# Trifexis???



## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

Trifexis heartworm medication is what my vet has changed to..but I am not sure if it is because it is more expensive...sorry I am always doubting. My PW friends say they don't use it as they don't think it has been tested enough...are any of you using it??? If not what are you using?? Our dogs have to be on it all year long in my location. Thanks Flynn


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## waybrook (Sep 13, 2009)

Panda has been on Trifexis since last summer. She couldn't tolerate any of the liquid flea/tick preventatives so this was our next best option. We haven't had any problems as long as she has eaten a good size meal before taking the Trifexis. Otherwise, it has upset her stomach. It has been effective - she has had 0 fleas, and one seed tick on her tummy that was attached, but dead (even though it is not advertised for ticks). So far, we are ok with it and our vet has not seen any adverse reactions to it....


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

My vet is suggesting going back to heartgard. I am hoping novartis gets their act together before I run out of their interceptor.


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## StarrLhasa (Jun 6, 2010)

I had my two on Trifexis last Spring and Summer. The only way Buffy would take it was wrapped in cream cheese. She never had any problems with it. Buster, on the other hand, hated the smell, even when covered with cream cheese. He would spit it out each time, so I had to put it down his throat. The last time I gave it to him, he threw it back up a few minutes later. Maybe his stomach had been too empty.

The problem for him was the smell, I think. It smells extremely medicine-y.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

I hear there is a problem with it in brood bitches also. The testing is said to have been limited, so it is difficult to tell. I am hoping to get more replies, and not sure what to do, but thinking about going back to Sentinel.. I always like to hear what people on HF have to say...


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Gucci has been on it for 6 months or so and is fine. THe first few times she had a bit of diarrhea, but that seems to have corrected itself.

I hadn't heard anything bad about it, but do know I haven't seen one single flea on her since we put her on it, 

Kara


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Missy said:


> My vet is suggesting going back to heartgard. I am hoping novartis gets their act together before I run out of their interceptor.


Did she have you spread it out to every 6 weeks to try to hold you over? That's what she told me to do. She said he'd still be protected as long as I was very careful not to go ANY longer than 6 weeks. Doing it that way, I can get through the beginning of Oct. I HOPE they will be back in production by then!!!


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

krandall said:


> Did she have you spread it out to every 6 weeks to try to hold you over? That's what she told me to do. She said he'd still be protected as long as I was very careful not to go ANY longer than 6 weeks. Doing it that way, I can get through the beginning of Oct. I HOPE they will be back in production by then!!!


On another list I have been told that the problem with Narvatis is that there is cross contamination in the plant, with some human drugs...and they are trying to get that under control before the pet medication will be back in production. As of yesterday they had no date set for the pet medication to resume.


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

StarrLhasa said:


> I had my two on Trifexis last Spring and Summer. The only way Buffy would take it was wrapped in cream cheese. She never had any problems with it. Buster, on the other hand, hated the smell, even when covered with cream cheese. He would spit it out each time, so I had to put it down his throat. The last time I gave it to him, he threw it back up a few minutes later. Maybe his stomach had been too empty.
> 
> The problem for him was the smell, I think. It smells extremely medicine-y.


My two will NOT take it wrapped in anything. I have to give it to them the old fashioned way..don't like doing that..I am not against advancements but sometimes feel not enough testing is done and the vets all jump on the bandwagon when it might not be in the pets best interest. JMHO


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Flynn Gentry-Taylor said:


> On another list I have been told that the problem with Narvatis is that there is cross contamination in the plant, with some human drugs...and they are trying to get that under control before the pet medication will be back in production. As of yesterday they had no date set for the pet medication to resume.


Yeah I know. It had nothing directly to do with Interceptor. But I'm SURE that pet meds are the very smallest part of their worries right now. I had also heard that there is not yet a date that they plan to get started again.
...If I can ONLY get to the cold weather before I run out, we have until next May to worry about it again!


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

the front desk said 6 weeks just like you said. my worry with that is I try to separate the interceptor and the frontline so 6 weeks would put them together every other month. I have one more dose left for the both. I guess I will figure it out then.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Flynn, I checked with Sabine, here's her reply...

"Overall I'm not a fan of all the new "multi" pesticides. It seems like so many companies are adding in yet another thing to have a new "prescription only" product because old patents expired and the older products are now generic and officially OTC.

Choosing a product really depends much on where you live and what pests you even need to control.

Milbemycin oxime is the active ingredient in Interceptor, and I'd rather give it stand-alone and use the lower "Safeheart" dosage to prevent heartworms and choose something for fleas and/or ticks separately, depending on what's needed. If a dog takes Trifexis, they are not protected from ticks.

Personally I don't need a heartworm drug for my dog here where I live, but fleas are a major nuisance and during the wet months ticks as well.

The flea component in Trifexis is spinosad (sold stand-alone as Comfortis), and the fleas must actually bite the dog and ingest it with the blood to be killed. The upside is that it doesn't wash off, like Frontline or Advantage. It's new, so there's not as long of a record on how animals do on it, which always makes me cautious, but I've had some clients with severely flea-allergic dogs whose dogs have done better with it than any other flea preventive.

Dax is doing great! We started puppy class 2 weeks ago and are having lots of fun!"

Sabine


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

davetgabby said:


> Hi Flynn, I checked with Sabine, here's her reply...
> 
> "Overall I'm not a fan of all the new "multi" pesticides. It seems like so many companies are adding in yet another thing to have a new "prescription only" product because old patents expired and the older products are now generic and officially OTC.
> 
> ...


Dave I wonder if Sabine knows about the trial that showed absorption and miscarriages in brood bitches taking the ingredient spinosad (Comfortis) during or within 6 weeks of taking Trifextis? My thoughts are the same as hers, it is too new to know.. I am not sure we have Safeheart here..
Yes, the dogs are not protected against ticks..that takes ANOTHER product..
Thanks for asking Sabine Dave.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Missy said:


> the front desk said 6 weeks just like you said. my worry with that is I try to separate the interceptor and the frontline so 6 weeks would put them together every other month. I have one more dose left for the both. I guess I will figure it out then.


I do the flea/tick stuff (Advantix for Kodi) one week after the Interceptor. That way they are separated, and never coincide. You can go 6 weeks with flea and tick meds too. I've been doing that all along.


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## tokipoke (Feb 13, 2012)

I requested Trifexis from my vet when he asked me about renewing the yearly Sentinel. I disliked Sentinel cause my dog got infested with fleas on it. I was less paranoid about the fleas on him cause I knew they couldn't reproduce in my house, but it was a pain to get all the fleas off of him. So I switched to Trifexis. Where I live I need yearly heartworm and flea protection - I haven't had a problem with ticks, but that would be a different story if I lived or romped around in a heavily wooded area.

Always give Trifexis with a full meal otherwise the medication will not be 100% absorbed into the system. My dogs have been on it since March and no problems. No diarrhea or vomiting. And thank goodness for no fleas!


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## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Trooper is on it but the dose he's getting tonight is only the second one. I gave him the first one in a chunk of turkey dog. Trooper does anything for hotdog!


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Flynn, I use heartguard for all four of my guys, three also use frontline (it still works here), Misty gets comfortis it has been carefully tested and you can find the trial online as some group obtained it using "The Freedom of Information Act", they tested it on brood bitches also, they used Beagles 100 if I remember right, I must warn you very sad reading as the killed all the dogs and puppies so they could study their organs. Misty uses it as she has a flea allergy and had pyoderma so during wet weather we need to use a shampoo that strips the coat. Boo Boo has a flea allergy also but the Vet thinks its risky for him at his advance age and health issues.


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

My 3 did not do well on Trifexis...diarrhea and vomiting even when they had eaten before taking it....I even did what the vet suggested and split the pill in 1/2 and gave only 1/2 after each meal...still didn't work.....so they are back on hearguard and frontline...I separate them by at least two weeks..I do find ticks but they are dead and no fleas


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