Heartworm + flea & tick protection side effects

[sanford]

As Ruffy ages I've become concerned with increasing reports of side effects from these powerful agents that many of us use to protect our pets and lately, more info seems to have emerged, confirming my worries. A number of pet owners and vets have attributed systemic disorders like tremors, seizures, etc. to products like Frontline and Heartgard. Perhaps a sea change is beginning to take place with people's attitudes re the safety of these and similar products?

      I understand that natural remedies would be safer, although they might be less effective, but now I'm willing to consider them as an acceptable trade-off.

i'd appreciate it if anyone can share their information or experience re this topic.

Thanks!

Edited July 23, 2019 by sanford

[Hillscreek]

I think this is a very difficult thing to decide.

If you live in a remote place with much wild life like I do it is imperative to have high protection from pests which can kill your dog. I had a dog who contracted heartworm years ago. It was a terrible experience.

I did try "natural" ways at one time but none of them protected completely.  I tried other methods and settled on Bravecto for fleas and ticks and Sentinel for heartworm etc. No side effects. My friend maintained these treatments and says Angus is fine. He'll be seven in September.

Personally I don't think age itself is necessarily a factor. I do think a chat with your vet is a good idea and a discussion of Ruffy's health in the time you have known him is important. How many dogs he meets might be a factor.

There are plenty of scare posts on line but how is one to judge if they are true? What were the exact circumstances in which the dog got sick? For example with Bravecto it must be given with food. Many cases of sickness have been related to not doing this.

Our cairns live all over the US (and Canada) in very different climates and environments. What works for one owner and one cairn may not work so well for another.

Stay safe and well Ruffy!

 

 

 

 

 

[Sam I Am]

Thankfully we live in a climate where only 1% of ticks carry Lyme disease, and we don’t have a lot of these critter in our area at the moment, but having said that when we did take Rosie a few years back prior to getting Sam, we travelled to another province that had ticks more so than Alberta, our clinic advised us to use one of the tick\flea medications (can’t remember the name) that you smear between their shoulder blades. Within hours Rosie was going crazy..rolling frantically, crying  and trying to rid herself of this medication. I quickly put her in the bath tub and washed the area well. She stopped reacting pretty much within the hour ..thank goodness. For me never again. We are plagued by no see ums off and on and using a essential oil spray especially for dogs has helped. I myself don’t even use Deet as I feel putting chemicals on ones skin isn’t the most healthy choice and I feel the same for my animals. Just my own personal look on life in general as I feel strongly about the over use of herbicides and pesticides....not overly popular with one of my neighbours as I don’t spray, I dig out weeds, overseed and am currently converting my lawn into clover. The bees love it....one neighbour not so much.

Edited July 25, 2019 by Sam I Am