Are the combination chewable heartworm/flea/tick medications safe for my dog?

I am happy to see an explanation of how these drugs work using plain words.

Since these ingested insecticides are systemic, users are assuming serious risks. They work by “attaching” (my word) to (blood) plasma for distribution throughout the body. The insecticide reaches the highest concentrations in fat, followed by liver, kidney and muscle. As a metabolic process, the insecticide is “persistent” and slowly eliminated from plasma… this is how it stays concentrated for long periods between doses. The dog eliminates the insecticide primarily in his/her feces. Secondarily, the dog’s renal system works overtime to cleanse the blood and eliminate the “toxin” and this is why dogs experience adverse reaction primarily in kidney or liver failure. The list of side effects goes on and on. These products are incredibly dangerous.

I was thinking of switching from Frontline + to Nexgard. I live in an area that has high rates of tick borne disease. Not so sure after reading this. My vet and his staff swear by the Nexgard.

I live in Portland Oregon. Fleas and to some degree ticks are a problem In the summer we have a lot of mosquitoes but fortunately heart worm isn’t a big problem here. I used topical products until I read how toxic they are. When they break down they are even more toxic! Finally I bought a tag for my dog to wear on her collar which emits a energy that repelled bugs. (Google it)

I didn’t have much faith in it, but it came with a money back guarantee. I was amazed to watch the mosquitoes buzz around her but not land. I considered buying one for myself!

You have to ensure that there are no fleas to begin with, which is easy when the temperatures are freezing and you can give your dog a flea bath first. I used it for many years with very good results, until we chose to put her down at 17 due to multiple health issues and weight loss. I was glad that we did not have to use toxins on her as she also had lymphoma.

I know I have ticks in the back part of my yard, but I am loathe to cut the bushes down. I wish I could borrow a few chickens for a day. They are supposed to be good at tick removal.

Win-win. That is exactly the problem. Charge us to cause the problem, charge us again to fix the problem. The growth of the trend to see animals and family member and treat them as well as we possibly can has a downside: we get duped. We want to do the best we can, so we fall for the have heavy marketing, the tales of all the bad things that will happen if we don’t vaccinate all the time for everything, the warnings that this national brand flea and tick protection is absolutely necessary. Bias. Just remember that word: bias. When a pet food company or a professional gives you advice, ask what bias they have. Who is paying them to say this, who paid for the studies they are citing? Follow the money.

One of my dogs almost died from Trifexis. She was completely unresponsive the morning after she received her second monthly dose. After spending the day with the vet she was better, but had lost the use of her back legs. Fortunately with the vet’s supportive care she was better by day 2, but I’ll never give her that crap or anything like it again. I’m one of the lucky ones, I’ve read about a lot of peoples’ dogs not pulling through after taking this drug. I can’t even believe I thought it was a good idea to put them on this now that I know more about what it is and how it works… Just common sense, don’t feed your pets poison. Would you eat poison?

Some time last year, I stopped trusting those medicines when I noticed the EPA label on their product. Wait a minute. They handle the environment; what are they doing producing medication? (Then again, that would explain the toxins.)

I feel that there are two medications you should avoid. The one first is Trio Shield Trio. Even though I haven’t heard much about it (yet), I’ve heard that some people compare it with putting water on your dog then expecting that to repel parasites. The second one is Sentry cat products. I’ve read several reviews that said they used permethrin even though it’s toxic to cats. (Even though it’s not on the list, it doesn’t have to be put there.) On top of that, a lot people reported ill-effects even after following instructions.

Has anyone had any experience using simparica?

Thank you dr. Alinovi for the comprehensive oberview on the newest cheweble insecticides. Would you kindly also provide the literature where the information was extracted from. I’d linke to share your text with the original texts attavhed for thoroughness. Thabks you so much.

my 3 month old yorkie is having seizures and at times completely out of it. he got his regular booster and 2wks later got another booster and kennel cough plus a sentinel pill.3 days after this he was salivating and had a seizure. we took him to the vet and they did the bile acid blood work and said it was a liver shunt. I believe that he was over dosed. I started making his food so it is low protein. he had been good for about 3 weeks then had a seizure again lastnight. it has only been 1 month since he had all that medicine. I don’t know how long it takes for that to get out of his system. the liver shunt surgery is very expensive and no guarantees that he would make it because he is 3 lbs. he still eats and goes out to the bathroom and knows who we are. I am just very frustrated because before all that medicine he was a normal puppy. any advice you can give would be great.

This is great information to know. But now what. What do I give my dog for fleas and heart worm?

DIATOMACEOUS EARTH ???? that can be applied topically. NOT ingested though. i know it kills current infestations, but not sure if it prevents. i’l look into this. I have used it before and it definitely KILLED fleas. as far as heartworm, and parasites…. that is another problem. plus, it probably kills ticks too.