Bravecto?

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Has anyone tried Bravecto? It comes very highly recommended by my vet and I've seen folks have great success with it. Even though it's expensive, combining it with a cheaper heartworm preventative (iverheart/triheart) makes it just about the same yearly price as say Revolution or Trifexis, with the added tick-murdering benefit neither of those offer. I'm a big fan of internal rather than external parasite prevention, anyway. I'm also not a fan of Sentinel because it only neutralizes flea eggs and doesn't do ticks, and adding Advantix to the mix actually just comes out more expensive on a yearly basis. Plus, liquids that prevent ticks can murder the bunnies if they happen to get near it, so it always gives me the heebie jeebies.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ramonaghan]

I posted the same question a few weeks ago and got only one response, so I think it's still too new to have a lot of users here. I decided to stick with the combo I've been using for the time being (Iverhart + Comfortis), but will probably try Bravecto the next time I need to order. (I also prefer oral meds over topical.) I was at the vet's office with one of my cats this weekend and they mentioned for the second time how much good feedback they've been getting about it--and they see a lot of greyhounds there, so that's encouraging!

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Oh man, I searched but I must have misspelled or something. Sorry for the double post! Thanks for the response though, and that's great info that they've got greys at your vet that are no it.

 

I think I'll be using it, because I can't risk bringing ticks inside! Claymore will be the board guinea pig, hehe. One thing I'm thankful for here in Arkansas is that all the ticks that are common are all the ones Bravecto takes care of. Back in Florida, it's the Deer Tick that runs rampant, and almost nothing works against those little buggers.

 

We have his first official vet visit Saturday, so I'll be picking it up then. Also he'll be getting his microchip, so he'll probably be miffed at me all day.

[ramonaghan]

Oh man, I searched but I must have misspelled or something. Sorry for the double post! Thanks for the response though, and that's great info that they've got greys at your vet that are no it.

 

I think I'll be using it, because I can't risk bringing ticks inside! Claymore will be the board guinea pig, hehe. One thing I'm thankful for here in Arkansas is that all the ticks that are common are all the ones Bravecto takes care of. Back in Florida, it's the Deer Tick that runs rampant, and almost nothing works against those little buggers.

 

We have his first official vet visit Saturday, so I'll be picking it up then. Also he'll be getting his microchip, so he'll probably be miffed at me all day.

 

No need to apologize at all! I just wanted to prepare you for maybe not getting a lot of replies.

 

Good luck at the first vet visit! I'll be interested in your thoughts on Bravecto after Claymore's been on it awhile. BTW, cookies or anything peanut butter-flavored go a long way toward restoring peace in this household (post-nail dremeling, tooth brushing, etc.).

[MaryJane]

Greyhounds can be more sensitive to chemicals than other dogs and as a result, I usually don't try new "things" until they have been on the market for a few years even though they have been "tested". I agonized over giving the Lyme vaccine for a month and finally went with it because of all the Lyme cases in my area (south of Boston). By the time my group got the vaccine, it had been out for years with positive results on preventing Lyme although the previous version of the vaccine had some problems.

 

One of my dogs is also a seizure dog with IBD and and I changed her heartworm medicine to one with no "beef" because of the IBD and she ended up having a seizure on the new heartworm meds. Turns out not many heartworm/tick meds are OK for seizure dogs to use.

 

So, if you are trying something new, it can have repercussions or it can work great - might I suggest that you get the "pharmaceutical sheet" and do some reading.

[macoduck]

We used to usee Trifexis. Never had any problems with it except the price and the occasional upset tummy.

 

Now we use Heartguard Plus for heartworms and worms and the Seresto collar for fleas and ticks. Successful combo so far.

 

The Seresto collar was $80 from my vet but around $50 online. It's good for 8 months and if you stop using it for a while just put it back in its tin. When you start using it again the clock starts ticking towards the 8 months.

[HeidisMum]

My friend is using Bravecto with her 4 greyhounds with no noticeable side effects. I just picked up some for Betty today. The topical flea stuff really throws Betty off for a day after applying it. I don't know if it is the chemical smell or something she can feel, but she just seems off (pouty and sad, if that makes any sense) with the topical solutions. We had been using Activyl due to the Frontline Plus not preventing fleas around here.

 

Betty was due for her heartworm pill today, so I will wait 2 weeks before starting the Bravecto for flea control. I usually try to spread any medication out a week or two apart instead of giving it all at once. That gives me a better idea about which med is causing any side effects if there are any.

 

Good luck at your first vet visit. He should get over any trauma when the treats come out. Betty is a treat snob and refuses to eat treats from the vet until they pull out the meaty treats or the peanut butter pill pockets. It's funny to see her spit the regular treats at their feet and just stare at them until the good treats come out, lol.

[Guest FloridaGirl]

The only thing about the collar or any topical anti-tick thing is possible contact with bunnies. Of course, hand washing and keeping a distance are important, but the potential of coming home to find the rabbits dead because they somehow licked up a drop of fipronil somewhere or got some collar dust on them...I can't even handle that.

 

As for safety with greys, I've read in a few places that knowledgeable grey vets have recommended it/use it on their own pets.

 

Here is a double-blind study of Frontline vs Bravecto completed in Europe: http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/7/1/83

• "Breeds represented by more than ten dogs included: Great Anglo-French Hound, English Setter, Spanish Greyhound, Brittany, Beagle, Yorkshire Terrier, Dachshund, Fawn Brittany Basset, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and Maltese."
• "There were 2 dogs (0.5%) with vomiting/diarrhea and 2 dogs (0.5%) with appetite loss among the 383 dogs in the Bravecto™ (fluralaner)-treated group."
• "A concern of veterinarians in clinical practice is patient safety for new treatments. Considering the entire study period of 12 weeks, only 4 of the 383 (1.0%) Bravecto™ (fluralaner)-treated dogs in the study had an adverse event and these were exclusively transient gastrointestinal-related events including vomiting and appetite loss."

 

Here's a summary of product characteristics: http://ec.europa.eu/health/documents/community-register/2014/20140211127740/anx_127740_en.pdf

• "Following oral administration, fluralaner is readily absorbed reaching maximum plasma concentrations within 1 day. Food enhances the absorption. Fluralaner is systemically distributed and reaches the highest concentrations in fat, followed by liver, kidney and muscle."
• "The veterinary medicinal product was well tolerated in Collies with a deficient multidrug-resistance-protein 1 (MDR1-/-) following single oral administration at 3 times the recommended dose
  (168 mg/kg bodyweight). No treatment-related clinical signs were observed."
• "Commonly observed adverse reactions in clinical trials (1.6% of treated dogs) were mild and transient gastrointestinal effects such as diarrhoea,vomiting, inappetence, and drooling."

And finally, the pharm sheet: http://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/binaries/Bravecto_PI_8_tcm96-153753.pdf

Personally, I'm not concerned about its newness vis a vis reactions as it appears to have been thoroughly studied. Heartgard was new once, as was Advantage, etc. There is always a need for early adopters to help the greater good, and I am comfortable enough with the research as well as vet commentary to attempt early adoption. Of course, I will keep everyone posted on how things go!

HeidisMum - Thanks for the info! He already got his hw prevention for the month and I've always been a fan of "spreading it out" too - never know whats giving them the barfs! And as for treats, there are some verrry tasty goodies in store for him!!!

[Victor]

We've given it twice now to both our greys, and neither seemed to have any side effects. The main thing is to give it with food so it doesn't cause GI upset. It'll be interesting to see how well it works this upcoming tick season.

 

Victor

 

ETA: By the way, others have posted about using Bravecto. Not sure why those posts aren't appearing in searches for "Bravecto" (I just tried and only one post from last year appeared).

Edited March 9, 2015 by Victor

[racindog]

Greyhounds can be more sensitive to chemicals than other dogs and as a result, I usually don't try new "things" until they have been on the market for a few years even though they have been "tested". I agonized over giving the Lyme vaccine for a month and finally went with it because of all the Lyme cases in my area (south of Boston). By the time my group got the vaccine, it had been out for years with positive results on preventing Lyme although the previous version of the vaccine had some problems.

 

One of my dogs is also a seizure dog with IBD and and I changed her heartworm medicine to one with no "beef" because of the IBD and she ended up having a seizure on the new heartworm meds. Turns out not many heartworm/tick meds are OK for seizure dogs to use.

 

So, if you are trying something new, it can have repercussions or it can work great - might I suggest that you get the "pharmaceutical sheet" and do some reading.

Wise advice clearly learned from lots of experience. I remember Dr. Cuoto saying that "Anytime you give something new to a greyhound it is an adventure." With greyhounds especially it can be a deadly serious decision.

[kolarik1]

I just ordered Bravecto for my pack and I'm going to try it...at first I was going to go with the Seresto collars, but I read some negative reviews indicating that the collars don't last the complete 8 months for everyone.

 

I have found I can order from Australia and get Interceptor Spectrum as well...I first did that a year ago when I couldn't find Interceptor here in the US and my dogs have had no reaction to the Interceptor Spectrum (and negative heartworm tests ).

[Guest FloridaGirl]

Update: Two weeks later and no reaction to the Bravecto. Just a flea and tick free pooch!

[PatricksMom]

I'm reading this with interest--right now we do Trifexis and Frontline. I'd really like to stop double dosing for fleas if we can, it makes me nervous.

[HeidisMum]

We gave Betty her first dose of Bravecto on Sunday morning. No side effects noticed yet. Poops have been her usual bounce off the sidewalk awesome consistency. After my last pup, Heidi, and her IBD, I am very in tune with Betty's poops. Betty has always been "off" for a day or two after getting Frontline or Activyl. None of that with the Bravecto and she LOVED the taste.

[GreytTerp]

Thanks for everyone sharing their experiences with Bravecto - we just changed from Frontline to Nexgard, and so far, it's been great in comparison to the topical nastiness. Frontline all of sudden completely stopped working for fleas back in December... Our vet offered both options, but I went with the Nexgard, thinking the chemical dose into our hound might be less severe with the monthly dose, in case there was a reaction.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on Nexgard vs. Bravecto? The only major difference in effectiveness I have found thus far (quick cursory search) is that Bravecto might kill ticks that transmit Lyme more quickly (in less than 12 hours), whereas Nexgard kills ticks in 48 hours. Anyone have concerns about the strength of the chemicals in the once-every 3 month tab vs. the once-every month tab?

[ramonaghan]

Thanks for updating! I'm definitely planning to make the switch once I'm out of Sweep's current meds.

[Guest LadyGrayfox]

So a little more than a year on from this post - is everyone here still using Bravecto, new users, any adverse affects?

 

Thanks in advance for sharing!

 

EDIT and ps, what size did you give? My rescue adoption advisor recommended when I give my 70lb girl Frontline that I give her a dose for that of a dog half her weight - would that be the same for Bravecto?

Edited June 23, 2016 by LadyGrayfox

[ramonaghan]

So a little more than a year on from this post - is everyone here still using Bravecto, new users, any adverse affects?

 

Thanks in advance for sharing!

 

EDIT and ps, what size did you give? My rescue adoption advisor recommended when I give my 70lb girl Frontline that I give her a dose for that of a dog half her weight - would that be the same for Bravecto?

 

I started using Bravecto not too long after this post. No adverse effects here, but I always make sure to give it right after a full meal. I give the whole dose for 44-88 lbs (Sweep's 63 lbs) at one time, but some people split the pill in half and give it over two days.

[sarabz]

 

I started using Bravecto not too long after this post. No adverse effects here, but I always make sure to give it right after a full meal. I give the whole dose for 44-88 lbs (Sweep's 63 lbs) at one time, but some people split the pill in half and give it over two days.

Ditto Same dose by weight for 64lb Bella and 78lb Kirby. I do split it into two and give the 2 pieces 24+ hours apart with meals but Bella's had no reaction and has been on it over a year.

[Guest MnMDogs]

I just gave ours their second dose with no adverse effects. They get the same dose (57 and 72 pounds).

[PatricksMom]

Good to hear the updates, will have to check in with the vet next time about this.

[Riverhound]

Ours got their first doses last month, with no problems. I actually bought it months ago, but was afraid to try it.

[Guest LadyGrayfox]

Thanks guys! The Frontline I gave Jan on June 10th is already wearing off (gawddamned fleas) and my vet recommended Bravecto, so Imma see if he thinks if today would be too early to give it go.

 

Jan says thanks in advance too.

[Guest LadyGrayfox]

Just wanted to follow up that Jan had Bravecto on the 5th or 6th, all in one go right before a meal and the fleas were gone ASAP! She's had no issues with the medication, so I'd say it was a win!

[KF_in_Georgia]

My two (56 and 65 pounds) have each taken the 44-88 pound dose for a second time, now. They've had it with their morning kibble, and I've watched to make sure no one kicked it under the counter or something. (Actually my girl doesn't bother to hide it when she's unhappy about meds, but she's okay so far with Bravecto and her Interceptor.) No one's had any upsets from it.

 

I found one flea on Q, and it was dead.