Trifexis Worries

[greyhead]

Shane (with history of hookworm and recent signs of fleas) has been on Trifexis for two months, since we ran out of Interceptor, and is due another dose today. Problem is, the last time he took it, he was more or less knocked out for two days. By "more or less" I mean that although he ate, pottied when asked, and took brief walks, he did nothing else. He just laid on his bed the rest of the time, didn't change beds, didn't change rooms, didn't so much as scratch his neck! It was weird and worrisome. Fortunately, he returned to normal on the third day.

 

I'm reluctant to give it to him again, but I don't have ready access to anything else. My question is: Is it possible that the standard weight-determined dose of Trifexis is too much for some greyhounds? (He has a history of Babesia and Lyme, creatinine of 2.6 in June, and just musculoskeletal stuff beyond that.)

 

 

[greyhounds1234]

Gosh, I wish I would knock out my whippet and iggy!

 

We didn't use it when we had greys but have been using it on our iggy, Jake, for the past year and had been using it for nearly 3 years on our whippet. No signs of sleepiness out of either one of them....darn it!

[Guest Doggone]

Autumn is on Trifexis too, and I notice that on the day she gets it, she's pretty much finished with eating that day . She's also a bit lethargic, but it's hard to tell if that's due to the Trifexis or if it's just her nature . (I give her the pill in a piece of Babybel after she's eaten her breakfast, and after our longish morning walk, so it could be the walk that, as usual, tires her out for most of the day.)

[greyhead]

Thanks for those replies. I do fear that it's something peculiar to Shane. Forgot to mention that he as been showing symptoms of stress under conditions (e.g., car rides) that didn't bother him when Spencer was still around. He's getting better, but much of that is due to our avoiding situations likely to provoke a "heat stress" type of response.

Edited September 25, 2013 by greyhead

[KF_in_Georgia]

I'm pretty sure lethargy is a known side effect of Trifexis, one that isn't limited just to greyhounds.

 

If your dog is experiencing side effects--especially if they've been getting progressively more significant--I wouldn't continue to use it.

 

Talk to your vet's office. They should be able to provide something on short notice.

[greyhead]

Kathy, I mentioned it last time I was in. They just said they'd never heard of that lethargy happening with it. They do sell Revolution, but the table I looked at later didn't list it as treating hookworm. I'll check again. It looked like Sentinel treats hookworm, but it sounds like it's hard/impossible to get?

[KF_in_Georgia]

There's a PDF from the makers of Trifexis located here. The center column of the first page has side effects, but it's not in a form I can copy/paste.

[gryhnd_adoptee]

My girls had been on Interceptor for years until it was discontinued. They are now on Heartguard Plus, and I swear it knocks them off their feet for even longer than the Interceptor did. When I brought it up to our vet, he kind of looked at me like I had three eyes, and said he is not aware of any reactions to it. I know my dogs well enough to know that when they seem more lethargic, refuse to eat, and are just sorta blah, something is bugging them. This is worst for the first two days after dosing, but typically lasts for 3-4 days overall. It breaks my heart to have to give them any of this stuff.

[Guest Waterdog66]

Audrey has been on Trifexis for almost 6 months now and does not seem to experience any side effects. She does go through days of lethargy but that is usually more associated with weather or activity levels and not the medication.

 

Interesting that I spent a bunch of time trying to hide the pill only to find that she is very willing to take it straight up. (She took the pill out of the pill pocket, ate the pill and left the pocket)

 

Now she gets peanut butter with her pill as a treat for being so good about it

[KF_in_Georgia]

Diarrhea is common with Heartgard Plus. It seems to be a problem with the flavoring, though, rather than the med itself. With my two dogs, I could predict the diarrhea would hit within 24 hours, so that I wouldn't give it on a rainy day, when having to deal with frequent, urgent trips outside would be more of a problem than normal.

 

Now, my girl takes Advantage Multi, which is a topical preventative aimed at heartworms and fleas. My foster boy is getting a compounded capsule of ivermectin (I think; they mail it to me, I give it to him), along with topical Frontline Plus.

[macoduck]

My greyhounds had no problems with the Trifexis. My mutt girl PUdge would vomit no matter the timing of with or without food. What works for her is cutting the pill in quarters and giving it to her over the course of one day.

[greysmom]

Mine have no problem with Trifexis except for the fact it smells awful, is a HUGE pill, and they won't eat it (even though it's supposed to be "chewable") so I have to pill them - EXCEPT for one. That one gets an upset tum and doesn't want to eat after getting it for about three meals. In talking to our vet, I now break it in half and give half one day and half the next. No more problems!

 

I does really help to give it with a pretty full stomach. Otherwise you can get upset. Lilly just has a sensitive digestive system.

[greyhead]

It's good to know that at least someone's vet has approved splitting the dose! Cuz that's what I'm doing today. I gave him half after his brunch, and it sounds like I can give the other half tonight or tomorrow.

 

Spencer's internist assured me it was chewable. I asked her if she'd ever smelled it. She hadn't. I said I had, and there's no way I could understand anyone with a working nose taking that thing voluntarily, lol!

[Guest PiagetsMom]

My vet told me right up that most dogs really don't like the Trifexis, and I can vouch for that with mine. I've taken to quartering it and putting it in cream cheese - goes down the hatch easily. I do give it after a meal. Sometimes they'll have softer poop for a day or so, and sometimes Mirage seems a little lethargic the next day, but strangely enough that's not an every dose occurance, so heck if I know. I wouldn't think it would make a difference to half it over a two day period, as long as they get the full dose.

[JJNg]

For a dog who gets lethargic with Trifexis (pretty rare, but it happens), I would recommend switching to a different preventative. Giving a lower dose, or splitting the dose between 2 days, may not be as effective in preventing heartworms. Especially since I live in an area where HW disease is endemic, that's not a risk I'm willing to take, and I would rather have the dog on an appropriate dose of a different product.

I don't use a lot of it, but the last time I checked, Sentinel was readily available. Your vet may just not want to carry it if they don't it much, and it has to be purchased by the carton (10 boxes). You might want to ask your vet if they're willing to get it for you, or have you get it, from another local clinic that carries it.

greysmom, did your vet check with the manufacturer to confirm that giving 1/2 of the Trifexis one day, and 1/2 the next is an acceptable way to dose?

Btw, regarding whether Trifexis is chewable, our rep told out that some dogs may be more willing to eat it voluntarily if it is removed from the packaged and allowed to sit out for a few hours for the smell to dissipate. I can tell you it didn't work for my dogs, who are chow hounds who usually eat anything. I love Comfortis/Trifexis, but the 2 big drawbacks are lack of tick control, and dogs not wanting to take it.

[greysmom]

For a dog who gets lethargic with Trifexis (pretty rare, but it happens), I would recommend switching to a different preventative. Giving a lower dose, or splitting the dose between 2 days, may not be as effective in preventing heartworms. Especially since I live in an area where HW disease is endemic, that's not a risk I'm willing to take, and I would rather have the dog on an appropriate dose of a different product.

 

I don't use a lot of it, but the last time I checked, Sentinel was readily available. Your vet may just not want to carry it if they don't it much, and it has to be purchased by the carton (10 boxes). You might want to ask your vet if they're willing to get it for you, or have you get it, from another local clinic that carries it.

 

greysmom, did your vet check with the manufacturer to confirm that giving 1/2 of the Trifexis one day, and 1/2 the next is an acceptable way to dose?

 

Btw, regarding whether Trifexis is chewable, our rep told out that some dogs may be more willing to eat it voluntarily if it is removed from the packaged and allowed to sit out for a few hours for the smell to dissipate. I can tell you it didn't work for my dogs, who are chow hounds who usually eat anything. I love Comfortis/Trifexis, but the 2 big drawbacks are lack of tick control, and dogs not wanting to take it.

 

I don't know for sure. I called and talked to one of the techs, who talked to the vet and called me back. The main reason I dose them is for *other* worms and not heartworm. We still have a very low incidence here in the Northwest, though it's beginning to show up more frequently as the climate warms here in the Willamette Valley. But hooks are horrible! And the Trifexis takes care of them well.

 

I may switch to Heartguard Plus though as I now have a seizure dog in the house.

[Guest undergreysspell]

I use Sentinel and buy it from Drs Foster and Smith. You can buy 12, 6, or individual tablets and they will contact your vet for a prescription.

[greyhead]

Our vet said "we don't have heartworm here," though they used to think that about hookworm too. And they were right...until they weren't. Anyway, I'm not *as* worried about heartworm as about hookworm.

 

Gave him half yesterday on top of food. He didn't want dinner, he was subdued, and this morning he vomited (after eating a little grass) a large mass of white foam, three-dimensional and shaped like a large fist (or a cream puff). Gave him a half Zantac, and he ate a small breakfast in due course. Then I fed him a big meal a couple hours ago, followed by the other half of Trifexis, and he's doing well so far and is asking for a walk.

 

So I don't know how much we've sacrificed in effectiveness by giving the dose in halves, 24 hours apart. But in terms of side effects, I'd say he's doing a lot better than the other way. Next month he'll be taking something different, though. And who the heck decided that discontinuing Interceptor was a brilliant idea?!

[greyhead]

Saw the vet yesterday and discussed our Trifexis experience. She said it should be fine to split the dose, as long as both halves are given within a 24-hour period. That is what we did, and Shane did much better that way. However, we decided to switch to Revolution for the future.