# Bravecto



## DennisTinsley (Feb 18, 2016)

Last visit to vets office I purchased a flee/tick product called "Bravecto". Before I give this to my boy I thought I would check to see if anyone had any comments or concerns about this product. This is new to me.


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## telavivgsd (Jul 6, 2016)

DennisTinsley said:


> Last visit to vets office I purchased a flee/tick product called "Bravecto". Before I give this to my boy I thought I would check to see if anyone had any comments or concerns about this product. This is new to me.




We used to use it, and then I found that there are thousands of reported complaints online of problems with it, even deaths. I guess they must not be enough to take it off the shelves, as they still sell it, but it made me think twice and switch to something else. There's a Facebook group called "Does Bravecto kill dogs?" with more than 25k members. Some interesting stuff is posted if you want to look.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

If your vet trusts it and say your dog needs it, you are probably safe. I saw somewhere else that over 34,000,000 doses have been used by dogs. The Facebook and other hysteria type posts are personal anecdotes and may not have been caused by the medication at all. I would weigh why you are using it rather than something else against risks and weigh the benefits. Bravecto works well on fleas and ticks. It also keeps mange and skin ailments caused by mange under control. If you have an older dog, you should get blood test first to make sure there are no hidden conditions that would make it dangerous to take. 

If it was actually killing dogs, vets would not use it and someone would have sued by now. The active ingredient has been around for a long time.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My vet recommended it, gave it to us and I returned it. I came home and very recent reviews were horrible. There are times that I will listen to the vet, but I don't do so without my own research. I am the voice for my dogs and all decisions I make will affect them.


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## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

I used it last year on both my dogs with zero ill side effects and outstanding tick protection, so I will probably do it again this year... Depending on how bad the ticks are


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

I use it all spring and summer with all 5 of my dogs. A lot of people I know use it as well. I live in tick country where lymes disease is prominent! My dogs get the lymes disease vaccination, but I'd rather be safe then sorry! It one of the only drugs that is great with ticks.. 
A lot of the parasite (flea, tick control) have many dogs that have different reactions. 
If you are nervous using it bring your dogs to the vet and get them to administer it there. Or just watch them closely for the first few days!


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## maxtmill (Dec 28, 2010)

When it first came out, I read horrendous reviews of dogs being harmed and even dying after using. I personally will not use it.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

lytrefry said:


> I use it all spring and summer with all 5 of my dogs. A lot of people I know use it as well. I live in tick country where lymes disease is prominent! My dogs get the lymes disease vaccination, but I'd rather be safe then sorry! It one of the only drugs that is great with ticks..
> A lot of the parasite (flea, tick control) have many dogs that have different reactions.
> If you are nervous using it bring your dogs to the vet and get them to administer it there. Or just watch them closely for the first few days!


There are also recent reports in the last year, about topicals no longer working on fleas in some parts of the country. I tried another med, Comfortis, and it did not work. I try to look at scientific studies, not self diagnoses. Someone should look into deaths and do research to find out if the medications are to blame or if they are just rumors or coincidences. The internet is a good place to research and also notorious for providing bad information too.


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

All three of my dogs use it in the warmer months. No issues from any of them.


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## DutchKarin (Nov 23, 2013)

I have been using Nexguard with no problems. It is molecularly similar to Bravecto but only lasts a month. Great results. I used to use a topical, Advantix II and it did not work for my dog. I don't like using any of this but the concern of ticks and the diseases they carry leads me to this solution. 

You could also probably read about the horrendous stories of dogs with tick-born diseases as well.

All decisions have costs.


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## DennisTinsley (Feb 18, 2016)

Thank you all for your feedback...I have to return to the vet tomorrow for a visit for one of my cats and it will give me the opportunity to discuss concerns with her. Primary problem I was facing was that I had used topicals and was finding ticks from time to time...no fleas just an occasional tick. The horror stories of problems associated with ticks here have me concerned and the vet had said she had good results with the product. I'll discuss it with her again before I use it....thanks again for your replies.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

DennisTinsley said:


> Thank you all for your feedback...I have to return to the vet tomorrow for a visit for one of my cats and it will give me the opportunity to discuss concerns with her. Primary problem I was facing was that I had used topicals and was finding ticks from time to time...no fleas just an occasional tick. The horror stories of problems associated with ticks here have me concerned and the vet had said she had good results with the product. I'll discuss it with her again before I use it....thanks again for your replies.


Let us know what your vet says. Unfortunately a lot of the old tick medications are not working well anymore, which is why people are going to different medications.


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## lytrefry (Oct 20, 2016)

LuvShepherds said:


> lytrefry said:
> 
> 
> > I use it all spring and summer with all 5 of my dogs. A lot of people I know use it as well. I live in tick country where lymes disease is prominent! My dogs get the lymes disease vaccination, but I'd rather be safe then sorry! It one of the only drugs that is great with ticks..
> ...


Very true!! Revolution doesn't work whatsoever on two of my dogs for fleas or ticks!


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## DennisTinsley (Feb 18, 2016)

The vet told me he liked the product and has not had problems with it. Makes me nervous to use new medications but the alternative with the severe tick problem here isn't comforting either and the topicals just are not getting the job done.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Hineni7 said:


> I used it last year on both my dogs with zero ill side effects and outstanding tick protection, so I will probably do it again this year... Depending on how bad the ticks are


I've spent the better part of spring, summer, and fall camping/hiking in Pend O'reille county and north Idaho since the 80s. I have not come across a tick on any of my dogs. I believe you are a bit west of those areas and it's a little dryer, are the ticks that bad there? 

We have them thick at times in Spokane county and anywhere around the pothole lakes, along with rattle snakes, but never when heading northeast. 

We did use bravecto once for Ollie and had no problems with it, but haven't needed it otherwise. If the ticks are bad enough we would probably use it again


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## DennisTinsley (Feb 18, 2016)

Yes, the ticks are very bad here...got warnings from the breeder and the forest ranger. They said it was due to the milder winters. We don't face the dangers of rattle snakes here though like you do. All species of snakes in this area are nonpoisonous. I remember your area of the States very well. I drove for a while in the U.S. and delivered Blue Bunny ice cream. Whenever I would pull a load out your way I'd bring back a load of cherries. Beautiful country there.


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## RosyandPosy (Sep 24, 2018)

Posy's trainer is VERY anti Bravecto based on what she's seen/heard and researched. I've given it to posy a couple of time. The last time I asked the vet and she said they haven't had any ill effects and gives it to her dog. Posy has never had any noticeable ill effects, but a couple weeks after giving it to him last time, he was acting strangely. Very restless, licking his paws obsessively (which isn't historically new behavior for him). This could have had nothing to do with the Bravecto, and I wouldn't have even correlated the 2, but when I mentioned his behaviour to the trainer, she said: "I told you not to give him bravecto."
Has anyone experienced that? Where they didn't have immediate health effects like foaming or running around, but even a week or two later, noticed strange behavior?


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## fond_blonde (Aug 11, 2021)

Hello 👋🏻👋🏻
My pup Jack was diagnosed with 3 tick-borne diseases about 2 months ago because he is a very active and adventurous pup and we basically live in the woods. He was on Frontline Plus for extra large dogs but my vet said that apparently, it stopped working around 2010. (???) He finished his course of doxycycline and was feeling better than ever- just to return again to his lethargic, feverish state less than two months later. I brought him back to the vet and she diagnosed him with prostatitis, as he is not neutered (which is a SIN in her eyes). She claimed he had fleas (even though I have never seen a tick on him and regularly check), recommended Brevecto, basically shoved the boxes in my hands with a $10 rebate and another course of antibiotics, and sent us on our way.

Now, about a week and a half after giving him the Brevecto chewable for extra large dogs, he is having very adverse reactions. He feels feverish again, which is scary knowing he's on two different antibiotics right now. He is itching LIKE CRAZY ... WAY more than he ever has in the past. He is shedding BEYOND what he normally does which we all know is a little excessive with our shepherds. When he is feverish (which I can tell just by hugging him and getting my face close to his mouth), he acts all agitated, pacing back and forth, can't get comfortable, and he licks his lips way more than usual. I read on the brevecto website that hair loss and polydipsia (which is excessive thirst and probably is the explanation for his licking his lips so often) are side effects. Also, High ALT levels are a side effect, which means that your liver is releasing an amino acid that indicates it's being DAMAGED. On top of that, symptoms of ALT are itchy skin, lethargy decreased appetite, diarrhea, among others.

I am going to call my vet in the morning and try to schedule another appointment ASAP and try to get a refund on my second box of Brevecto. I obviously don't like seeing my dog even more miserable than he was before, and there has to be another solution/preventative for the tick issue. 

Sorry for the novel, but I would love it if anyone experiencing or who has experienced something similar to reach out to me. I needed to vent all of that out and let you all know what was going on.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

The only thing I hate more than fleas are TICKS. We had zero around here 5 years ago, my vet said she only had 2 in her whole practice then. Now she says they're everywhere (crossed the NY/Ontario border some years ago) and have been moving steadily north. The only good news is the lyme disease they can carry is still very rare here.

I generally find one on either of the dogs every week or so but by buddy who only lives 15 north of me (woods/fields surrounding him) that he can now find half a dozen on his dog after EVERY walk! I'm not too sure how you find a tiny tick on your dog amongst all that hair, I have only ever been able to find them once attached. HATE TICKS!


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

I've used it and my dogs have had no problems with it.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Nothing topical works in my area. We tried Frontline, Advantix II, Seresto, and Vectra. Still got engorged fed living ticks on my dogs, still had to treat for tick diseases...

Last summer we started with Nexgard. Have not found a living, fed tick since. I don't like feeding this stuff to my dogs either but it is literally the only thing that works. My vet recommends Bravecto and says it is very safe. I chose Nexgard instead because I was afraid to make the 3 month commitment. Later I read that maybe Nexgard has slightly better coverage since it is monthly where Bravecto may start to lose power at the end so we have stuck with Nexgard.


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## jarn (Jul 18, 2007)

Neb was picking up ticks in tick-heavy areas backpacking in eastern Ontario - we used a topical from the vet, don't remember what. He has such thick fur though, it's difficult to ensure all of the topical hits good skin (gotta love that husky blood). We moved to Bravecto...7 years ago - not a tick since (the only time I've had to remove a tick from a dog since then was my friend (who is a dog walker) found one on a GSD mix she walks and popped by our place).

But I agree with @WNGD - how you're supposed to find the tiny ticks on a dog is beyond me. I know people who live north of us (Caledon area) who use lint rollers.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Both Bravecto and Nexguard made my dog very sick. We switched to Vectra. It works well here but we don’t have a lot of ticks.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

fond_blonde said:


> Hello 👋🏻👋🏻
> My pup Jack was diagnosed with 3 tick-borne diseases about 2 months ago because he is a very active and adventurous pup and we basically live in the woods. He was on Frontline Plus for extra large dogs but my vet said that apparently, it stopped working around 2010. (???) He finished his course of doxycycline and was feeling better than ever- just to return again to his lethargic, feverish state less than two months later. I brought him back to the vet and she diagnosed him with prostatitis, as he is not neutered (which is a SIN in her eyes). She claimed he had fleas (even though I have never seen a tick on him and regularly check), recommended Brevecto, basically shoved the boxes in my hands with a $10 rebate and another course of antibiotics, and sent us on our way.
> 
> Now, about a week and a half after giving him the Brevecto chewable for extra large dogs, he is having very adverse reactions. He feels feverish again, which is scary knowing he's on two different antibiotics right now. He is itching LIKE CRAZY ... WAY more than he ever has in the past. He is shedding BEYOND what he normally does which we all know is a little excessive with our shepherds. When he is feverish (which I can tell just by hugging him and getting my face close to his mouth), he acts all agitated, pacing back and forth, can't get comfortable, and he licks his lips way more than usual. I read on the brevecto website that hair loss and polydipsia (which is excessive thirst and probably is the explanation for his licking his lips so often) are side effects. Also, High ALT levels are a side effect, which means that your liver is releasing an amino acid that indicates it's being DAMAGED. On top of that, symptoms of ALT are itchy skin, lethargy decreased appetite, diarrhea, among others.
> ...


See my previous post. I went to a dog allergist who hates oral flea and tick meds as they can make dogs with allergies or sensitivities very ill, and they refuse to tell you what is in the chewables.

Why did your vet diagnose prostatitis? Was your dog bleeding? How did they treat it?


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

When we adopted Joey in 2011, we started him on Vectra 3D. Once we were made aware of Bravecto, we kept him on that. No adverse effects except for lethargy on the first day of treatment.

When we adopted Athena on July 29, the shelter had her on Vectra 3D. We put her on Bravecto last week. She also became lethargic on the first day, then she was herself again.

Since there are a lot of ticks in NE Pennsylvania where we have a second home, I’m satisfied with using Bravecto.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Cheerful1 said:


> When we adopted Joey in 2011, we started him on Vectra 3D. Once we were made aware of Bravecto, we kept him on that. No adverse effects except for lethargy on the first day of treatment.
> 
> When we adopted Athena on July 29, the shelter had her on Vectra 3D. We put her on Bravecto last week. She also became lethargic on the first day, then she was herself again.
> 
> Since there are a lot of ticks in NE Pennsylvania where we have a second home, I’m satisfied with using Bravecto.


I like Vectra. My dog could not tolerate the Bravecto ingredients and broke out from it. Every dog is different, but there are many anecdotal stories of complications from Bravecto.


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