First Dose Of Trifexis....Not Good.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Well I finished out my supply of Interceptor which the Vet hooked me up with when she knew it was going to become very scarce, and I had to give the Doods a different Heartworm med.  The Vet thought that Trifexis was the next best alternative.  I was reluctant because of some of the things I've heard here on DK and elsewhere on the Internet, but she said that most of her patients were now using it without any reported problems.  I gave them each their dose last night and watched them for a few hours...they were fine.  This morning they wouldn't eat their breakfast which is a problem because they vomit bile if their stomach stays empty for very long in the morning.  I did convince them to eat some chicken which Murphy vomited up a short time later along with some of what must have been last night's dinner.  They have both been sleeping most of the day....they clearly don't feel well.  I took the remaining three doses back to the Vet this afternoon and told the Tech what happened.  She credited me for all of the doses and we switched to Heartgard for next month (considerably less expensive than Trifexis).  Hopefully they'll be able to eat and hold it down tonight.  I just wanted to share this.  I know that there have been other Doodles who had the same reaction.  There are lots of different reactions being reported on the net along with one Vet who seems to be trying to put together some data.  Does anyone know why the Interceptor has been unavailable for the past several months....my Vet Tech didn't seem to know.  Also, has anyone had any issues with Heartgard?  I know that's been around a lot longer than Trifexis, and there doesn't seem to be the same type of issue with side effects.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thanks, Gail.  I gave it to them right after they finished dinner...with their desert yogurt.  They didn't vomit until morning. 

[Pat and Traveler]

Oh, no--so sorry to hear the Irish boys are not doing well.  Trav has always been on Heartgard with no problems.  Good thoughts heading your way...

[Katie and Sophie]

My girls get heartgurad plus and do great with it, even my girl with the super sensitive tummy, Jade.

[Elizabeth, Bailey & Bruin]

My Bailey is also on Trifexis.  The first couple of months she was fine.  Last month we upped her dose to the next weight catagory and she never vomited but was very lithargic all day.  She ate, peed and pooped but was just so sleepy.  I guess this is a common side effect.

This month we bumped her back down to her original dose and had no problems...

[sandy b]

Jane, have you tried a topical such as revolution? Max has been on this almost 4 years with no problems.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

My Vet never even mentioned that as an option.  I have two months of Heartgard now, but I will definitely ask her about this for the future.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I asked JD's specialist about it. It's an all-in-one flea, tick and HW preventative. She said it doesn't protect against any of the parasites as well as the separate products. But it's definitely safer, probably for the same reason.

[Gail and Bailey]

Revolution is not the best product for tick as it only kills the regular dog ticks...not the more dangerous ones like deer ticks  that carry Lyme disease.  When we moved to the woods in Indiana (lots of deer) we had to use something stronger like Trifexis. .

[Gail and Bailey]

OOOOppps...I meant to say Frontline Plus for the ticks...not Trifexis.  We do Trifexis for heartworm, fleas, and other parasites.  Then we use Frontline Plus for ticks.  It is all so confusing, isn't it.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Sandy, my guys did great on Interceptor too, but for the past six months my Vet has not been able to order it.  There is something going on with the manufacturer and it isn't available.  Where have you found it?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Your comment about why Vets are pushing Trifexis got me thinking.  It is way more expensive than Heartgard, so if they are getting commission on a percentage they would make a lot more money with Trifexis.  I would hate to think that this was influencing my Vet, but it does make me wonder.

[Elizabeth & Cosmo]

Has anyone found anything recent about the Novartis plant in Nebraska reopening?

When I search the Internet, I can't find any documents later than May, and at that time they still had not pinpointed a date for reopening the plant. Even the Novartis Animal Health US web site has nothing more recent than February 2012.

Photos on Google Maps/Google Earth show a full parking lot at the plant, which seems to indicate production is going on, but there is no date on the photo.

Cosmo's supply of Sentinel will be used up with his August dose. Our vet has no more in stock, as of last week. In March, I ordered a year's supply of Program Plus from a supplier in the UK, but I hesitate to start him on it. The packaging and expiration dates look good, but I didn't have to provide a prescription. FWIW, this supplier now shows Program Plus as out of stock.