# Anyone tried Bravecto flea & tick?



## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

Has anyone tried Bravecto yet? It's a new, chewable flea & tick med and one pill lasts 12 weeks. I'm thinking of switching from Revolution to this.

If you've tried it, how do you like it? Any weird side effects? The vet said there aren't any, but there's always side effects...

If you haven't tried it, would you? Why or why not?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Yes, I did after we got some cat fleas that were not being killed through other approaches. It worked very well. If you are not giving Revolution you may need another HW medicine (not sure about BC and HW)

I did a lot of reading and did not see much in the way of negatives though it is relatively new. I will consider if we have the need again but I am back to garlic for now for both fleas and ticks.


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## Stonemoore (Oct 16, 2014)

My dogs are on the Bravecto now for the first time. We had no side effects at all; vet said they had seen exactly one case of tummy upset after taking it and they weren't even sure it was related. Yes, we are supposed to be doing the Heart guard for HD now on top of the Bravecto. I like that the Bravecto is good for 3 months and isn't affected if the dogs swim/get wet a lot. And I hate worrying about my kids getting the topical on them if they pet the dogs.


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## VomBlack (May 23, 2009)

I did Seresto last year which was great and all, but I didn't like the idea of having to have another collar, and my dogs swim frequently. Switched to Bravecto in April without any issue so far, and it's been insanely popular so far at the clinic where I work and we haven't had anyone come back with any issues just yet. I like the concept of it.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Ollie has had this with no issues.


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## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

Thanks for all the responses so far. I like the idea of it too - both my dogs swim and we'll be swimming a lot again this summer. Something about the idea of ingesting something that kills ticks seems weird to me. But I guess absorbing it through the skin isn't any weirder...


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## Traveler's Mom (Sep 24, 2012)

McWeagle said:


> Thanks for all the responses so far. I like the idea of it too - both my dogs swim and we'll be swimming a lot again this summer. Something about the idea of ingesting something that kills ticks seems weird to me. But I guess absorbing it through the skin isn't any weirder...


This is my concern as well. I'm not happy with either approach but ingesting something that kills ticks and lasts 3 months seems really, really scary.

Secondary to that, it would seem that the ticks have to bite in order to ingest the poison running thru the dog's system. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of trying to protect the dog from tick desease?

Lynn & Traveler


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Traveler's Mom said:


> This is my concern as well. I'm not happy with either approach but ingesting something that kills ticks and lasts 3 months seems really, really scary.
> 
> Secondary to that, it would seem that the ticks have to bite in order to ingest the poison running thru the dog's system. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of trying to protect the dog from tick desease?
> 
> Lynn & Traveler


My concern to. I like the ones that repel, so they don't have a chance to bite. In the last couple years with the Scalibor collar I found one tick dead on my kitchen floor. That is with 7 dogs, I really like those statistics


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I think a lot depends on the tick population where you live. A teammate was picking about 8 ticks a day off his dog with the scalibor collar. I have found that garlic is not so effective for Brown Dog Ticks but seems to repel the rest around me.

*MOST* (not all) tick diseases require the tick to be attached for some time (24-48 hours) before disease transmission. The Powassan virus is like 15 minutes though but that is still very rare and in the NE mainly. I am thinking the viral tick diseases require less attachment time than the bacterial ones.


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## Magica (Jul 12, 2015)

No side effect at all. Best thing on the market . Finally something useful!


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Aren't you guys concerned about its effectiveness being only 8 weeks for the lonestar tick?

Other than that limitation, I would consider it.


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## E.Hatch (Sep 24, 2013)

I tried Bravecto once last year when we first moved to FL and were having some issues with fleas and ticks. It had some undesirable side effects with my GSD. About 15 minutes after ingesting he foamed at the mouth for a bit and then ran around the yard in a frenzy. Really freaked out like he was on a psychedelic trip for about 30 mins or so. Following that he was lethargic for 2 days and limped a bit. He's never had any kind of reaction to anything I've ever given him before.

I took him to the vet thinking the initial symptoms and the lethargy I could chalk up to medication side effect but a limp?! Strange. After negative blood work and negative xrays the vet decided it must've been a side effect to the med. Maybe he injured himself during his trip causing the limp, who knows. So, no more Bravecto for us. 

I will say however there was no sign of a flea or tick for a good three months and I haven't heard anyone else have any bad side effects.


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## McWeagle (Apr 23, 2014)

Wow, Hatch, that's a little scary! Did the limp eventually go away? I would be worried about something like that. I'm pretty paranoid when it comes to my dogs. I'm always positive that they'll be the ones to get the side effects. (Of course, it never happens, but I'm a worrier with stuff like that.)

Personally, I'm not too worried about the lone star tick, but I don't live anywhere near it's habitat. I think Bravecto covers everything in our area.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

We are covered up in lonestar ticks and he has not picked up any but, in general, that seems to be a tick that likes people more than dogs (JMO, not backed up). Still no ticks- we have but back on but still do the garlic. Got a clean tick panel this year again. We are on our 2nd dose when about 2 weeks after the 3 months was up he started picking up some fleas. Cats in the neighborhood.


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## Sswolfe (Sep 17, 2015)

E.Hatch said:


> I tried Bravecto once last year when we first moved to FL and were having some issues with fleas and ticks. It had some undesirable side effects with my GSD. About 15 minutes after ingesting he foamed at the mouth for a bit and then ran around the yard in a frenzy. Really freaked out like he was on a psychedelic trip for about 30 mins or so. Following that he was lethargic for 2 days and limped a bit. He's never had any kind of reaction to anything I've ever given him before.
> 
> I took him to the vet thinking the initial symptoms and the lethargy I could chalk up to medication side effect but a limp?! Strange. After negative blood work and negative xrays the vet decided it must've been a side effect to the med. Maybe he injured himself during his trip causing the limp, who knows. So, no more Bravecto for us.
> 
> I will say however there was no sign of a flea or tick for a good three months and I haven't heard anyone else have any bad side effects.


First, I hope your dog is ok and had no long lasting symptoms. I started a Facebook group called Does Bravecto Kill Dogs? after my dog died. I am trying to get people to report symptoms so others can be aware and to make sure everything is reported to Merck and the FDA. Your story is very similar to another I just posted. We are seeing a lot of people concerned about seizures and things like you described. Also severe GI issues - bad enough to need medical care. One dog in the study for this drug had a seizure. I was hoping you could come to the board and post your story yourself to help others (I have a screenshot now, but it means more when someone comes and posts). And please report to Merck and the FDA. I believe this drug is very concerning. Thank you


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