Is Bravecto actually dangerous?

[DuckHunt]

The vet is recommending Bravecto for flea and tick protection, but after doing some research I'm not sure if it is actually safe or not -

http://www.fairfieldbeachaccess.org/fle ... ncern.html (scroll down a bit)
http://www.veterinaryplace.com/dog-medicine/bravecto/

There is a facebook group that has just added to my confusion even more so I thought I'd ask you all for personal experiences. By the way, I'm a lab owner if that makes any difference.

[Misskiwi67]

We've sold 500+ doses the past few months, sold what we originally expected would take all yea. It's been a very popular product. We have had ONE dog with lethargy after taking the medication.

I will be switching to Simparica as soon as my supply of Nexgard runs out. All 3 drugs are in the same class, but the speed of tick kill with Simparica is crazy cool. Visibly disabled in 4 hours.

[DuckHunt]

We've sold 500+ doses the past few months, sold what we originally expected would take all yea. It's been a very popular product. We have had ONE dog with lethargy after taking the medication.

I will be switching to Simparica as soon as my supply of Nexgard runs out. All 3 drugs are in the same class, but the speed of tick kill with Simparica is crazy cool. Visibly disabled in 4 hours.

Never heard of Simparica before, is it new? I'll definitely check it out.

[Misskiwi67]

Simparica was released last month. Several studies are available on pubmed in regards to safety and efficacy. It's also cheaper than Nexgard.

[orhunter]

Does your dog actually get or have fleas. I wouldn't medicate strictly for prevention.

[bhennessy]

My 13 yr old lab mix is on Trifexis with good results, but my 16 mo. WPG got extremely lethargic for almost 24 hours after moving up to a higher weight class (he's 67 lbs) several mos ago. His vet took him off Trifexis and put him on a monthly Bravecta regimen and worm shot every 6 months. He was with a trainer in WI for the past 2ish months, but I didn't get any negative feedback.

He's due for his Bravecta pill on the 22nd so I'll update this post after seeing how he reacts.

[Doc E]

Does your dog actually get or have fleas. I wouldn't medicate strictly for prevention.

I agree -- I personally don't like the idea of pesticides in my dog's blood stream.

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[Misskiwi67]

Does your dog actually get or have fleas. I wouldn't medicate strictly for prevention.

I agree -- I personally don't like the idea of pesticides in my dog's blood stream.

.

Yea, because Lyme disease is so much better. It's not like our hunting dogs are high risk or anything. (Heavy sarcasm)

[orhunter]

MissK: Nothing to indicate where OP lives. Doc and I don't live in a high risk area so our response is geared toward that and is appropriate for others who live in low risk areas.

[Doc E]

Yea, because Lyme disease is so much better. It's not like our hunting dogs are high risk or anything. (Heavy sarcasm)

There are excellent ways to keep ticks off that don't involve pesticides in the dog's blood.

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[JASmith]

Yea, because Lyme disease is so much better. It's not like our hunting dogs are high risk or anything. (Heavy sarcasm)

There are excellent ways to keep ticks off that don't involve pesticides in the dog's blood.

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Permethrin topical?

[jph]

enlighten us then Doc.

[JASmith]

I'm still hoping to hear the answer. Ticks are back in the area!

[bhennessy]

I did not find even one tick on Bear this past season. He's been on a Pro-Heart shot ever six mos (I believe) and Bravecta pill every three months for the past year with no bad side affects like he had with trifexis.

Interestingly, I had Bear hand stripped from head to toe this week to get ready for another Louisiana summer (he looks like a huge schnauzer now until he grows back out) and found some hot spots on his back. He can't reach the spots to bite so I'm wondering what they are attributed to. I haven't seen any evidence of fleas on him or in the house but I gave him a Capstar just to be sure I wasn't missing anything.

He was a huge fluffy WPG ball of hair just before stripping so perhaps they were just a result of waiting too long to get him stripped...too much dead hair, etc? Perhaps it's just allergies of some sort (he's on pro plan sport 30/20). Has anyone else seen this?

[orhunter]

Look at my post, Food/Skin/Medication.

Unless you actually see fleas, consider they aren't there.