Decision Time Trifexis

[Lee Seidman]

My Vet and her staff at the animal hospital insist that Trifexis is safe. Our two have been on Comfortis for two years and now seven months on Trifexis.  Following is an E Mail from our Vet at one of the largest animal hospitals in the us.

 

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Hi! Thanks for sending that. I read through it thoroughly and came up with the rebuttal below for those stories:

According to the story that aired , the puppies that died received a necropsy (Autopsy).  The necropsy report, made by a UGA professor, stated that cause of death was likely due to “ bacterial infection ......not typical of a drug toxicity ".According to the Channel 2 report, 31 deaths had been reported for approximately 50 million doses of Trifexis administered.  This equals a mortality rate of 0.00000062%.  It is important to understand that ALL drugs have a reported death rate.  For example, a recent study on aspirin in humans revealed a mortality rate of 0.5%.  According to the AAPCC annual report [Litovitz 2001], 52 deaths involving single-ingredient aspirin were reported in the year 2000, representing a mortality rate of 0.5%.  Every year, thousands of dogs die from Heartworm disease.  This disease is 100% preventable, using medications such as Trifexis.  Trifexis is a combination of two older drugs which are not being implicated (Interceptor and Comfortis) – there is nothing else added.

Hope this eases your mind a little more J"

From the staff at the hospital:
	November 15, 2013   The health and safety of our patients is critically important to Coral Springs Animal Hospital.   That is why we recommend Trifexis� (spinosad + milbemicyn oxime) as an important tool to kill fleas and prevent infestation, to treat and control internal parasites and to prevent heartworm disease in our canine patients.  The American Heartworm Society estimates more than 1 million dogs in our country have heartworm disease, a difficult-to-treat and potentially fatal disease.  In the United States alone more than 50 million doses of Trifexis have been dispensed, which combined with our personal experiences give us confidence in the safety and efficacy of the product.  If your dog has been using Trifexis successfully, there is no reason to expect that should change.  If you suspect an adverse reaction in your dog, please contact Elanco at [phone].   There is no link established between Trifexis use and death.  In the cases recently highlighted in a regional news cast, we understand the data suggests it is unlikely Trifexis was the cause of death and the attending veterinarians have indicated they believe other factors were involved.   Please contact your veterinarian if you have any questions about your pet. Any thoughts or experience?

[Breanna]

I know that veterinarians want to sell their products but I am optimistic that they genuinely care about the animals in their care. Thank you for posting this because I have been having second thoughts about Trifexis too. This information was enough to make me feel a little bit better about it. I will still be weighing my options with my vet next month.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

We spoke with our Vet on Sunday. Enz was to get her dose of Trifexis. Our Vet assured us of it's relatively safe usage and basically, related the same info. on the dogs that have died. The Vet. Hospital we go to has some 15 Vets. in practice. One of the other Vets came in to the room while were discussing the Trifexis. He too stated he believes it safe and uses it on his 3 dogs. Enzo has been on Trifexis since May without any ill effects. We intend to keep her on it.

[Sally S Miles]

I'm in the same boat - want to share paddling?  It all scares me and the first thing out of the vets mouth yesterday was Trifexis..... sigh...

[Heather & Brinkley]

I won't use it. Brinkley had mild seizers both doses I gave him. It didn't dawn on me that it was the Trifexis the first time until he showed similar symptoms the second month hours after taking it. Funny how I've taken him off and now spread his meds throughout the month so his system isn't overwhelmed and we've never had another issues. Vets can say all they want but I'm convicted it caused scary issues with Brinkley.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

Heather, Brinlkley is most likely a dog that cannot tolerate it for some reason. Like people, not all drugs are a one size fits all.