# Trifexis... Beware



## J_Brown (Jan 4, 2013)

My 17 mo old BLF has been on Trifexis for the last 6 or 7 months and pretty much has had no problems with it that I noticed. That is, up until a few days ago. I gave her the regularly scheduled monthly dose on Sunday night. Monday afternoon when I got home from work, all was well... she was happy and energetic, everything seemed normal. A short while later I sat down to relax and she went to sleep on the couch. After about an hour I noticed she was still sleeping, which was unusual because it was her supper time. I said the word "hungry" and like always her ears perked up. But I noticed she looked like she was having problems getting up, and she had a glazed look in her eyes. I picked her up and sat her down on the floor and she fell down! Her back end had completely given out on her and she couldn't walk or stand. I immediately searched the house and yard for anything she could have gotten into, but nothing. By this time the vet was closed and they did not answer their emergency number. I thought maybe she'd snap out of it so I just let her sleep it off. Around 11:30 my wife got home from work. After some quick googling, we were afraid maybe she had a bad infection in the uterus or something. So, by midnight or so, we were off to the emergency clinic about an hour away. They checked her out, vital signs were fine, normal heart rhythm, etc. I was baffled when they walked her out of the back room on a leash and she was wagging her tail. Vet said maybe an adverse reaction to the Trifexis, but wasn't sure. They advised us to let her sleep it off and check her out in the morning. By morning, Betty was no better. She still could not get up on her own and could barely stand on her own. When she'd squat to piss she'd fall over. So, that morning my wife took her in to our normal vet for a visit. Again, vital signs were all good. Our vet was certain that it was a bad reaction to the Trifexis, and he actually called the company to make a complaint because this was the second dog that came through his office for the same problems. He sent Betty home with advice to let her rest, but he wasn't 100% sure how she'd recover. Thankfully, by today, she seems to be pretty much back to normal... although she does still seem to be sleeping quite a bit. At least she's running around on her own again!

This was an extremely frightening couple of days for us. Obviously she's a family companion, but as I watched her lay around, half-paralyzed, I couldn't help but think of all the hours of training and all the money that's gone into her. To think, all that could seemingly be taken away by a stupid pill... Just because it's a convenient "all-in-one" type of medication. Scary stuff for sure. 

I know this is a rarity, but after researching it online I found many similar stories involving the same medication. I never thought she'd have any side effects since she had done so well on it months prior, but I guess that the past "success" with it was totally irrelevant. Live and learn I guess. I know one thing, I won't be giving my dog this drug ever again, and I certainly won't recommend it to anyone else either. Just doesn't seem worth the risk to me.


----------



## Enzos Mom (Sep 18, 2012)

I'm sorry that happened. Very scary indeed. I gave up administering any type of maintenance drugs to my dogs years ago. I'm a believer of over-medicating/over-vaccinating and steer clear of what I consider any unnecessary drugs. Hearing your story only makes me stronger in my opinion and belief. Glad your girl is ok.


----------



## Zach Taylor (May 20, 2013)

Sorry to hear that Jim! Def a scary situation. Sarge has been on it for the last 6 months and when he had his annual exam I asked to go back to Heartguard/Sentinel just bc I didn't like the affects I was seeing with him as well. Glad to hear Betty is doing well as I know how much time/energy/and love you've put into her.


----------



## J_Brown (Jan 4, 2013)

Rutin said:


> Sorry to hear that Jim! Def a scary situation. Sarge has been on it for the last 6 months and when he had his annual exam I asked to go back to Heartguard/Sentinel just bc I didn't like the affects I was seeing with him as well. Glad to hear Betty is doing well as I know how much time/energy/and love you've put into her.


Thanks. And I'm glad to hear you took Sarge off of it. We invest way too much into these animals to have them jeopardized by supposed safe medications.


----------



## huntinman (Jun 1, 2009)

Would like to hear from some of the docs on the forum regarding Trifexis...


----------



## augunner (Jan 5, 2014)

My pup is on trifexis, but after reading that I will be going back to Heartguard and a flea preventative like I've been using for years with my other dogs. Thanks for sharing.


----------



## Tater 7 (Mar 20, 2014)

My pups been on trifexis since she was 8 weeks old and she's now 16 months. Haven't had a problem out of it and hope I never do. I think it's like anything else, just freak reactions


----------



## frontier (Nov 3, 2003)

I am sorry about your dog's serious reaction to Trifexis.

The warning label on Trifexis in Europe states not to give Trifexis more than 6 consecutive months 
http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB..._the_public/veterinary/002635/WC500152460.pdf


Also, clearly states on their product label that it has not been evaluated for pregnant or breeding animals. 

http://vitalanimal.com/trifexis-hoax/

I am glad to hear your vet made a report. Report adverse drug reactions to Elanco Animal Health at 1-888-545-5973 or to the FDA 1-888-FDA-VETS. or to the United States Food and Drug Administration


----------



## awolfe (Mar 2, 2011)

A google search just using the brand name brings up a bunch of articles of interest.


----------



## Jennifer Henion (Jan 1, 2012)

frontier said:


> I am sorry about your dog's serious reaction to Trifexis.
> 
> The warning label on Trifexis in Europe states not to give Trifexis more than 6 consecutive months
> http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB..._the_public/veterinary/002635/WC500152460.pdf
> ...


Thank you for sharing the European analysis. Interesting that it says NOT to give more than 6 consecutive months or to puppies under 14 weeks and that a reaction of vomiting is common. Other reactions include lethargy... Sounds like Betty had severe lethargy. So glad she is OK now. 

My vet clinic gives Trifexis to new puppy owners for free. When I went in with my three month old, they offered it to me. I had no idea it was controversial and I'm sure they didn't either. It was a fluke that I had just given Advantage, so I didn't take the free Trifexis. They gave me a sample of NexGard for ticks, instead. Think I'll print out the EU info and take it in.


----------



## cocdawg (Mar 9, 2013)

huntinman said:


> Would like to hear from some of the docs on the forum regarding Trifexis...


Bill-
I started a thread 6-8 months ago on here asking about the safety of Trifexis. Most called the claims that Trifexis wasn't safe BS. I had several back and forth PM's with a couple of well respected RTF vets and both defended Trifexis. I know one administered it to their dogs and I want to say both did. The common theme with both vets was "give with food" and everything will be fine. I've seen great results from it and thankfully, no side effects. I figured if these two vets, working for that elusive "N" that goes in front of FC/AFC in their dogs titles, were comfortable enough to give it to their animals then I shouldn't have a problem giving it to my "wanna be". 

To the OP...sorry about your pup and glad things worked out.


----------



## Texas Cajun (Feb 18, 2013)

I have been giving Trifexis to my 2 dogs for over a year now, and haven't seen any adverse side effects. I will ask my vet about it when we go in 2 weeks. Thanks for all the info


----------



## Tater 7 (Mar 20, 2014)

Did you give the pill with food? my vet always told me to make sure to administer it with food. maybe that has something to do with the adverse effect


----------



## Trifecta (May 17, 2013)

I have prescribed Trifexis to literally hundreds of patients and have never seen that kind of side effect. I also think its unusual that your dog was doing so well on it for so long and then suddenly had a problem. Not saying that she didn't have a reaction, but it seems a little odd to me.

I have seen lots of vomiting with it. However, that SE is so common that the company has vets replace the dose (if within 30 min) and reimburses you. I find that if its given with food vomiting is less, and that they tend to get better with subsequent doses.

Right now I have Hudson on PH6 because I am in HW dz central, and to be quite honest I have forgotten to give him his meds before... not a risk I am willing to take. The dog that is with my husband (2# chihuahua) gets trifexis monthly. If I wasn't so in love with PH6 I would be using trifexis on my big dogs too.

As an aside to the OP, did you purchase the product from your vet or from an online retailer? Not to mention specifics but one of the "major online retailers" has been accused of counterfeit product before. Was it a new box?

Other thoughts to consider: Spinosad is actually approved as an organic insecticide, and is frequently used on food crops in other countries. Milbemycin is the same active ingredient in Interceptor and Sentinel. So unless its Elanco's specific quality control with their base products, these ingredients have a long track record of safety outside of Trifexis; these things are not as new as people seem to think they are. 

Other things about drug safety reports... if a client comes to me and their pet has ANY se after administration, I am supposed to call FDA. There is no burden of proof on me to determine if the SE are from the medication at all. In addition, its difficult to get the percentage of SE relative to total # of doses. A good example of this is Rimadyl... if you google it, there are THOUSANDS of reports of dogs having major SE, all of which are basically reported on the drug info sheet. The part that is difficult to pare out is that there have been MILLIONS of doses given, so on a percentage basis, the number of SE is actually quite small (Realize- not so helpful if its your dog that ends up with liver dz, but just to put it in perspective).

I do think that everyone should have frank discussions with their vet about the medications that their dog is on. In this day and age, there are lots of good options for HWP so by all means if Trifexis makes you uncomfortable, switch to something else! I would never want my client to be giving routine meds that they didn't think was the right choice for their pet. 

To the OP, I am glad your dog is feeling better... that's the most important thing .


----------



## Cindy B (Nov 1, 2010)

Wow ... scary. I'm glad your pup is okay.

My dogs have been on Trifexis for two years with no visible side effects, until a few months ago when my 7 yr old male was treated for whip worms. What? He was suppose to be safe from whip worms. Never had problems like this on Heartguard!


----------



## huntinman (Jun 1, 2009)

Thanks Natalie!


----------



## RJW (Jan 8, 2012)

One of mine has been on Trifexis for 8-9 months without any side affects. I do believe that with the advent of the internet, smart phones, etc etc. that you can find bad reviews with just about anything if you search hard enough.


To the OP, glad that everything worked out well for you and your pup. I am sure it was scary.


----------



## blake_mhoona (Mar 19, 2012)

been on it for 2 years. we've had a few vomits here and there but those were because either a) i didnt feed it after giving him food or b) didnt break the pill in half. mine like most takes the biggest dosage and he will not eat it no matter how well you hide it so i do the old tilt his head back and stuff it down as far as my hand will reach and massage it down. i find that if i dont break it in half he's more likely to vomit. also the few times i have give it to him before eating he either throws up later or wont eat his food.

i believe RJW is spot on. with the way communication has spread in the technology era you research any product and you'll find complaints. i'm on a dose of antibiotics now and i threw up yesterday because i forgot to take it with lunch and took it at like 4pm on an empty stomach.


----------



## Lady Duck Hunter (Jan 9, 2003)

Enzos Mom said:


> I'm sorry that happened. Very scary indeed. I gave up administering any type of maintenance drugs to my dogs years ago. I'm a believer of over-medicating/over-vaccinating and steer clear of what I consider any unnecessary drugs. Hearing your story only makes me stronger in my opinion and belief. Glad your girl is ok.


So what do you do to prevent heart worms?


----------



## RookieTrainer (Mar 11, 2011)

Break in half for sure. I can count on cleaning up some vomit within 20 minutes if I try to give it whole, even if I give it with 3 cups of food. He much prefers to take it with some JIF peanut butter. Otherwise, no side effects noted here.



blake_mhoona said:


> been on it for 2 years. we've had a few vomits here and there but those were because either a) i didnt feed it after giving him food or b) didnt break the pill in half. mine like most takes the biggest dosage and he will not eat it no matter how well you hide it so i do the old tilt his head back and stuff it down as far as my hand will reach and massage it down. i find that if i dont break it in half he's more likely to vomit. also the few times i have give it to him before eating he either throws up later or wont eat his food.
> 
> i believe RJW is spot on. with the way communication has spread in the technology era you research any product and you'll find complaints. i'm on a dose of antibiotics now and i threw up yesterday because i forgot to take it with lunch and took it at like 4pm on an empty stomach.


----------



## jrrichar (Dec 17, 2013)

With a doctoral degree in pharmacology (although I specialize in the central nervous system and make use of animals but only to relate to human-based disorders) I can say that everything one puts into your body is a "drug." The public's perception on what a drug is, is heavily skewed to pharmaceutics, yet it is any foreign entity that is introduced into the body. 

Every single drug has side effects! Whether or not they produce a symptomatic side effect in a specific person/dog is a product of a multitude of many things but the easiest examples are dosage and bioavailability (the amount of active drug that makes it through the system; assuming it is oral). As Dr. Fraser states above, most of the products available are re-formulations of very old and often well classified drugs. 

Sorry to hear about the ordeal the OP had to experience, went through something similar with another flea/tick medication. Reported it, moved onto another medication, and everything has been fine. Again, there are never any guarantees in people or dogs with any drug whether it is prescribed or available OTC.

To the post that states they are not fans of vaccines and drugs I say please educate yourself outside of wikipedia and internet forums. Misinformation (especially in regards to vaccinations) has created a dangerous precedent. Are all vaccinations in dogs good, no. There are some I wouldn't touch with a 10 ft. pole but the required immunizations should always be followed, no exceptions. As far as drugs, any good vet/doctor/etc. will/should prescribe with the understanding that it can cause side effects but the probability or severity of side effects is lower then the benefit to the patient knowing their previous medical history. 

All of that being said, it never hurts to look up and educate yourselves on what you, your family, and your pets are taking. Ask questions any good vet or doctor should be glad to answer them. Clinical trials and published results from drug trials can be obtained from the internet, if someone is interested on where to find this information or the keys to interpret it just PM.


----------



## Swack (Nov 23, 2011)

jrrichar said:


> With a doctoral degree in pharmacology (although I specialize in the central nervous system and make use of animals but only to relate to human-based disorders) I can say that everything one puts into your body is a "drug." The public's perception on what a drug is, is heavily skewed to pharmaceutics, yet it is any foreign entity that is introduced into the body.
> 
> Every single drug has side effects! Whether or not they produce a symptomatic side effect in a specific person/dog is a product of a multitude of many things but the easiest examples are dosage and bioavailability (the amount of active drug that makes it through the system; assuming it is oral). As Dr. Fraser states above, most of the products available are re-formulations of very old and often well classified drugs.
> 
> ...


I don't have a problem with vaccinating dogs. However, I do try to avoid over-vaccinating my dogs. There's no need for a dog to receive vaccinations for most viral diseases on an annual basis. They provide immunity for at least three years and likely for much longer. Nor is it necessary for puppies to be given vaccinations every two weeks for a total of 6 or 7 vaccines by the time they're four months old. I vaccinate my puppies at ~8, 12, and 16 weeks. I usually wait until 20 weeks or latter before I give them their Rabies vaccination and never give it with other vaccines.

Too many challenges to a dog's immune system can have negative consequences, including the development of auto-immune diseases. IMHO, in this case more isn't always better.

Swack


----------



## jrrichar (Dec 17, 2013)

Swack said:


> I don't have a problem with vaccinating dogs. However, I do try to avoid over-vaccinating my dogs. *There's no need for a dog to receive vaccinations for most viral diseases on an annual basis.* They provide immunity for at least three years and likely for much longer. *Nor is it necessary for puppies to be given vaccinations every two weeks for a total of 6 or 7 vaccines by the time they're four months old*. I vaccinate my puppies at ~8, 12, and 16 weeks. I usually wait until 20 weeks or latter before I give them their Rabies vaccination and never give it with other vaccines.
> 
> Too many challenges to a dog's immune system can have negative consequences, including the development of auto-immune diseases. IMHO, in this case more isn't always better.
> 
> Swack


Jeff:

What training/background do you have that allows you to come to these conclusions? 

I have medical school training in immunology, microbiology, and virology and would never make these statements!! I have made use of antibodies, viral vectors, and such for my research interests so grasp the immune-based response but not to the level that one would need to make these claims. 

Do you personally know the lifestages of the various canine viruses introduced? Do you know of the timeline for canine antibody production (B and T cells) during puppyhood vs. adulthood? Do you know the vaccination titer that is given? Do you know why that titer is given? 

There are numerous factors that go into the schedule of vaccination, every one is for a specific purpose backed up by data! 

The immune system is vastly complicated...there is a reason why people devote entire research/medical careers to just one small aspect of it.


----------



## Swack (Nov 23, 2011)

jrrichar,

The claims I have made are not my own, nor are they new. The statement below is over 20 years old.

I found the following quote which was taken from _Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy XI, (small animal practice),_ _1992_,page 205. The text is authored by Tom R. Phillips, DVM, Ph.D. who is an Associate Member of the Scripts Research Institute in LaJolla, California, and by Ronald D. Schultz, Ph.D. Professor and Chairman of the Dept. of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Schultz is recognized as a pioneer in clinical immunology and vaccinology.

 “Annual Vaccination: A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccinations. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces an immunologic memory that remains for years, allowing an animal to develop a protective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulent organisms. Only the immune response to toxins requires boosters (e.g. tetanus in humans), and no toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs or cats. Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response as a result of interference by existing antibody (similar to maternal antibody interference). The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law (i.e. rabies vaccinations in some states).”


The following documents lend further detailed support to my claims. I believe you will find the sources of the information are valid.

http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocuments/VaccineGuidelines06Revised.pdf

http://www.calmanimalcare.com/vaccine.htm

http://www.bmd.org/health/Vaccinations.html

Old habits are hard to break.

Swack


----------



## jrrichar (Dec 17, 2013)

Jeff:

We are actually in agreement your three links all specify the same guidelines for vaccinations in puppies. When the combination vaccinations are given for each of the respective pathogens with the intervals indicated in puppies (3-4 weeks) it works out to be approximately every 2 weeks. Most vets don't like to give 3+ vaccines at one time so space them apart. It is the same rationale as to why we don't give children all of the required vaccinations at one time and instead stagger them keeping the staggered schedule through the required boosters.

You are correct that most adult vaccinations last on average for 3 years and is probably skewed towards 5 years, my apologies. 

The AAHA has a new guideline published in 2011.


----------



## Madluke (Dec 3, 2010)

Swack said:


> jrrichar,
> 
> The claims I have made are not my own, nor are they new. The statement below is over 20 years old.
> 
> ...


Your response was impressive and similar to what a holistic vet had informed me about some 15 years ago. I'm glad that the OP's dog recovered and got through the reaction. I also expressed skeptism in an earlier thread about Trefexis and was very concerned about reactions I observed in my dog and what I'd read about the product and would hardly categorize it as Wikipedia and Internet forum information. I also share your sentiments. One of my favorite movies is " The Fugitive" Provaset...


----------



## Swack (Nov 23, 2011)

jrrichar said:


> Jeff:
> 
> We are actually in agreement your three links all specify the same guidelines for vaccinations in puppies. *When the combination vaccinations are given for each of the respective pathogens with the intervals indicated in puppies (3-4 weeks) it works out to be approximately every 2 weeks*. Most vets don't like to give 3+ vaccines at one time so space them apart. It is the same rationale as to why we don't give children all of the required vaccinations at one time and instead stagger them keeping the staggered schedule through the required boosters.
> 
> ...


jrrichar,

I disagree. We aren't in agreement. 

I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion you made in the emboldened text in your last post. Most canine multivalent vaccines given to puppies contain antigens for five to seven different diseases and are contained in one injection. The way I read the recommendations it is only necessary to give one multivalent vaccine to a puppy at three to four week intervals. Therefore, the 8, 12, and 16 week vaccination interval I use would fit their recommendations and the puppy would only receive 3 immunizations in its first year (not counting rabies or other non-core vaccines you may elect to administer). That's one vaccination at four week intervals for a total of three. I don't know about medical school math, but in my world three equals three; and four week intervals does not equal two week intervals.

Swack


----------



## jrrichar (Dec 17, 2013)

Swack said:


> jrrichar,
> 
> I disagree. We aren't in agreement.
> 
> ...


It depends on what variety of vaccine. Do all contain 5-7? If you have a double/triple combination it works out to alternating every 2 weeks. The vet I have used, the vet that is in charge of our medical animal research facilities all use a 2 week schedule based on the combination that they are giving. At the end of the day the dog sees the same amount of vaccine. It is just given in smaller increments. You are making the assumption that all puppies get the exact same vaccination cocktail. 

-J


----------



## J_Brown (Jan 4, 2013)

frontier said:


> I am sorry about your dog's serious reaction to Trifexis.
> 
> *The warning label on Trifexis in Europe states not to give Trifexis more than 6 consecutive months*
> http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB..._the_public/veterinary/002635/WC500152460.pdf
> ...


Interesting. I had no idea there was a warning to not administer the drug more than 6 consecutive months. My vet never told me that. I wonder if that had something to do with this occurrence?



Tater 7 said:


> Did you give the pill with food? my vet always told me to make sure to administer it with food. maybe that has something to do with the adverse effect


Yep. I had given her every dose with a full bowl of food.



Trifecta said:


> I have prescribed Trifexis to literally hundreds of patients and have never seen that kind of side effect. I also think its unusual that your dog was doing so well on it for so long and then suddenly had a problem. Not saying that she didn't have a reaction, but it seems a little odd to me.
> 
> I have seen lots of vomiting with it. However, that SE is so common that the company has vets replace the dose (if within 30 min) and reimburses you. I find that if its given with food vomiting is less, and that they tend to get better with subsequent doses.
> 
> ...


I purchased the Trifexis through my dog's vet clinic.

---

Thank you all for the kind words and interesting discussion. I am totally in agreement that side effects are just the nature of the beast when it comes to medications and vaccines. I'm typically not one to bash meds or vaccines because I realize how much good they've done for our civilized world. I also know that Spinosad has long been used on mosquitoes and midges and other insects, and is considered organic and non-toxic, as I ran the county's Mosquito Control Program during previous employment. I understand there are and will always be risks involved with vaccines so I'm trying not to make a blanket statement on how "bad" Trifexis is... But I do want people to be aware of these particular risks and side effects associated with this drug. It was a very stressful couple of days for my wife and I, mostly because we had no idea what was happening to our dog. If this post can at least make people aware of what _possibly_ could be happening with their dog when a situation like this occurs then I think it's worthwhile to mention.


----------



## Swack (Nov 23, 2011)

jrrichar said:


> It depends on what variety of vaccine. Do all contain 5-7? If you have a double/triple combination it works out to alternating every 2 weeks. The vet I have used, the vet that is in charge of our medical animal research facilities all use a 2 week schedule based on the combination that they are giving. At the end of the day the dog sees the same amount of vaccine. It is just given in smaller increments. You are making the assumption that all puppies get the exact same vaccination cocktail.
> 
> -J


jrrichar,

I've checked out the vet supply catalogs looking for vaccines that omit some of the extraneous and/or offensive (to me) antigens. It's difficult to find a vaccine for just parvovirus or distemper. Most are multivalent vaccines containing parvovirus, distemper, adenovirus, hepatitis, and parainfluenva; some may include leptospirosis and/or bordetella.

In my experience of about 30 years, multivalent vaccines containing five or more antigens is standard operating procedure in small animal veterinary practices. What happens in animal research facilities may differ, as may their vaccination schedule. It seems you are basing your comments on the theoretical world, not the real world.

Swack


----------



## Swack (Nov 23, 2011)

J_Brown said:


> Interesting. I had no idea there was a warning to not administer the drug more than 6 consecutive months. My vet never told me that. I wonder if that had something to do with this occurrence?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


J_ Brown,

Sorry for high-jacking your thread with the vaccine conversation. You had a scary event and a good lesson to share. Glad your dog is recovering. I've never been a fan of systemic insecticides for dogs.

Good Luck for a complete recovery!

Swack


----------



## J_Brown (Jan 4, 2013)

Swack said:


> J_ Brown,
> 
> Sorry for high-jacking your thread with the vaccine conversation. You had a scary event and a good lesson to share. Glad your dog is recovering. I've never been a fan of systemic insecticides for dogs.
> 
> ...


Thank you. So far so good. Betty appears to be back to normal now so I hope that's the last of it.

No hi-jacking going on here... I learned a few things reading the posts on vaccines. Thanks for sharing!


----------



## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

Swack said:


> jrrichar,
> 
> I've checked out the vet supply catalogs looking for vaccines that omit some of the extraneous and/or offensive (to me) antigens. It's difficult to find a vaccine for just parvovirus or distemper. Most are multivalent vaccines containing parvovirus, distemper, adenovirus, hepatitis, and parainfluenva; some may include leptospirosis and/or bordetella.
> 
> ...


Jeff You can get NEOPAR (Parvo only) and NEOVAC ( Da2) from Revival Animal Health


----------



## Swack (Nov 23, 2011)

Bridget Bodine said:


> Jeff You can get NEOPAR (Parvo only) and NEOVAC ( Da2) from Revival Animal Health


Bridget,

Thanks for the information! I looked at the website and couldn't find "Neovac". Did you mean "Nobivac Puppy"? It inoculates against Parvo and Distemper.

Swack


----------



## Bridget Bodine (Mar 4, 2008)

Swack said:


> Bridget,
> 
> Thanks for the information! I looked at the website and couldn't find "Neovac". Did you mean "Nobivac Puppy"? It inoculates against Parvo and Distemper.
> 
> Swack


http://www.revivalanimal.com/NeoVac-D.html

http://www.revivalanimal.com/NeoVac-DA2.html

http://www.revivalanimal.com/Neopar.html

Dr Dodd's vaccination protocol http://drjeandoddspethealthresource...g-vaccination-protocol-2013-2014#.U2eIZfldVws


----------



## jrrichar (Dec 17, 2013)

Swack: I think you have some proof that my comments were not theoretical (thanks Bridget) although I do agree with you that for whatever reason these can be hard to obtain for a DVM in a small practice. One can always ask the product/catalog # of the vaccine and then determine what viral strains are targeted. The vets I personally work with and or are a client of, provide this information and will certainly discuss the schedule and why they chose X. I don't order our vaccinations (done by our chief vet) but I believe that we obtain them through Henry (Butler) Schein, which is not typically available to the public (typically require DVM or PhD; with proof of an active research lab or practice).


----------



## Swack (Nov 23, 2011)

Bridget,

Thanks for the links! Good information.

jrrichar,

I will agree that it is _possible_ to find monovalent vaccines, but I also agree with you that it's not common that the local vet will have them in stock. I'd bet the vast majority of dogs receive multivalent vaccines containing 5 or more fractions when presented for immunization.

Are you feeling better about administering just 3 or 4 immunizations to a puppy in it's first year? Did you read Dr. Dodd's recommendations from Bridget's link? I don't hear the same outrage to her much leaner vaccination protocol that you gave me for my vaccine schedule.

By the way, you asked what my qualifications were to make such outrageous claims. The truth is that I have 4 PhD's and I am working on my 5th.

Swack

P.S. By PhD, I mean Pheasant hunting Dog!


----------



## jrrichar (Dec 17, 2013)

Jeff:

I don't know what the vast majority of dogs get. I don't know if anyone does. What I do know is mono and multivalent vaccines are available. 

I can see 3-4 as a schedule, I also can see 6-8 as a schedule and leave it at that, even with my bad math skills. 

Lets leave it at that. 

I wish you well on your training of your 5th PhD.


----------



## willidru (Dec 27, 2013)

Lady Duck Hunter said:


> So what do you do to prevent heart worms?


I didn't see any response to this in the string of messages. What would a good alternative to trifexis be? I use Frontline Plus topical for fleas and ticks and just had my vet prescribe trifexis for heartworm. If there is a safe alternate it would be nice to know, what risk is bigger side effects from trifexis, or not protecting from heartworm?


----------



## sdnordahl (Sep 1, 2012)

willidru said:


> I didn't see any response to this in the string of messages. What would a good alternative to trifexis be? I use Frontline Plus topical for fleas and ticks and just had my vet prescribe trifexis for heartworm. If there is a safe alternate it would be nice to know, what risk is bigger side effects from trifexis, or not protecting from heartworm?


I use iveraheart max. It does heart worm and other worms. 

Im wondering if trivexis is asking to much. It does heart worm, other worms, and it's an internal pesticide. I think that's a bit much to be putting into my dog. Especially hearing how much trouble dogs are having keeping it down.


----------



## blake_mhoona (Mar 19, 2012)

i use trifexis because there is a growing amount of ivermectin (key ingredient in most heartworm preventatives) resistant mosquitos in our area. i know of 2 dogs that were fed a heartguard pill every 30 days bought from the vet and came up positive for heartworms at their annual checkup


----------

