the OP, my research into flea, etc meds just made me afraid to give anything, but the Advantage has been fine.