Trifexis

[GoodbyeHalcyonDays]

Hey there board members,

 

I've recently got in touch with my vet to get Caleb on some flea medication (he was on Revolution before), but asked for Trifexis this time. I don't remember where or when I read about it, but I'm pretty sure it was from this board, saying how great it was, so I wanted to give it a try. When I asked my vet for it, she mentioned she didn't carry it, and to just order it from 1-800-PetMeds (she actually used my computer to direct me to all of it, and sat with me while I checked out), and it'll be here tomorrow, but I'm now seeing a lot of horror stories about Trifexis and 1-800-PetMeds, so I'm a little shaken.

 

I've done some Google searches, and have checked other topics on these boards, but nothing has really eased my worry, so I wanted to open a new topic and ask for opinions.

Has anybody used 1-800-PetMeds? I'm told they don't get their medication from the manufacturer, and some could be counterfeit, expired, or anything in between.

 

Is Trifexis safe for dogs? It can cause seizures from what I'm hearing, and I would hate to subject Caleb to that. While I'm sure it has no correlation whatsoever, Caleb is from a merle breeding line (his dad was a typical black/white, mom was an ee red merle), so could it affect him poorly in any way? He currently doesn't suffer from any form of illness, whether it be seizures to vision or hip dysplasia.

I apologize for making a topic solely about this, but I just wanted to ease my mind and know he'll be okay once(if) I give him the medication.

 

Thank you for your time.

[Gideon's girl]

I believe it can trigger seizures on a seizure prone dog, but I don't believe it causes seizures. It is how some people have found out that they have a seizure prone dog though. I've read lots of reports of dogs that were lethargic and lost appetite for 24 hours or so after taking it, so I tend to think it is pretty harsh.

[mithril]

I've used it on German Shepherds and Setters without any issues. I've also worked at a vet clinic where the majority of clients used Trifexis and didn't see any adverse reactions. However, I'm wary of the numerous negative reports and have discontinued use in my dogs. It's not worth the risk to me. I currently use Advantage.

[GoodbyeHalcyonDays]

Gosh, that doesn't make me feel better about using it. I don't even know if the website does refunds at this point (it was $120), and Caleb really needs something for the fleas/ticks.

[chene]

I would suggest you ask your vet about it, and see what her reasoning is for using Trifexis and 1-800-PetMeds. At best she has a rock solid reason and you're all good, and at worst she has the potential issues of the two brought to her attention.

[mithril]

If you do end up using it I suggest giving it with a meal.

[rushdoggie]

FWIW, when all the topicals failed and I have a dog with a flea allergy, I used it (because my vet didn't carry Comfortis at the time). No adverse effects with any of my dogs even the urpy one.

 

My vet now carries the Comfortis so thats what I use (as HW is not an issue here). Still no issue here.

[Tess's Girl]

I don't know about the health issues, but I think Trifexis is just too expensive when there are other medications that do the same thing.

 

I've been using revolution and a scalibor tick collar with my girl and it's been working well.

 

I've also used sentinel and had a good experience with it.

 

Both were way less expensive for me.

 

But if you've tried other things and they didn't work I've heard good reports about and my grandparents lab has been on it as long as they've had him with good results.

[GoodbyeHalcyonDays]

I would suggest you ask your vet about it, and see what her reasoning is for using Trifexis and 1-800-PetMeds. At best she has a rock solid reason and you're all good, and at worst she has the potential issues of the two brought to her attention.

I originally wanted to get Comfortis since it was pretty common on these boards, but she told me to use Trifexis instead as it was a combination of Comfortis/Interceptor. She actually pretty much only prescribes Sentinel and/or Revolution to all her clients in the neighborhood, and I'm told (can't remember where) to not get the most popular option because of built-up immunity or some sort.

 

As for the PetMeds, she doesn't carry anything but the Sentinel/Revolution, so I had to get it elsewhere. She did have to write a prescription out and give them the okay before they even sold it to me.

 

Will definitely plan on giving it to him on a full stomach. May even do his usual meal with some rice or something to soak it up.

[ShoresDog]

We've been using Trifexis for almost 2 years now with no problems. My vet prescribes it preferentially. There are only two issues I see -- (1) it's very expensive; (2) it doesn't cover ticks so we have to use Frontline as well.

[Kelleybean]

I also use Trifexis along with Frontline. The Frontline just doesn't work on fleas anymore, but it still works on ticks. We live in the country, so ticks are a big issue for us.

[Beach BCs]

I've used 1-800-PetMeds in the past. At the time I had a foster with Addison's Disease and this was the recommended online pharmacy for her Percorten. Very easy to deal with and good customer service. I think I also ordered the last of Interceptor from them when the supply was dwindling quickly. (I have a dog that cannot take Heartguard...something in the carrier.)

 

As for Trifexis, I have been giving it to my dogs for years; foster dogs as well. We have never had an issue. I feed it with a meal and try to keep everyone fairly quiet for at least an hour.

[MrSnappy]

We have used Trifexis exclusively in the shelter for the last two years and have seen no ill effects from it whatsoever. And hundreds and hundreds of dogs come through the shelter.

 

I don't use anything at all on my own dogs ... we don't really have ticks here and my dogs just don't get fleas. Periodically I deworm the "hunters" with Drontal.

 

RDM

[Alchemist]

I use Sentinel for heartworm (and fleas), so I can't comment on the Trifexis. I do use 1-800-PetMeds for Adequan, though. (I used to use it for Dasuquin as well, but I found that Amazon was less expensive). I haven't had a problem with it - prompt service, and as far as I can tell it's the real deal. They were out of Adequan when the rest of the world was, and got it in as promptly as anyone, so I doubt it was expired meds they were selling me...

 

And yes, you have to indicate what vet you use (and get them to write a prescription) for some things.

[Tommy Coyote]

I use Trifexis on my 3 dogs and have had no problems. I heard about all the negative reports on Facebook so called my vet which is really big clinic. The only problems they have had are with upset stomach. You need to feed with food. And some dogs had to be switched to something else. I also called another vet clinic close to me and they said the same thing. They haven't had any problems except for upset stomach.

 

Now I did talk to a customer who gave it to her mini aussie and she had a siezure about two days after application. She also has trouble with what we call border collie collapse where if she gets to playing and gets too hot she just kind of staggers around for a while until she gets cooled down.

 

You have to be careful to check out stuff on Facebook. Sometimes competitors will set up phony sites and put out a whole lot of negative stuff. It's all anon. with no real facts out there at all. They were saying that it killed puppies and caused seizures and all kinds of negative stuff. Most of it was heresay.

 

There are some warnings that you need to read carefully on the package.

 

But I have not had any fleas and no ticks (although it's not used for ticks).

[juliepoudrier]

I have used Trifexis on my epileptic border collie without incident (of course she is well controlled on her meds, so perhaps if not on the meds, maybe it would trigger a seizure, who knows?). I've had people tell me all sorts of horror stories about Comfortis, but I've been using it without incident. I had the epi dog on Interceptor, and Trifexis was the closest thing I could use for her when Interceptor became unavailable. I have since switched her back to ivermectin, which is what the rest of my pack is on, because I was having trouble getting Trifexis (and it is expensive, but then so is Comfortis and most other HW, flea, and tick meds).

 

I don't buy claims that if X happens in proximity to Y, then Y was the cause. Many people mistakenly assign causation when at best there might be a correlation (they are not the same, and to establish a correlation you'd have to show a trend over time) or no connection whatsoever.

 

I haven't used 1-800-Petmeds, so can't comment on that. But I've never heard any complaints about them.

 

That said, any dog can have a bad reaction to any medication. There are no guarantees. But letting yourself be scared by anecdotal evidence isn't the best approach. Look for good science (actual peer-reviewed studies) to help you make a decision.

 

J.

[TWDQueen]

I use Trifexis (Heartworm & Fleas) with my BC and Aussie with no problems (I also use Frontline for the ticks). I order it from Drs. Foster and Smith.