Comfortis flee prevention??? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Mitzis Mom · 08-08-2008, 08:48 AM

Maggie was at the vet's today and he recommended Comfortis as flee prevention since she is allergic to flee bites. It is supposed to kill flees much faster than frontline... Does anyone have experience with that?

Lynn WDW · 08-08-2008, 09:52 AM

I just saw an ad for this in a magazine and am wondering about it also. The side effects looked like it might not be good for Baxter as he already has a sensitive stomach and it looks like this could cause more.

YorkichonBella · 08-08-2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitzis Mom

Maggie was at the vet's today and he recommended Comfortis as flee prevention since she is allergic to flee bites. It is supposed to kill flees much faster than frontline... Does anyone have experience with that?

Bella was also @the vet yesterday. After discussing w/Vet who also recommended Comfortis, we did try this starting yesterday. I pray it helps. She also has horrible allergies to flea bites. She was on Frontline Plus. Will definitely keep you posted!

Mitzis Mom · 08-08-2008, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YorkichonBella

Bella was also @the vet yesterday. After discussing w/Vet who also recommended Comfortis, we did try this starting yesterday. I pray it helps. She also has horrible allergies to flea bites. She was on Frontline Plus. Will definitely keep you posted!

Thanks and vise versa! Maggie is so bothered by her allergies that she has no quiet moment and we sure hope she is geting help with that. Since she is outside quite often and our puppy Mikki too they give the flees they pick up outside to each other... I HATE FLEES!!!!!

Jody Renfroe · 08-08-2008, 10:00 AM

I am here to say that Comfortis has saved my sanity!!! I started Scooter on it about a week and a half ago. Like they instructed, I gave it to him with a meal. The vet said that one of the main side effects is vomiting within an hour of taking the pill. If that were to happen, I was told that I could call the company and they would reimburse me for the pill. Well, Scooter had no problem whatsoever. The side effects that he did demonstrate were excessive thirst for a few hours and then lethargy for about 2 hours. After that, it was Katy bar the door, because Scooter Pants was back to normal and running around like a mad man.

Before the Comfortis, I was having a real problem with the fleas. This year has been extremely bad here in Central Florida. I was combing him every day and using Advantage....nothing worked!!! Well, since giving him the Comfortis, I have yet to see one live flea!! Yippee!

Oh, the lowest dose it currently comes in is 5 pounds. Scooter only weighs 4.5 pounds but the Vet said it would be fine. Also, there is no formulation yet for cats.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them for you.

YorkichonBella · 08-08-2008, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jody Renfroe

I am here to say that Comfortis has saved my sanity!!! I started Scooter on it about a week and a half ago. Like they instructed, I gave it to him with a meal. The vet said that one of the main side effects is vomiting within an hour of taking the pill. If that were to happen, I was told that I could call the company and they would reimburse me for the pill. Well, Scooter had no problem whatsoever. The side effects that he did demonstrate were excessive thirst for a few hours and then lethargy for about 2 hours. After that, it was Katy bar the door, because Scooter Pants was back to normal and running around like a mad man.

Before the Comfortis, I was having a real problem with the fleas. This year has been extremely bad here in Central Florida. I was combing him every day and using Advantage....nothing worked!!! Well, since giving him the Comfortis, I have yet to see one live flea!! Yippee!

Oh, the lowest dose it currently comes in is 5 pounds. Scooter only weighs 4.5 pounds but the Vet said it would be fine. Also, there is no formulation yet for cats.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them for you.

I'm so glad to hear this. Also glad you mentioned to her about feeding @the time of giving the pill. I had forgotten to mention, but I did w/Bella. She was out of it for the evening, but this morning....feels great/playing. We've been going back/forth with her @the Vet. One Vet wanted to start her on Ivermectin to see if Mites (even tho skin scraping showed no signs). I was thankful that the Vet yesterday was so thorough & saw tiny signs of flea problems on her skin. We would often rule out flea problems, but then we would see 1/2 on her. We've kept her inside til this problem is under control. It's miserable for our babies & I hope others can learn from everyone's experience to find the right answer for their babies.

yorkieusa · 08-08-2008, 10:16 AM

I haven't used it, but my vet said they've had good feedback about it. I copied this off for anyone who is interested:

BRAND NAME: COMFORTIS

AVAILABLE IN
140 mg, 240 mg, 560 mg,
810 mg, and 1620 mg
CHEWABLE TABLETS

BACKGROUND

In older times, flea control was a very labor-intensive process involving sprays, dips, foggers, yard sprays, powders and more. As technology progressed, products became safer and more convenient culminating in a whole “next generation” of products starting with Program® in 1995, and Advantage® and Frontline® not long after. For the first time, flea control could be performed once a month in the simple form of a chewable tablet or smear of topical oil. These products were extremely effective and still are but there was room for improvement yet.

The topical products require time to spread over the fur and skin oil of the pet, typically needing a day or even two depending on the amount of skin oil present. The flea is killed when it moves through the toxin treated hair. After a couple of days all the fleas that had been on the pet at the time of the product application are dead but new fleas will have arrived from the environment and they will not be dead for yet another day or so. The relative slow kill of the topicals meant that it was normal to see some fleas on the pet even if the product is working perfectly.

After twenty days from the initial product application, the flea kill becomes even slower. In the time it takes for fleas to be killed by the product, they are still biting the pet and possibly laying eggs. The eggs will be of questionable viability after treatment with the product but the public was not comfortable seeing fleas on a pet that was wearing the topical product.

What the public really wanted was a product that killed fleas fast, so fast that even with a heavy flea emergence from the environment, fleas would not be seen on the pet. The first ultra-fast flea product on the market was Capstar®, a tablet that began killing fleas in 30 minutes and could clear every flea on a pet’s body in a matter of hours. The problem was that this pill did not have residual activity. It could be given daily if needed but it would be expensive to do so. If only there could be a pill that worked as fast but lasted the whole month…

Comfortis®, with active ingredient spinosad, was released late 2007 by Eli Lilly and Company to fill the need for an ultra-fast flea killing tablet that lasts an entire month. The pill is for dogs only and comes in a six-month supply.

HOW THIS MEDICATION IS USED

Spinosad is given once a month to kill fleas. It does not kill other internal or external parasites. It is for dogs 14 weeks of age an older. The product is best given on a full stomach and is beef-flavored so as to be accepted by the pet as a treat.

Spinosad is a prescription drug. It is not available without a valid doctor-patient relationship or at retail outlets.

SIDE EFFECTS

During initial testing 12% of dogs vomited after taking spinosad the first time with an additional 5% showing reduced appetite and another 5% having diarrhea. These numbers dropped with subsequent uses of the medication. Obviously, if a given pet seems to be intolerant to the medication, another flea control product should be selected.

INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER DRUGS

Spinosad works by activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the flea nervous system causing an overload of the flea nervous system. The flea seizures to death. Spinosad is felt to be safe in conjunction with all other flea control products and heartworm preventives. There is one interaction that bears mentioning: spinosad can increase the risk of ivermectin side effects when ivermectin is used at the high doses required to treat skin parasites such as demodectic mange. Low doses of ivermectin used in heartworm prevention are not problematic for this interaction.

It should be mentioned that numerous non-FDA approved ivermectin doses have been circulated on the internet allowing people to save money by using large animal formulations of ivermectin rather than those manufactured for dogs and cats. This practice rarely involves ivermectin doses comparable to those in the small animal products, certainly involves doses that could be toxic to ivermectin-sensitive individuals, and most certainly involves doses that could be toxic if combined with spinosad. For more details on circumstances leading to ivermectin toxicity, please see the ivermectin page in the pharmacy library.

CONCERNS AND CAUTIONS

Comfortis® tablets are beef flavored but contain pork protein. They should not be a problem for dogs with beef allergy but could be a problem for a dog with a pork allergy, rare as that might be.

Spinosad is best not used in pregnant or nursing females. During initial testing spinosad was given to pregnant and nursing mother dogs at doses slightly above the recommended dose. Problems observed included loss of litter during pregnancy, poor weight gain of puppies, and vomiting. Problems did not occur after puppies reached age 14 weeks.

Spinosad should not be used in puppies under age 14 weeks.

Initial testing included use in dogs with pre-existing seizure disorders with doses higher than the recommended dose. Some of these dogs broke with seizures. It is unknown whether or not this was caused by the product. For this reason, dogs with seizure disorders should probably use a different flea control product.

SPINOSAD IS NOT APPROVED OR RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN THE CAT.

Spinosad

Jody Renfroe · 08-08-2008, 10:16 AM

There is a warning online about the use of Ivermectin while using the Comfortis. I believe that what it says is that dogs who are being treated for mange, mites, etc. with Ivermectin should not be on the Comfortis. If I remember correctly, they were referring to the liquid form of Ivermectin. Completely unrelated to this, and before I knew about the Ivermectin being a potential problem with the Comfortis, I changed Scooter's heartworm meds because the Heartgard made him very sick. I was looking at the ingredients for Heartgard and one of them is Ivermectin. You might check with you vet if your baby is on Heartgard to be sure that it's still alright to use. I've switched Scooter to Intercept.

Edit: We must have posted at the same time about the Ivermectin. Thank you so much!

yorkieusa · 08-08-2008, 10:32 AM

You're welcome, Jody.

YorkichonBella · 08-08-2008, 10:36 AM

I had seen the ingredient (Ivermectin) on Heartgard & was one of the questions I asked yesterday. She said yes, it was a low dosage. I'm so glad we didn't go the Ivermectin (full strength) option because she really thinks Bella's problem is flea allergies. She is now on Comfortis & Interceptor. I sure hope Comfortis is the answer for her too.

Jody Renfroe · 08-08-2008, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yorkieusa

You're welcome, Jody.

Belindtch · 08-08-2008, 10:56 AM

My Alyssa has terrible allergies. We spent much money and time at the vets. She scratched constantly. We were on Frontline Plus and Interceptor.
I put on magnifying glasses and inspected her for fleas. I could not find any. She was miserable and whined and scratched and bit her skiin until she was removing spots of her fur. Finally I changed her food to a non corn and wheat food. I did the same with her treats. Every month when I would put on Frontline Plus she would be miserable and whine and cry. I felt like I was hurting her. I stopped using anything. Then we went back to the vet for our rabies shot and I discussed the problem. She suggested Comfortis. Alyssa loved the tablet which is beef flavored.I only got l tablet to see how she did on it. It has worked wonderfully. No more scratching or whining or biting her fur. It is time to go back and buy a 6 months supply. The vet did say if she should get fleas that we could use a capstar and get rid of them. So far no fleas and no itching and no uncomfort. We are on Interceptor for heartworm. I have one dog on Comfortis and two on Sentinel. They all get Interceptor. I have been pleased. It is so sad to have a furbaby suffering from the application of flea prevention and not be able to do something to help. Comfortis has worked wonders for Alyssa.

Mitzis Mom · 08-08-2008, 02:22 PM

Thank you all so much for your input! I feel much more comfortable now to give Maggie the Comfortis...

Yorkiekids · 08-08-2008, 03:09 PM

I have to take Piper to the vet, because he's having terrible reactions to the flea bites. I Hope they give us some to stop that scratching.

Mitzis Mom · 08-08-2008, 05:00 PM

I gave Mikki and Maggie their first dose of Comfortis and so far they don't show any reaction... I hope it stays that way!

08-08-2008, 08:48 AM	#1
Mitzis Mom No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,837	Comfortis flee prevention??? Maggie was at the vet's today and he recommended Comfortis as flee prevention since she is allergic to flee bites. It is supposed to kill flees much faster than frontline... Does anyone have experience with that?

08-08-2008, 10:16 AM	#7
yorkieusa Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 21,173	I haven't used it, but my vet said they've had good feedback about it. I copied this off for anyone who is interested: BRAND NAME: COMFORTIS AVAILABLE IN 140 mg, 240 mg, 560 mg, 810 mg, and 1620 mg CHEWABLE TABLETS BACKGROUND In older times, flea control was a very labor-intensive process involving sprays, dips, foggers, yard sprays, powders and more. As technology progressed, products became safer and more convenient culminating in a whole “next generation” of products starting with Program® in 1995, and Advantage® and Frontline® not long after. For the first time, flea control could be performed once a month in the simple form of a chewable tablet or smear of topical oil. These products were extremely effective and still are but there was room for improvement yet. The topical products require time to spread over the fur and skin oil of the pet, typically needing a day or even two depending on the amount of skin oil present. The flea is killed when it moves through the toxin treated hair. After a couple of days all the fleas that had been on the pet at the time of the product application are dead but new fleas will have arrived from the environment and they will not be dead for yet another day or so. The relative slow kill of the topicals meant that it was normal to see some fleas on the pet even if the product is working perfectly. After twenty days from the initial product application, the flea kill becomes even slower. In the time it takes for fleas to be killed by the product, they are still biting the pet and possibly laying eggs. The eggs will be of questionable viability after treatment with the product but the public was not comfortable seeing fleas on a pet that was wearing the topical product. What the public really wanted was a product that killed fleas fast, so fast that even with a heavy flea emergence from the environment, fleas would not be seen on the pet. The first ultra-fast flea product on the market was Capstar®, a tablet that began killing fleas in 30 minutes and could clear every flea on a pet’s body in a matter of hours. The problem was that this pill did not have residual activity. It could be given daily if needed but it would be expensive to do so. If only there could be a pill that worked as fast but lasted the whole month… Comfortis®, with active ingredient spinosad, was released late 2007 by Eli Lilly and Company to fill the need for an ultra-fast flea killing tablet that lasts an entire month. The pill is for dogs only and comes in a six-month supply. HOW THIS MEDICATION IS USED Spinosad is given once a month to kill fleas. It does not kill other internal or external parasites. It is for dogs 14 weeks of age an older. The product is best given on a full stomach and is beef-flavored so as to be accepted by the pet as a treat. Spinosad is a prescription drug. It is not available without a valid doctor-patient relationship or at retail outlets. SIDE EFFECTS During initial testing 12% of dogs vomited after taking spinosad the first time with an additional 5% showing reduced appetite and another 5% having diarrhea. These numbers dropped with subsequent uses of the medication. Obviously, if a given pet seems to be intolerant to the medication, another flea control product should be selected. INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER DRUGS Spinosad works by activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the flea nervous system causing an overload of the flea nervous system. The flea seizures to death. Spinosad is felt to be safe in conjunction with all other flea control products and heartworm preventives. There is one interaction that bears mentioning: spinosad can increase the risk of ivermectin side effects when ivermectin is used at the high doses required to treat skin parasites such as demodectic mange. Low doses of ivermectin used in heartworm prevention are not problematic for this interaction. It should be mentioned that numerous non-FDA approved ivermectin doses have been circulated on the internet allowing people to save money by using large animal formulations of ivermectin rather than those manufactured for dogs and cats. This practice rarely involves ivermectin doses comparable to those in the small animal products, certainly involves doses that could be toxic to ivermectin-sensitive individuals, and most certainly involves doses that could be toxic if combined with spinosad. For more details on circumstances leading to ivermectin toxicity, please see the ivermectin page in the pharmacy library. CONCERNS AND CAUTIONS Comfortis® tablets are beef flavored but contain pork protein. They should not be a problem for dogs with beef allergy but could be a problem for a dog with a pork allergy, rare as that might be. Spinosad is best not used in pregnant or nursing females. During initial testing spinosad was given to pregnant and nursing mother dogs at doses slightly above the recommended dose. Problems observed included loss of litter during pregnancy, poor weight gain of puppies, and vomiting. Problems did not occur after puppies reached age 14 weeks. Spinosad should not be used in puppies under age 14 weeks. Initial testing included use in dogs with pre-existing seizure disorders with doses higher than the recommended dose. Some of these dogs broke with seizures. It is unknown whether or not this was caused by the product. For this reason, dogs with seizure disorders should probably use a different flea control product. SPINOSAD IS NOT APPROVED OR RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN THE CAT. Spinosad __________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel

08-08-2008, 10:16 AM	#8
Jody Renfroe No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 1,375	There is a warning online about the use of Ivermectin while using the Comfortis. I believe that what it says is that dogs who are being treated for mange, mites, etc. with Ivermectin should not be on the Comfortis. If I remember correctly, they were referring to the liquid form of Ivermectin. Completely unrelated to this, and before I knew about the Ivermectin being a potential problem with the Comfortis, I changed Scooter's heartworm meds because the Heartgard made him very sick. I was looking at the ingredients for Heartgard and one of them is Ivermectin. You might check with you vet if your baby is on Heartgard to be sure that it's still alright to use. I've switched Scooter to Intercept. Edit: We must have posted at the same time about the Ivermectin. Thank you so much! Last edited by Jody Renfroe; 08-08-2008 at 10:18 AM.

08-08-2008, 10:32 AM	#9
yorkieusa Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 21,173	You're welcome, Jody. __________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel

08-08-2008, 10:36 AM	#10
YorkichonBella My little Shadow Donating YT Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: NC Posts: 4,132 Blog Entries: 2	I had seen the ingredient (Ivermectin) on Heartgard & was one of the questions I asked yesterday. She said yes, it was a low dosage. I'm so glad we didn't go the Ivermectin (full strength) option because she really thinks Bella's problem is flea allergies. She is now on Comfortis & Interceptor. I sure hope Comfortis is the answer for her too. __________________ Bella Ganma-ma to ColeRIPNoahRIP

08-08-2008, 09:52 AM	#2
Lynn WDW YT Addict Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 397	I just saw an ad for this in a magazine and am wondering about it also. The side effects looked like it might not be good for Baxter as he already has a sensitive stomach and it looks like this could cause more.

08-08-2008, 10:00 AM	#5
Jody Renfroe No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 1,375	I am here to say that Comfortis has saved my sanity!!! I started Scooter on it about a week and a half ago. Like they instructed, I gave it to him with a meal. The vet said that one of the main side effects is vomiting within an hour of taking the pill. If that were to happen, I was told that I could call the company and they would reimburse me for the pill. Well, Scooter had no problem whatsoever. The side effects that he did demonstrate were excessive thirst for a few hours and then lethargy for about 2 hours. After that, it was Katy bar the door, because Scooter Pants was back to normal and running around like a mad man. Before the Comfortis, I was having a real problem with the fleas. This year has been extremely bad here in Central Florida. I was combing him every day and using Advantage....nothing worked!!! Well, since giving him the Comfortis, I have yet to see one live flea!! Yippee! Oh, the lowest dose it currently comes in is 5 pounds. Scooter only weighs 4.5 pounds but the Vet said it would be fine. Also, there is no formulation yet for cats. I hope this helps. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them for you.

08-08-2008, 10:56 AM	#12
Belindtch Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Rossville, Georgia Posts: 972	My Alyssa has terrible allergies. We spent much money and time at the vets. She scratched constantly. We were on Frontline Plus and Interceptor. I put on magnifying glasses and inspected her for fleas. I could not find any. She was miserable and whined and scratched and bit her skiin until she was removing spots of her fur. Finally I changed her food to a non corn and wheat food. I did the same with her treats. Every month when I would put on Frontline Plus she would be miserable and whine and cry. I felt like I was hurting her. I stopped using anything. Then we went back to the vet for our rabies shot and I discussed the problem. She suggested Comfortis. Alyssa loved the tablet which is beef flavored.I only got l tablet to see how she did on it. It has worked wonderfully. No more scratching or whining or biting her fur. It is time to go back and buy a 6 months supply. The vet did say if she should get fleas that we could use a capstar and get rid of them. So far no fleas and no itching and no uncomfort. We are on Interceptor for heartworm. I have one dog on Comfortis and two on Sentinel. They all get Interceptor. I have been pleased. It is so sad to have a furbaby suffering from the application of flea prevention and not be able to do something to help. Comfortis has worked wonders for Alyssa. __________________ Belinda and my furbabies, Alyssa , Emily Kate , and Lucy Lucy Dexter

08-08-2008, 02:22 PM	#13
Mitzis Mom No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,837	Thank you all so much for your input! I feel much more comfortable now to give Maggie the Comfortis...

08-08-2008, 03:09 PM	#14
Yorkiekids Piper & Sebastian Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: florida Posts: 14,495	I have to take Piper to the vet, because he's having terrible reactions to the flea bites. I Hope they give us some to stop that scratching. __________________ Susan, Piper ,Harley & Suiki

08-08-2008, 05:00 PM	#15
Mitzis Mom No Longer a Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,837	I gave Mikki and Maggie their first dose of Comfortis and so far they don't show any reaction... I hope it stays that way!