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Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

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Safe Medication - Trifexis

Is Trifexis safe for Aussie's?

Comments for Safe Medication - Trifexis

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Trifexis - seizures
by: Anonymous

I own a 7 year old female whose mother was a Great Pyrenese and father was listed only as a lab. She is pure love. She has never had any health problems period. She has always been on heartguard as well as comfortis. Two separate pills I giver her at different times of the month. She started Trifexis 2 months ago(2 doses). Last night she had a horrible seizure and I took her to animal emergency. They could not find anything from blood tests. Everything was normal including liver, kidney. No infection. Too old for epilepsy diagnosis, too young for tumor. I mentioned starting her on Trifexis 2 months ago and all their heads turned in unison like I just said the f-word. The vet said that could very well be what caused her seizure. Nothing else fits. In my opinion convenient combo pills and new drugs that do the same thing as the old drugs and marketed as an improvement in some small way aren't work the risk. Drug companies want to make money first and foremost. Safety comes second. All I'm saying is be very careful.

Trifexis is a different medication than Heartgard
by: Anonymous

I'm not sure that this should be a warning against Trifexis. Heartgard is potentially lethal to Aussies (and other shepherd breeds), so it should be avoided at all costs. That being said, allergies exist in all dogs and you switched from Heartgard to Trifexis, which has the same active ingredients as Interceptor (which is safe for Aussies) and is thus very different from Heartgard. So, what could have happened is a "normal" allergic reaction to a medication that would have happened with any milbemycin oxime-based medication. It's unfortunate that it happened, but I would recommend staying away from Trifexis AND Interceptor (or any medication with milbemycin oxime). And also remember that this is a possibility when switching from any medication to another and possibly not the "fault" of the medication.

Disclaimer: I've only heard good things about Trifexis, but it's still new. Always make sure to consult with your vet before switching medication as they should be up-to-date with the lastest warnings and reviews. (But don't blame them should something happen - not everything is avoidable!)

Trifexis seizure
by: Anonymous

We own a 4 year old lab. She was recently switched to Trifexis and a couple days after taking the medication she had several hours of focal seizure which led in to a full blown grand mal seizure while she was in the lake. Thank goodness we were swimming right next to her or she would have drown. The vet ruled out other serious causes and determined it was probably the medication. We will not be giving her Trifexis ever again. I agree to be VERY cautious!!

bad reaction
by: Anonymous

I have a Havanese and also a Morkie, My morkie did fine on it and my Havanese had trembles the first night and vomiting, then about a week later he had a 3 seizures in one day., About 2 weeks later he had another one. It has been 3 months and he has not had another one. I really think that it was Trifexis. I will never use this drug again on any dog.

Beware of Trifexis
by:

My five year old Husky/Akita mix had a series of seizures last night, only a few hours after a dose of Trifexis. He has never previously had a seizure. He is an extremely energetic, fully of life dog. We always say in jest that his stomach is made of steel and he never complains about a thing. Seriously, he surfs, skateboards, eats his veggies, and smiles the whole way. He was extremely lethargic, eyes rolling in the back of his head, and shaking legs only hours after taking the medication. DEFINITELY look into this medication before giving it to your dogs. I am alarmed that it is even on the market!

Trifexis PESTICIDE
by: Laura Berben

Vets all over the place are recommending Trifexis but I bet not one of them have smelled these tablets after opening the packet! THEY SMELL LIKE PESTICIDE! I am going to switch my darlings back to Revolution which worked beautifully in the past. Now my one dog is going bald, she has little appetite, vomits occasionally and it could very well be this product!

DO NOT GIVE TRIFEXIS TO YOUR DOGS
by: Karen

Trifexis almost killed my 2 year old Spanish Mastiff of 160lbs.
It is NOT SAFE AND IT HAS KILLED MANY DOGS ALREADY.
DO NOT GIVE IT!!!
My Gus has now had 3 gran mal seizures that are awful and the first one we thought he was going to die.
It has been reported to the FDA. Our vet is taking it out of his practice and recalling this horrible drug. Please read other forums and you will see.

Also Comfortis has the same drug in it.

TRIFEXIS CAUSE SEIZURES
by: Anonymous

Just had to bring my 2 yr old German Shorthaired Pointer mix to the vet this morning with horrible seizures. He is the healthiest dog I have ever had and has never had any problems. Of course, he has been taking Trifexis for a couple of months now. Just got his third dose three days ago and THANK GOD I hadn't given it to him yet.
This drug is horrible and no one should EVER give it to any dog ever.

ignorant
by: Anonymous

most people should do research first. talk to you veterinarian to decide which prevention is best for your pet. alot of them actually have the same ingredients. and comfortis has spinosad , not the milbemycin oxime... just be careful... i also didn't hear anyone say they gave it with food, which you're suppose to do as it can upset (causing vomiting) if you don't. i have a 1 year female miniatur pinscher who has been on trifexis since she was of age, and has never had a problem with it. i've never seen a flea...although my beagle who had been on heartgard vomited almost immediately... he's been switched to trifexis and not one problem.

Trifexis can be harmful.
by: Anonymous

I have a minature dauschund that is almost 5 years old. She has had bad reactions to various things in the past, but my vet did recommend Trifexis. I was leary about giving it to her but I talked to another vet and they felt it was very successful. I gave her the tablet Friday and she has started vomiting and having diarriha.
It started out slow on Saturday. This is Sunday and she has had several bouts today. No fever, but I am confident that she is experiencing a reaction to the tablet. I will never use it on her again. I am praying she can get past this.
She almost died once in the past from pancreititus. Don't use Trifexis! It is not worth taking a chance. Our pets are too important to put them through this. They cannot tell us how they feel.

Trifexis beware
by: MJJP

I gave this stuff to my two Boxers in late April 2012. One did fine the other puked everything up, laid down, eyes turned red. The inner eyelid covers most of the eyeball while she is conscious. She has been sleeping non stop, has no energy . Today 5/16/2012 is the second day of one seizure every hour. This dog still acted like a pup until an hour after ingesting Trifexis. For those here who say that Trifexis is the same as Interceptor IT IS NOT!! Trifexis has Spinosad as the second part which is an insecticide and is marketed as such. You put this stuff on lawns and bushes NOT in your dogs mouth. This stuff either works well or is a disaster. BEWARE!

Re:"Trifexis is diff med than Heartguard."
by: Anonymous

Please carefully re-read my comment. It is clearly a warning against Trifexis. Seizures are not a "normal allergic reaction" to any medication. I am aware of the ingredients in each anti-parasitic product. Trifexis is of benefit to no one except of course the drug company. It is heavily marketed by Elanco (and Eli Lilly) as being convenient for dog owners because they only have to give one pill a month instead of two. I wasn't really all that inconvenienced in the first place but I said ok. I should have just stuck with what was working. I will never know for sure what caused my healthy middle aged dog to suddenly develop seizures. I do know there were some serious risks that went along with the convenience of that one pill.

Re: Trifexis with food
by: Anonymous

Yes I gave it with food.

UPDATE
by: MJJP

I am updating what has occurred since I originally posted in late May under my name of MJJP. Yesterday afternoon June 10 we had to put my boxer to sleep. She had gone through the original treatment with Prednisone and appeared to be getting better. After ending the treatment she progressively got worse so we asked for more prednisone which did not do much. To make a long story short all she would do successfully was eat, pee and crap. In the morning out she stumbled to the floor on the deck and hardly got back up. I tried at one point in the afternoon to help her back up the stairs by lifting under her chest and she let out a blood curdling yelp. The entire time since we gave her the Trifexis she constantly panted which I now know is a sign of pain. In the afternoon we decided to up the dose of prednisone and when we tried to get her to eat she went in front of the TV fell over and lost her bladder contents. This is a terrible way to suffer. We had to get the neighbor to help us get the dog into the car for a trip to the vet which euthanized her. We are heartbroken as this dog was the picture of health an hour before Trifexis.

Trifexis.....
by: Anonymous

Hey all,

first off, thanks for all the comments. I gave my 11-year-ol black lab trifexi last night (June 18th @6pm) for the first time since switching from Sentinel (due to the current hold in production). At 11:00pm she woke us up by excessively panting for about 90 minutes. She eventually stoppped but we were worried the whole time. I had a phone converstaion with a vet at 1am last night and he said the Trifexis may have killed a heartworm and the result is that the killed pieces enter the lungs. Not sure if this makes sense. But I'm leary about giving her next months pill.

Cheers all.
-Regen (Vancouver, BC)

Trifexis killed my dog!
by: Shebasmom

Hi,

My 8 yr old Border Collie, Sheba, was always in perfect health. In April she had gotten fleas for the first time ever. We began treatment immediately to get rid of them. We started with Frontline & treated the yard as well. They started to go away but quickly came back. We then learned about Trifexis. I gave it to her on May 10. After 20 mins the fleas started dropping off of her. She did not experience any vomiting, loss of appetite, or diarrhea. The only thing we noticed was that she was a little lethargic & drank a little more water. We assumed this was a normal side effect & didn't see cause for alarm. She went to the vet for her annual checkup & shots on May 14. She checked out fine as always. On June 9 she got her 2nd dose. On June 10 she & my son went to stay at my sister in laws bc my husband & I were out of town. Everything was fine (she had stayed there before & knew my sister in law) & was acting normal. On Tuesday, June 11, my brother in law called my husband to tell him that Sheba had died!! One minute she was in the backyard with my brother in law, the next she was inside dead on the floor! They tried giving her CPR but it didn't work. The vet did an X-ray & found no indication of poisoning or anything abnormal with her organs.
I am 100% convinced it was the Trifexis that killed her. We are so heartbroken & devastated!

Reaction to Trifexis
by: Lynn

We have 12 yr. old Aussie. She has been on Sentinel during flea season her entire life & had no reactions to it. With Sentinel unavailable, we switched to Trifexis. First dose was given in late May 2012. She seemed a little "off" for 2 days, then she was fine so I was not alarmed. Gave her 2nd monthly dose June 26,2012. For 2-3 days she was obtunded & acted like she had dementia!!! Yesterday, she finely started to behave like normal. Saw vet today & he & I both believe this behavior may have been due to Trifexis. He is calling there hotline on Monday to report this reaction. No more Trifexis for her!!! Not sure what flea med I will switch to. Please let Sentinel be back on market soon!!!

Older Sheltie has Seizures after ingesting Trifexis
by: LLM

This is the 3rd month my 17 year old female Sheltie has been on Trifexis. I thought it was dumb also to change her meds this late in her life. But we did what the Vet said. She has had 3 seizures the first two were a few days after taking the Trifexis with food. I did not realize she was having a seizure the first two times,I thought it might be a panic attack. But last night she had the worst one and I was sure it was a seizure, sure enough that's what the Vet said. But she also said it was not the Trifexis. But took her off it anyway. I think these Vets are not taking into consideration the age and other factors of our pets. My Vet wants to put my dog down. We are going to wait and see and get a second opinion. I too agree that Revolution was the best, seems like a topical is much less dangerous than eating a pesticide.

recall Trifexis
by: Anonymous

My sweet little dog was killed by this drug.
Everyone please like my facebook page and sign my petition to recall Trifexis:

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/InMemoryofPeaches

http://www.change.org/petitions/elanco-eli-lilly-recall-the-dangerous-drug-trifexis

Beware
by: michelle

I gave my healthy Rottie his first Trifexis Monday night at 9PM and he was dead when we woke up at 6AM. We are so heartbroken, He had a well check up 30 days ago and Vet said his blood work was perfect. Never been sick a day in his life. Having an autopsy done and I will share the results soon. :(

Roxie
by: Anonymous

We had to put our 9 year boxer mix, Roxie, down today. She has her first dose of Trifexis one month ago and was due for her second. She was perfectly healthy at her June yearly wellness visit and one week ago stated getting very sick. We were back and forth to vet then to the emergency vet. It was determined that she had an very large tumor and it had spread everywhere. Not sure if this drug caused any of this, but prior to taking the medication she was deemed healthy. I am taking it back for all my other dogs and going with something else.

No More Trifexis for my Boxer babies
by: Anonymous

We have a 7yr female and 4 yr male boxer. Both received their second dose of Trifexis. I will be taking both to the vet in the a.m. for blood test. Male has not been able to keep anything in his body. Every time he eats or drinks he has explosive bowl movements (all fluid). Our female has not been able to stay awake. is having trouble standing for any period of time. She seems to be in pain. Not eating or drinking. Very concerned about their health. Will never use this drug again!!!

Westie with Seizures after taking Trifexis too!
by: Lindz Sangalli

I gave my 3 year old Trifexis and a few days after she had serious seizures too. As I type this 1 year + later she is tonight in yet another nuerologist office. We go on and off handling/managing it, but overall it's destroyed her chance at a long life. It's a constant issue for her and us. The emergency vet told me he has heard at least 15 times of people saying to him that they just gave the drug to their dog and now x is happening. This drug needs to come off the market. There are too many of us with the same story! I tell everyone I know.. DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG TRIFEXIS it's not worth the risk!

Westie with Seizures after taking Trifexis too!
by: Lindz Sangalli

I just wrote about my dog, and I see all the others. This page alone is the proof I needed. Thank you for posting your stories. Get the word out as much as you can.

tO THE PERSON CALLED IGNORANT
by: lINDZ SANGALLI

How dare you question what these people did or didn't do with their dog! I am going to guess you work for the company who makes Trifexis. Many of us lost our dog or now have spend thousands upon thousands of dollars trying to care for and treat our dogs with seizures. This drug has issues there is no doubt, and any vet giving it out has blood on their hands as far as I am concerned! My dog is in care right now, I have spend over 9 thousand dollars on her care since June, and many dollars before that since we found out over a year ago. She's still at the specialist right now as I type this and God only knows what that is going to cost me. Was it worth it for the vet to give an untested drug out to my dog for a rebate back to them? Hardly! So do us all a favor, since your dog hasn't had this problem, say what you want but don't lecture the rest of us on what we didn't do or did for our dogs. You don't know and have no business speaking about it!!!!!! Sorry my friends here who lost your dog. My sympathies for losing them and having to listen to "Ignorant"!

Sticking with natural remedies
by: Deborah Blair

Thank you to everyone who posted their experiences with this drug. I had one of my dogs at the vet yesterday and the Vet recommended this drug. She informed me that it a drug that targets insects, not the dog. It was presented as a drug that would not affect the dog, only kill insects and parasites. Common sense tells me that can not be the case, your shared experiences validate my intuition. Again, thank you for sharing and I will post this page to further get the word out.

Trifexis strikes again!
by: Nickie77m

I gave my 1 1/2 yr old Boxer this drug last month n he threw it up... I didn't know if he digested any of it but waited another month for his second dose. I gave it to him about 5:00pm n by 10pm he was standing on the foot of the bed like a zombie, I touched him and he started shaking n looked drugged, I tried to get him to get up and move around and he was very wobbly on his feet and his eyes look as of he couldn't keep them open... I called the # on the package and was told this was a unheard of side effect. After reading all these post I know that is far from the truth!!! I intend on calling back and giving them a piece of my mind! Thank you to everyone that shared. I hope a law suit of something stops these killers soon before any more dogs lives are affected! I will keep you all posted.

Dog had seizures
by: Anonymous

We have a 4 year old terrier mix who weighs about 15 lbs. She began having periodic seizures the last eight months, we think it may be Trifexis related. We have had this dog with us for 2 and a half years and she has been healthy up to this point. She never vomited or showed any other difficulty with the medication, just a little lethargy. Then these seizures started and we thought she had gotten into something, now they have become too consistent. We are stopping this medication and hope she will be fine. Thanks to everyone for their posts helped us to figure out what is going on with our pup.

Thanks for the warnings, everyone : (
by: Suz

Moving means leaving your trusted vet. Just found a vet clinic in our new city. Looks good. They promote Trifexis which i never heard of till today.

Seems like a good clinic, so checking out this stuff. We have 3 dogs. 2 tested positive for heart worm earlier this year, so we're treating daily with gentle, effective herbal meds. Same stuff (different dosage) as preventive in oldest dog who thankfully tested negative. Works well for both treatments and very safe!

However, Trifexis sounded convenient and easy, so i thought i'd research it a little. Just in case.

Thank you ALL so much for sharing your heartbreaking stories. Can't tell you how grateful i am. And how sad and angry they make me feel. Your poor babies... grrrr... You've told me all i need to know about Trifexis.

Thank you ALL again,

-- Suz

Trifexis isn't safe
by: Kat

I have Australian Cattle Dogs and gave Trifexis 3 months ago... first and last time, my male did okay with it but my female was lethargic and just laid around which if you know cattle dogs this is not normal, she also had a seizure days before her second dose was due, I wouldn't give it to her and now after going round and round with my vet over refusing to use this drug, I am in the process of looking for new vet, I will wait for Interceptor to come back as Heartguard isn't recommended for herding dogs at all

Trifexis is poison
by: Ruth NewsomeTrifexis is poison

I would like to know why all our trusted products are suddenly off the market and the veterinarians nationally are pushing Trifexis. I had used comfortis with success for my collies. I had a litter of puppies and when getting puppy shots asked for comfortis. My up till then trusted vet said that comfortis was out of production but that Trifexis was the same thing with heart worm whipworm and hookworm added. Well that is spinosad and milbemycin. I trusted the advice of my vet but had reservations. I gave it to both the puppies and adult collies. The puppies immediately developed an itching problem - constantly scratching as if loaded with fleas. I did not see a reaction in the adult dogs. I gave this in the summer (July 16) one female collie became pregnant early August. I have just lost most of the litter. The puppies were born alive but were smaller and seemed unable to nurse. This is her third litter she has always been a good mom and raised all of her puppies. I will never use either Trifexis or Comfortis again and will stay with a topical or try natural products. Does anyone know how to get a class action law suit going against this company. I contacted them regarding my problems and was totally rebuffed. They wanted proof that I had them on this product for 3 months to get a refund of my 350.00 which I did not of course. The box says use with caution in breeding females and that Trifexis in breeding males has not been evaluated. Do not take the recommendation of your veterinarian on this product I thought I knew my vet of 22 years but they are all in it for the money. I will also add that I tried to warn all owners of puppies I had sold about this product but that a puppy I had sold in the spring to a lady died from taking Trifexis. The vet had insisted Trifexis was safe and easier since it was one pill. She spent thousands on this puppy trying to save its life to no avail. She is heartbroken of course and waiting for another puppy from this litter I have just lost.

Trifexis Killed Our Sweet Lab
by: Anonymous

Our 1 year old lab died this week, I believe because of Trifexis. She was a perfectly healthy happy dog before starting Trifexis. She was switched from Sentinel to Trifexis three months ago due to the Sentinel shortage. After the first dose, she began becoming weaker and having trembling in her legs. The second month, she began vomiting, having diarrhea, losing incredible amounts of weight, no appetite, drooling, scaly skin, losing fur, and continued to get weaker. After the third monthly dose, she was so lethargic and weak, she could barely walk. She was skin and bones by this time. The vet didn’t find any obvious cause of the symptoms. I didn’t make the connection between the Trifexis and her symptoms until it was too late. She died of liver failure this week. We are heartbroken beyond words. Please do NOT give this drug to your dogs.

am a dog lover whos mad
by: Anonymous

my dog got sick too form trifexis and we need to report it to the fda good luck dog people

It's the Spinosad
by: Anonymous

I'm so sorry to hear about your beloved dog's seizure reaction to Trifexis. Please listen to the advice of your vet, and monitor any medicines you are giving your herding breed.

We have a rough collie who most likely carries the MDR1 gene, which means Heartgard (ivermectin) could be toxic for her. That said, we nervously went forward with Heartgard (per our vet) since Interceptor (milbemycin) is no longer available. She is doing very well. But we monitored her constantly after administering the drug just in case. The dosage in Heartgard is safe even for the MDR1 positive dogs. The higher dosages for mange, etc., are where there is most concern for neuro toxicity. So, we were very lucky.

Spinosad, which is the other component in Trifexis, however, is known to cause seizures because it is meant to kill parasites in that manner. To combine this with the heartworm preventative and administer all at the same time exposes your pet to a lot of chemicals at once. We decided to not use Trifexis because like others on this thread, we did not want to overload our dog with all of these meds at one time. We use the topical Frontline for fleas, ticks and wait a full week before we administer the heartworm preventative. This gives her body a break, and does not put undue stress on her system.

It is a necessary evil to protect our pets as we do our kids from disease, but staying informed and talking to your vet is the best way to understand the benefits and risks. Here are a few links that helped us in our decision-making:
http://www.askavetquestion.com/news/2012/is-heartgard-safe-for-collies/
http://www.askavetquestion.com/news/2012/trifexis-side-effects/

Good luck and best of health to everyone!

Note from Anton: If you have a question for an ONLINE VET and would like to support this website you can visit this link and use the form to ask your question... Ask a Vet Your Question Online Here

WRONG INFO !!!
by: MJJP

The post just previously posted is WRONG and says that Trifexis contains Ivermectin. IT DOES NOT!!
It contains MILBEMYCIN OXIME and Spinosad.

Other side effects of Trifexis
by: Anonymous

I switched my 5 Shelties to Trifexis when Sentenal became unavailable. My 12 year old Sheltie has been losing hair and now has almost no hair on her rump and has bald spots on her flanks. I thought she might have become hypothyroid so had her tested. Her T-4 test showed that she was moderately low so the vet sent another sample to the lab which came back with confusing results. Not what the vet expected. After hearing that Trifexis has caused hair loss, I'm convinced she is having a reaction to Trifexis. My 10 year old sheltie blew her coat in September beyond what she's ever done in the past. It's not as bad as what the 12 year old is experiencing. I asked the vet to do a T-4 test the 7 year old and his test came back low normal. This is not unusual for Shelties, but I'm taking all of my dogs off of Trifexis before it does more damage. I'll have their T-4 run again in a couple of months to compare the results and then decide it it was in fact Trifexis causing the problems.

New onset seizures...
by: catherine

I am somewhat relieved to see this site, I have just linked the timing of my 5 year old lab's first dose of Trifexis to his onset of tremors/seizure activity two months ago... perfectly healthy, all bloodwork completely perfect and now this, starting just after the first dose (he has now had two, I will not give him more!!) of Trifexis. I would not have thought to link this medication to his new onset of seizures other than the online information that is now appearing, as my vet reassured me that this medication is JUST like his Sentinel that he was on. I can only pray the damage done is not permanent!!

Heartbroken
by: Polly and Winston

Last summer my vet determined my 4 year old schnauzer had a flea allergy and that Trifexis was our solution. I was hesitant to use a combo medication, but took my vets advice. His skin did really well and he seemed fine. Late December he was due for a heartworm check and needed one more pill before his annual physical in January. The heartworm check came back fine, we got the pill and he received this does on 12/20/12. Around late December he did throw up bile in small amounts twice. On the 4th of January we rushed him to the vet where he was found to have an extremely low white count and an enlarged spleen. They started the IV hydration, the steroids and sent us to the emergency vet for continued care. Though I was able to hand feed him on Saturday and he did drink some water on his own, he basically began to bleed out and he died early Sunday morning, 1/6/13.

Despite the vets all telling me that the Trifexis likely had nothing to do with his symptoms, I'm beating myself up for not doing more research on this toxic medication. I feel like my wish to keep him healthy and flea free was what took him from us. I've never had a more loving companion and to think I gave him something that caused this, is killing me.

I hope this post will encourage anyone considering giving their loving companion this horrible medication to think long and hard.

Broken hearted...

Food and Drug
by: Anonymous

To everyone who has been affected by this drug Trifexis may I please ask you to file a report with the FDA Silver Spring Md 20993 - only if there are enough complaints is there a hope of getting this med recalled so other peoples animals are not killed or maimed. You can also report on the internet www.fda.gov/medwatch

FDA
by: MJJP

To annonymous that just posted the message to contact the FDA. I just visited the site and did a search on TRIFEXIS. It showed nothing. Secondly it is not user friendly unless you register or are a vet. I lost my Boxer last June to this drug. There are many more sites like this reporting the same events and can't believe the FDA is not aware. My Vet said my incident was reported.

Trifexis caused death of mom's collie!
by: Heather McGuire

Trifexis is causing a lot of grief to a lot of pet owners. It killed my mothers tri collie. The veterinarian was out of the usual product and recommended Trifexis. The pill was given in late afternoon. The next morning the collie collapsed and appeared to have neurological damage as well. She never walked again and had to be put to sleep. I would like to advise everyone who has been harmed by this product to contact the company Eli Lily (Elanco) and file a complaint. They have to by law give you a complaint number. Then file a complaint with the FDA they will ask you for the complaint number. The address is Med Watch - Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Springs Md 20993. There is also a Med-Watch web site www.fda.gov/medwatch. Click on "submit Report". This is the procedure you have to follow to file a complaint. Only if enough people do this are they going to pay attention. The company is not interested in the damage their product is doing only in the profits they are making. The phone #'s for elanco are 1-800-428-4441 or 1-800-722-0987 or 1-888-545-5973.

WARNING - YOUR DOG'S LIFE IS AT RISK
by: Mary

First of all - I followed the instructions on the label so this was not owner error. Second, I seriously doubt any other owner did any thing wrong. This drug is pure poison.

My experiences:

I had a Chow mix named Kodi who at age 3 1/2 dropped dead within 90 minutes of taking this drug. The vet tried to tell me it had nothing to do with the drug. Fast forward 18 months and my lab mix within 90 minutes is violently throwing up and having diarrhea everywhere. We are NEVER TAKING THIS DRUG AGAIN.

Today a dog friend got sick after taking it.

Before you administer this drug I beg you to ask yourself "Am I prepared to have my dog die because of this drug?"

The reality is we give our dogs this medication to ensure we protect them and have them for as long as possible.

My dog is dead!!! I do not want you to have a similar experience. Trust me it is horrible.

SAY NO TO TRIFEXIS.

Do NOT use Trifexes
by: Vancouver, Canada

I have a 7 year old border collie x german shepherd. She has been perfectly healthy and active up until this past month which was when we started her on Trifexes. Within 24 hours we saw some drowsiness. In 2 days we saw a lot of lethargy and some confusion. Then the hind legs started to not work as well. Within a week, she started vomiting and not wanting to eat her regular food. Her condition has been up and down where she would have a rather good day and eat the food we give her. Then the next day she would refuse food. Currently, she's on a diet of rice, bread, cooked chicken and if she doesn't want to eat, Similac. Right now, my dad is taking her to the vet again because of difficulty breathing.

If you experienced this right after giving the dog Trifexes, please take her to the vet. The pharmaceutical company will pay for tests if the vet believes it has to do with the medication. So currently she's a test subject and they're running a bunch of tests on her. She's scheduled to see a specialist in neurology. Her initial visit with the neurologist was that with an MRI, she either has a tumor or had a stroke. The later is more likely (the medication could have caused it), but a tumor? She was perfectly healthy up until we gave her the pill.

Trifexis caused internal bleeding in my dogs stool
by: Todd & Kahn

One day after Trifexis to my dog, he has been having diarrhea with blood for 2/3 straight day now.

Leaving for the emergency room now.

7 year old Pom death from trifexis
by: Gina

Our 7 year old Pom died after two doses of trifexis. He threw up on a Tuesday was lethargic by Thursday night. We took him to the vet on Friday bc he wasn't holding any water down that he would drink and it showed that he was in shock. $5,000 of tests and treatments his lab work was normal and ultrasounds of his organs showed that everything was normal. It didn't dawn on me until I started reading all these stories. By the end of his road he couldn't move and the vet kept pushing us on thinking if we had poison around our home. We also have. 1 year old chocolate lab and 4 month old. We have no insecticides in or outside our town home. We have no yard! It's pretty clear little Hurley died from trifexis. I want to do something about this. What can we do? Also our lab took this med twice and has been not her hyper normal self and we have to coax her with canned chicken to eat her food. I hope she's ok too. We will no longer give this med to our lab.

Dates on posts?
by: Anonymous

Trifexis has been on the market for a couple years. There were a bunch of complaints from the first years. Obviously the people on this site are trying to help other dogs and their owners, but the information is pretty useless without dates. The producers of Trifexis can update the ingredients in the wake of such complaints, and today, at the end of February of 2013, I am wondering if I should take my little mini Aussie off of this stuff, and what the heck I should put my rescued texas heeler on. Its too bad I have to disregard all this information from this site when both my dogs are Aussies to one degree or another. You would think this information would be the most reliable for Aussie owners.

date and update
by: catherine

To the poster who commented about dates, I posted about my lab 12/12, it is now 2/13. I stopped Trifexis 2 months ago, and my lab has not had another seizure since his last dose. Still keeping my fingers crossed but thus far discontinuing the drug helped him. I certainly would not disregard any of the postings- I have talked with many dog owners- different breeds- whose pets have been affected by this drug. I now use Heartgard and Sentinel instead. Good luck!

may 2012
by: ruth newsome

why concern yourself with the date they have not changed the ingredients and it is killing dogs daily. My dog died in 2012 from it my other collie lost her litter to it in 2012 a friend lost a collie puppy in Sept/12 there are so many horror stories out there about this drug no-jumgleone who cares about their animals would even consider using it. I have spoken with the companies Dr Kulp and they refuse to take responsibility. Why - MONEY - kick backs to vets why else are they all denying responsibility. They do not care about your dog or mine just the almighty dollar.lvx8000@yahoo.com

YES TRIFEXIS IS A KILLER 2013
by: renee mcguire

trifexis has caused the dealth of my animals we need a class action law suit against elanco. my email is lvx8000#yahoo.com

My beloved dog died suddenly
by: Heartbroken

I had a beautiful Miniature Pinscher/Chihuaha mix. He was the most likable dog I have ever been around. He turned 17 in January. He had been on Sentinel his entire life until the manufacturer inexplicably suspended production. My vet had recommended Trifexis the year before but, fortunately, I had just purchased a year's supply of Sentinel at that time. However, once that ran out I switched to Trifexis. I wish I had done more research. He had some initial reactions to the medication, like vomiting and lethargy. I did give him the Trifexis with food. Anyway, in November he started acting like a different dog and he even stopped in the middle of one of our walks and refused to go any farther. This was surprising as he had always been a ball of energy. Anyway, he developed severe pancreatis at the beginning of December and recovered with treatment. However, he just wasn't the same any more. He would be fine one day and sickly the next. I was heartbroken when I came home from work just 2 days ago and found that he had expired sometime during the day. I was shocked, because he had been fine when I left for work. If there indeed is a link between Trifexis and some of the deaths of our beloved pets, let your vet know that you are very concerned and want the product pulled so more studies can be done on the safety of this product.

Trifexis Killed my Dog
by: ppt

The vet switched my dog to Trifexis last month 2/2013, and after the first dose he acted like he was in great pain for the rest of the day and night. We took him to the vet and they could find nothing wrong. By the next day he seemed fine again so we thought nothing of it.
This month 3/2013, we gave him his dose and with in
5 hours my buddy was dead.
I would recommend that anyone thinking of using this product please do your research first.
Nothing is sadder than playing with your dog one day and having to lay him to rest the next.

I'm sorry about Buddy
by: Gina

That is terrible about buddy! How old, what breed? We need to so something about this! I posted above about my Pom. Our lab too still acts funny like not eating her food we have to leave it out and she sorta nibbles. Our add canned chicken. We stopped giving it to her after she vomited the second dose - it's like she knew it was poision. Our Pom not so lucky. Lets do something

Thank you!!
by: Anonymous

I was just given Trifexis for my boxer. Just fed her since I have to give it on a full stomach. My vet gave me a brochure on it and Heartgard Plus. After reading the brochures, I was uneasy about giving it to her so I went online to see about this spinosad since my dog was originally on Interceptor without any problems. I am soooo glad I found this site. Thank you all for posting this, you just might have saved my dog's life. I will not give her the Trifexis. I am so sorry that so many of you lost your dogs.

Thanks for warnings about Trifexis.
by: Will

We just got the Trifexis, and I was leary about it. Our dog is a Mini Aussie< and will never see the terror of trifexis. Thanks again.

My best friend
by: ByUkitten

I gave Gidget, my 5 yr old Shiahpoo, Trifexis for the second time about 5 days ago. She seemed a bit lethargic after the first time, and had the "shakes," but I had not heard anything bad about it, and my vet said it was ok and easier on her to take only the one med. I chalked it up to being similar to changing her food... just adjusting and a slight reaction. I was hesitant this time, but had faith and tried it again... she is having tremors and barely walking around, disoriented and looking like she was scolded! It's breaking my heart! Shes wincing and shakes in my arms like she's scared to death! Shes thrown up several times, and licks her lips constantly like shes parched. She's a 7 pound shiahpoo, and keeps me company while my husband is away working out of state. Gidget has been my life for almost 6 years, and I'm scared to death she may die from this poison. She's usually so perky and prissy, but never barks, and is perfectly mannered. Everyone in our neighborhood loves her, especially with her little behind perched in the air and her favorite toy hanging from her mouth, shaking it violently from side to side showing it "who's boss." Now, to see her perfectly white little body, so lethargic and disoriented, and so miserable. And mommy can't fix her! I'm just devastated! She's my baby, and I don't know what I'd do without her. She has to get better! I'll sign any petition out there to remove this poison!

Gidgrt
by: Gina

I hope you are taking your dog to the vet. Is she eating or drinking.... I'd hate for her to become dehydrated. Maybe they can help, flush the med with some fluid.

Elanco Eli Lily makers of Trifexis
by: ruth newsome

They are heartless they are making zillions off this product and do not care what is happening to our dogs. Our best friends who we strive to do the best we can for and then we are lied to by our veterinarians who have to know (mine said he did no research) and when you call this company (I talked with a Dr. Kulp) they deny responsibility and just say the dog had other problems. What we need is a class action law suit if we could find an attorney with enough guts to pursue it. They don't like fighting the big guys. I urge everyone to call the company and get a claim no and report it to the FDA. Not enough people are doing this and if enough people complained maybe someone would listen. We don't know until after the fact and then it is too late. My collie did not want to take that pill she was smarter than me I lost her the next day. I will always feel guilty.

Trifexis is horrible
by: Anonymous

My one year old dog had three doses starting dec2012- feb2013. She then had four seizure over that 3 month period. I have since quit giving trifexis. Hopefully she wont have anymore seizures... Everyone needs to call the company and fda and log their issues with the drug otherwise they don't know. When I called they said it says one of the adverse reactions was seizures and it was listed on the box. I told her mine did not say that, and she informed me there was newer packaged ones that say this...
This drug has not been tested enough and is not safe enough to be in use. It's like playing Russian roulette... some dogs are fine and others have terrible reactions or die. Will not be giving trifexis ever again!!!

Trifexis is bad
by: Anonymous

FYI- the one yo dog in the previous statement is a schnauzer

Autopsy Results
by: Kristin

I had a border collie who died suddenly on April 23rd 2013 2 hours after taking trifexis. She had been taking trifexis since October. Perfect health prior to death. The company is paying for an autopsy but the complete results are not in yet. Does anyone else have autopsy results to share?

Trifexis Sheltie & Seizures
by: Anonymous

I want to share a very frightening experience we had with our beloved pet therapy Sheltie this past week. I had talked with my veterinarian extensively about the new heart worm/flea preventative drug, Trifexis. (Prior to this horrific drug reaction, Tinsel had been in excellent health, per her Vet.) I don't want anyone else, and anyone's pet, to have to go through this...and it's not over yet, because we don't know the long-term consequences.

Tues, 5/14, we gave our dogs their 2nd dose ever of Trifexis; none had had any problems with the 1st dose in April (golden retriever, 2 std poodles, & our Sheltie).

Here's Tinsel's (Sheltie) time line:

5/14 Tues: Trifexis given in AM (2nd dose ever)
5/16 Thur: Explosive diarrhea x 5 by noon (no other changes in daily routine or food prior}; seen by our Vet same day due to severity of the diarrhea
5/17 Fri: 1st grand mal seizure
5/18 Sat: 2nd grand mal seizure
5/19 Sun: 3rd grand mal seizure
5/20 Mon: Seen by Vet early AM, all metabolic labs normal; tick screen neg. Started on zonisamide (anti seizure med) at maximum dose/wt. Vet convinced that Tinsel had a brain tumor, but no neuro deficits or problems prior to the grand mal seizures.
5/24 Fri: In consultation with Vet, decreased zonisamide by half bec of apparent nausea, refusal of all food offered, and spacey affect.
5/25 Sat: Appetite still very "ify" but now running and barking some in backyard, a nice change. May have to come off of zonisamide if anorexia continues. Our "real" Tinsel seems to be coming back to us, and hopefully she will continue to recover...if we can get her to eat. Thank you, Lord.
5/27 Appetite improving, maybe...a little more active, which is good! We have a long way to go yet!

Please DO NOT GIVE TRIFEXIS to any of your pets; it's truly not worth the risk of grand mal seizures and worse! I slept on the floor with Tinsel Sun (5/19) night; I didn't think that she would live through the night, and I'm a retired RN...many yrs of nursing, so when I get scared...the situation is pretty dire. The reactions in numerous dog breeds noted in this forum, including mixed breeds, are eerily similar to Tinsel's...wish that I had found this forum BEFORE giving that 2nd dose!!

Please share Tinsel's story and this warning with anyone you know with pets. Trifexis is not worth the risk of harming, or losing a beloved pet!

I will stop Trifexis immediatelly.
by: Anonymous

I'm so sorry about the devastation this drug is causing in all of your lives. Loosing a dog is like loosing a member of your family and I know just how much it hurts! I just lost my sweet dalmation for old age recently and just before letting her rest I've rescued a doberman mixed very shy puppy from the local shelter in Oct.2012. The vet prescribed Trifexis because he tested positive for warms at the time. He has been on Trifexis since Nov.2012. I've noticed some vomiting 2 weeks ago. I gave his 6th dose on June 4th 2013 today is june 14th. Now after reading your stories I'm so afraid something will happen to my puppy!! He has come long ways from being so shy and scared. I went online to check on Trifexis safety, just in case since is time to buy more of it. I think God sent me to this site. I will never give him this lethal drug again. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and I hope you find comfort in you losses knowing that you may just saved an adorable puppy. God bless you! I'm just hoping I'm not too late to save my sweet puppy!

Trifexis causes abdominal tumors ?
by: Therese in Florida

I have a 12 year old dachshund. My vet changed her to Trifexis 18 months ago. She did not develop any seizures, but started to drink unusual amounts of water and her belly got very bloated. I took her to her vet to check for diabetes or the dreaded Bloat. All her blood work came back normal, and she did not have the Bloat. The vet denied that Trifexis could have anything to do with it. She recommended more extensive blood tests to check for adrenal problems, plus medication for that condition. I decided against it and said I would wait and see.
It has been 8 months now, and my dog's belly keeps growing. She does not want to walk anymore, but stops dead in her tracks and refuses to move. She has trouble going up the stairs, and her breathing sounds like she has c.o.p.d. Otherwise, her bodily functions are normal. She poops and pees several times a day and wants to eat all the time. I think she has a huge abdominal tumor. My friend in Colorado just told me that three of her friends' dogs also developed tumors. I'm afraid to take her back to the vet, because she will probably want to operate. My dog will not survive, since she has a heart murmur and she is old. I'm convinced that Trifexis caused this.

here is a safe alternative!
by: Suz

I posted awhile back... thanking everyone who had shared their warnings and stories when i was checking out Trifexis just to see what it was.

I mentioned that there IS an effective and safe alternative for heartworm prevention and cure. I can tell you from personal experience that it works... safely!

We cured our Chihuahua and our Lab who both tested positive a couple years back. Now both of them and our Lab mix (who's never tested positive) have all stayed negative for heartworm ever since with HWF from Amber Technology.

www.ambertech.com is a small family owned biz in Utah. They make SAFE, all natural, organic, herbal health products for pets.

Not only are their products safe and effective, they're extremely affordable! They aren't as convenient to give as the once a month stuff. But with Amber Tech's safe and gentle products, we have saved puppies with parvo, cured dogs with heartworm and prevented re-infection of heartworm. (Lots of other products, too... but i only have experience with these.)

I became an Amber Tech dealer once the first dog really was cured of heartworm. There's only one other retailer in our whole (big!) city besides me.

Our holistic vet recommended Frontline for fleas, which we use, and we continue to use HWF for heartworm prevention, and it continues to work. Check them out!!

And if you have any questions, they are all very friendly and knowledgeable, so call them anytime during biz hours. I don't make any money unless i sell their products myself. If you decide to try them out and want to tell them i sent you, i'd appreciate it. But please know that they exist and their stuff really works!! I'm happy to help out, too... leave your email or contact info here and i'll get hold of you. -- Suz :D

UPDATE to Trifexis Sheltie & Seizures
by: Anonymous

Just wanted to let everyone know that my vet thinks that the Trifexis has made my Sheltie, Tinsel, hyper-sensitive to flea preventatives!! The vet strongly encouraged me to not give event the heart worm preventative this past month!!

After several extensive discussions with our vet, we decided to go back to the Advantix topicsl flea preventative that we've used on our dogs, and on Tinsel for years. We delayed treatment for 6 weeks. Seventy-two hours after receiving the Advantix topical, Tinsel (Sheltie) started having grand mal seizures again!! She had 3 seizures approximately 8 hrs apart...and she was on zonisamide for seizure prevention (absolutely no missed doses). Tinsel had not had any seizure activity, not even twitches, after the initial 3 grand mal seizures 72 hrs after getting Trifexis...and has not had any since the last 3 72 hrs after the Advantix!! We aren't missing seizure activity, because she salivates all over herself,defecates, and urinates during seizure activity...haven't seen any of this since.

Our vet feels that there is a direct connection to the Trifexis insult!!

JUST BE AWARE THAT YOUR DOG MAY HAVE BECOME HYPER-SENSITIVE TO MEDICATIONS, SHAMPOOS, ETC SINCE EXPOSURE TO TRIFEXIS. Please be careful!!

trifectus killed our 8 Month old shepard
by: Anonymous

We gave our 8 montghold shepard a does of trifectus with food at 7;30 PM and we found her dead in bed in the morning.

Our heart is broken. Trifectus paid for the autopsy stated that the casue of death was inherited ventricular arithmia. We are waiting on the results of the pathology.

We are hearing througj others that trifectus shoud not be given to an animal with any kind heart condition. Her supposed heat condition woudl only be determine done we had done a 24 hour EKG on our pup. Wh does that when requesting a recommenrdation/prescription for heatworm medicien from the vet. Trifectus needs to come off the market!

Our hearts are broken.

update on my rescued puppy!!
by: Anonymous

8-01-13 Just an updte about my puppy. Since I've stopped Trifexis (last dose was 2 months ago) Rex is doing much better. He is much more alert and playful. Digestion has improved. He seams much happier now than when he was on Trifexis. He is even braver and gaining more confidence. I think Trifexis was affecting his personality making him fearful of everything. Thank you so much to everyone that took the time to share the information that most likely safe his life! :) I really hope this drug will be off the market anyday. I can't believe vets still prescribing it! I'm really sorry about your losses. :(

Report Trifexis to the FDA
by: Anonymous

Our 1-year-old Labrador died last year from liver failure after being given Trifexis. I only recently discovered that owners can file a report on this terrible drug to the FDA themselves. If your dog has been affected, PLEASE take a few minutes to complete and mail this form so we can get this drug off the market and prevent any more dogs from suffering.

Link to PDF file of form.

Trifexis & seizures
by: Carol

My 9 year old border collie/lab mix started having seizures. She has always been healthy and the vet said it is not epilepsy. She wasn't sure what it was. The seizures got worse and I received a call from another doctor at that practice that said to take her off of the Trifexis immediately. That was three weeks ago. The seizures have not stopped and now last night my 6 year old cattle dog had a major seizure. This stuff is poison! I just pray to God that it hasn't caused any permanent damage and that the seizures will stop. I hate myself for not researching first and for doing this to them.

Seizures may stop off trifexis
by: Anonymous

Hold out hope carol, I posted about my lab's seizures 12/12. None before trifexis, three in rapid progression, and worsening, on it. Since stopping trifexis he had some shortly after but has not had one in the past 8 months. We are using heartgard and frontline. For my lab, we were lucky, stopping the drug worked! Good luck!
Catherine

A year since I lost my collie to Trifexis
by: Ruth Newsome

It is a year since I lost my tri collie Blacky to this terrible drug Trifexis. I too blame myself for not doing my own research and trusting my vet. I feel like I killed Blacky myself which really I did I gave her the medication. That is no way to end the relationship of a best friend. A dog loves you and puts its trust in you and when you let them down this way it will always haunt you. We take the advice of our vet and this is what happens. The company (EL) really ticked me off they were so arrogant and rude and uncaring and wanting to place the blame elsewhere when they know full well our pets are in danger. I am so sorry Blacky we walked so many happy trails together and you were always there for me.

Trifexis reaction
by: Anonymous

We gave our 5 month old Puppy Trifexis last night with his 5 p.m. dinner and about 4 hours later, he couldn't settle down, was lifting his head high in the air, and was squinting his eyes. He kept groaning. He would lay down and groan even more. He finally feel asleep, but a while later, I remembered the Trifexis pill. I immediately started researching and found this site among others. I took him to the emergency vet and they just told us to watch him that he was probably having a reaction to Trifexis and not to give it to him again. I had a horrible time arousing him to get into the car - this is a 5 month old Golden Retriever and full of energy! I will never give him this medication again.

Registered Veterinary Tech
by: Anonymous

Hi, Please do not take offense to what I say. I am very sorry to everyone that has had problems with trifexis. I saw this on the news so I decided to look it up for myself. The two products that make up trifexis have both been around for almost 2 decades. Yes vomiting and GI upset is one of the most reported side effect with trifexix. The ingredient that kills the fleas (spinosad) does bind to neurotransmitters and does cause convulsion in the flea leading to its death. However the level of spinosad in 1 pill does not cause this in a dog. However, I do know there are a lot of reports of this. Im not saying a really bad bathch couldn't have got out. But at the level listed on the box and tested and approved by the FDA doesn't not cause seizures in dogs. I have been giving this to my dogs for sever years. I gave comfortis and interceptor before that which both contain atleast one of the ingredients in trifexis. In the practice I work in the only adverse side effects are vomiting and GI upset. But the heatworm prevention in trifexis is well known to send a dog into anaphylaxis shock if it has any degree of a heartworm infestation. And I personally know of a dog that received a RX for trifexis that did NOT have a current neg heartworm text (which is required) that had a bad reaction because it had heartworms. Also, seizures in dogs are not well understood. A dog can have one seizer and be fine or it can have one seizure and die. My friends dog who was on heartguard was 4 years old passed from just one seizure. And please by all means talk to your veterinarian to become more informed. Talk to vets that don't carry trifexis to get an unbiased opinion. Just please don't believe everything you hear. Dr. Google isn't always correct

to registered vet tech
by: catherine

thank you for your comments. I am a physician and understand that seizures are not well understood. However, some breeds are known for seizures, probably related to neurotransmitters or "faulty wiring" and a low sensitivity for irregularities of the neural pathway. Many medications exacerbate this tendency, and Trifexis is one- read the label! It is not advised for dogs with seizure disorders, and that is why! I appreciate your reassurances but like everything in medicine, there are ALWAYS exceptions to rules, and where there is smoke there is usually a fire. I absolutely believe Trifexis caused my dog's seizures, which started shortly after his first dose, and several seizures later stopped when I discontinued Trifexis. I hope that you keep an open mind to the possibility that there might be an association, and not necessarily succumb to offering false reassurances based on what YOU have read on Dr. Google- take this from a Dr. who has seen much stranger things.

Registered VET
by: MJJP

To the registered vet: Go back and read my original post on what happened to my Boxer. The dog exhibited the exact same symptoms as a flea would. My Boxer went down an hour after giving it to her and had been on another heartworm medicine all her life until it was no longer available. You ask us not to believe what we read online yet why would people lie about a tragedy like this? What gain would we get? However why should we believe you? Is it possible there is a profit motive here on your behalf? Just to be clear my vet no longer carries the stuff. I suppose my single event was enough for them to carry a less profit motivated product.

They lie all the way to the bank
by: Ruth Newsome

What really gets me is the fact that this company Eli Lilly (Elanco) know full well there is a problem with this product Trifexis and they lie and have others lie for them to protect the mega-marketing of this product. Why suddenly were our local veterinarians out of our usual products and every vet in the nation was pushing Trifexis on us. It adds up to a lot of dollars for Elanco. Our dogs have died horrible deaths and suffered terrible pain and when we contact Elanco (Dr Kulp in my case)) they deny all responsibility, will not even discuss there may be a problem, and we are told it is anything but Trifexis. They would not even refund me my 350.00 I spent on their product. I was foolish enough to believe they may care enough to research the product and thus save someone else from the trauma I went through with my animals. No, they know full well it is killing animals as their vet admits but they don't intend to do anything about it until someone slaps a class action law suit on them.

Seizures
by: Anonymous

This forum has been so helpful. I gave my Chorkie his first dose of Trifexis on 10/26/13 it is now 11/19/13. He has had 3 seizures in that time frame and has never had any health problems prior to this. He is 5 years old. I have also noticed that his inner eyelids are way more visible and he seems kind of lethargic, which is definitely not his personality. We took a vet trip after the first seizure and all of his tests came back normal. My vet says it's one of those things that just happens with age but after reading this I don't think so. He should be fine if I just don't give him any more and switch back to heartguard and comfortis, right?

Elanco also makes Comfortis
by: Ruth Newsome

I have used Comfortis and I did not have a problem that I noticed. That is why I got in trouble with Trifexis because the vets were out of everything it seemed but Trifexis. My vet told me Trifexis was safe and made by the same company. So I trusted my vet and killed my dog and maimed another. So no I would not use any product made by this company.(Elanco) I was at my vet yesterday getting puppy shots and everyone working there was walking around with a smock embroidered with a Trifexis logo. I have talked with this doctor about my problems with Trifexis and given him the link to this site and told him about the Channel 2 news story from Atlanta and the fact that Elanco's own vet acknowledged Trifexis had killed some dogs (which Elanco tried to retract). Still this doctor does not want to even discuss the possibility and I can only assume Trifexis are paying them well and that is shocking when the people in charge of health care for our pets are not up front with us. We get the same arguments over and over again that it was something else that caused the dogs death. Trifexis is poison and the makers of it are the worst of the worst and the vets who prescribe it the same.

made in China
by: Ruth Newsome

I wanted to add to my comments that Stephen Connell one of the vets for Elanco claimed that Spinosad was made in the USA and Milbemycin is made in Chine. A red flag if ever there was one. Connell also said he didnt like the fact that Trifexis had killed some dogs. Elanco tried to cover this up by saying Connell meant they did not like to see reports of dogs dying. So we have it in their own vets words. Trifexis is killing dogs. They claim 31 deaths I know of 11 myself and on this site how many more alone. They sneer and say Mr Google but we are real people who have lost our pets to this drug. We have seen our dogs who we love dearly and would do anything for become deathly ill and die and we are left with so much pain and hurt and guilt. Elanco the giant drug maker are churning out millions of doses of Trifexis and making gifts to vetinarians to push it onto unsuspecting clients who still trust their doctors.

No problems for my 2 Aussies, for at least 18 mos
by: Anonymous

My 10 year old Obedience Trial Champion/Rally Trial Champion/Breed Champion of 52 lbs, and his 4 year old niece no also competes in those 3 sports, have been Trifexis dogs for ...well, we're in the middle of our 4th 6 tablet pack. My old fart is MDR1 mutant/mutant, while his niece is normal/normal. Because of having even 1 copy of the MDR1 mutant gene, we cannot use any heart worm medication with Ivermectin. Before the Interceptor shortage, both dogs used Interceptor (milbemycin oxime) for heartworm prevention, and Frontline Plus for fleas and ticks. My dogs also work livestock, and do a lot of wildness walking and camping with my family, and ticks have been brutal. We have NEVER had a reaction to the medicine, as it is always fiver with a meal. Never a flea or positive heartworm test. We're sad other dogs have had problems, but it's been fantastic for us.

My dogs are on Trifexis
by: Anonymous

I have three dogs that take Trifexis without any issue at all.
A 45-pound Jindoh, a 70-pound American Bulldog, and a 90-pound Bulldog/Mastiff.
They have all been on it over a year, without any issues.
I think the thing for people to take note of is that there is a risk in taking any medication. No matter what you switch to, there is a risk of death with that medication, as well.
People die of allergic reactions to vaccines. It is rare, but it does happen; but we still get vaccinated, because the risk of getting the disease is much greater than the risk of dying from a reaction.

elanco supporters
by: Ruth Newsome

Please do not insult the intelligence of those people who have written letters on this subject there is a definite problem with Trifexis it has killed and injured so many animals and broken the hearts of so many owners.

Motive
by: Anonymous

There have been a number of pro TRIFEXIS posters recently which to me appears to have a motive behind it. WHY or how would anyone even find this site unless they had a problem especially if you don't have an Australian Sheperd? The fact we have anonymous posting back to back pro trifexis comments quite frankly stinks.

a note for the pro trifexis posters
by: Anonymous

i posted on here a few months ago about my 1 year old giant schnauzer puppy that started having uncontrollable seizures after taking trifexis. we ended up having to let her go in october becuase her quality of life was sooo poor. she required 24hr care and was having 5-10 partial or focal seizures daily and 2-3 grand mals (and would cluster seizure if not given more meds immediately) weekly in spite of us trying every drug we could, mri and spinal tap was clean, tick tests and blood work clean... the vets said she had epilepsy, but there are very few cases of epilepsy that cannot be managed with drugs. half the time she didn't know where she was from all the drugs...

she didn't even live to see her second birthday... so for those who haven't held their puppy in their arms while they seized and stayed up all night with them taking care of them and running to them to the emergency vet at a moments notice in the middle of the night or their dogs have not had a bad reaction to trifexis... please don't take away from what this place to comment is about... almost all of us post here to inform other of what has happened to their dogs and shared their story to grieve and save others... i hope your dogs don't get sick from this med one day too...

My name is Kristin, I don't hide behind anonymity
by: Anonymous

If "only" 1 percent of human babies died from routine vaccination would we say big deal, it happens. Or would we say we need to find out why the 1 percent are dying.

not been on the market long enough for valid statistics
by: Anonymous

trifexis has not been on the market nearly as long as the old stand bys... it hasn't had time to get all the statistics together and i would guess there are some people who don't report problems.

remember vioxx? it worked great, but killed a lot of people and it took them years to get it off the market...

My cockapoo had seizures too!
by: Anonymous

After giving my cockapoo 3 doses of the Trifexis, he started having seizures and experienced 5 really bad ones over a weekend. The vet has now prescribed Phenabarbetal which I have to give him both morning and night. It wasn't until my neighbor mentioned something about her sister and her dog having seizures after taking a new heartworm preventative, but wasn't sure which one. A vendor just mentioned it yesterday and confirmed with her daughter who works at a veterinary clinic that Trifexis had been recalled. I just found this link and other websites with my search. Trust me, my vet will be hearing from me tomorrow morning. I just started going to this particular vet and had already decided to no longer use this clinic for other reasons. This just seals the deal.

Recall Trifexis
by: Anonymous

can someone please supply us with the link showing it has been recalled? I just researched it and I cant find anything. Thank you.

Rear legs stopped working
by: Anonymous

I have a 4 yr old 70lb AmStaff that loves to run and leap like a deer. At least he used to. After his 4th dose of Trifexis his right rear leg stopped working. Couldn't put weight on it. The vet diagnosed him as having a torn cranial cruciate ligament. Two weeks later his left rear leg went out the same way. For a day he couldn't walk. After researching I've now found many stories of dogs that had severe weakness in their legs after being on Trifexis for a short time. I think there's a connection and have compiled a list of stories that I'll give to my vet. I'm hoping that as the months pass without this "medicine" that my dog will regain more and more of the rear leg strength he once had. He can now walk and slowly climb most stairs but can barely jump/climb up onto a low couch. Before Trifexis he could easily jump and clear 4 feet from a standing position.

6 y/o Lab
by: Anonymous

I gave my 6 year old chocolate lab trifexis exactly one month ago, the vet was pushing quite strongly, it was about $120 for a 6 month plan.

after 3 weeks, I noticed she seemed weak, she would avoid walking and looked like she was a very old dog, sort of an uncoordinated look about her.

I called the Vet this morning and she assured me, it has nothing to do with the drug, and I should take her in for another check up (I was just in a month ago, 417 bux later)

I have a feeling she will take a 90 second look at her and say, lets just keep an eye on her and schedule another appt.

I will stop giving her trifexis, she has been in perfect health her whole life, not one issue.

Its just a gut instinct, but I have learned to trust them.

Two dogs possible died from Trifexis
by: The Sutters, Acworth, GA

Our 10.5 year old Sheltie passed away after having been on Trifexis for about a year. She was walking, laid down and 15 minutes later she was gone. We had no idea she was so sick. We took her to Cherokee Emergency Vets on Hwy 92, but she had stopped breathing right before we turned in. They opened her up as we were shocked that she was DEAD! She had liver cancer, and they said that her liver almost FELL apart.

A few months later, we were walking at Sam Smith Park in Cartersville, GA. It is a GREAT park -- large and not heavily walked. We had two puppies - one was walking, one I was carrying as she was very young. Two different couples stopped us to see the puppies. We told them our dog had died a few months prior. The first thing both of these families said was: Did you give her Trifexis? One of the families lost their 7 year old male sheltie after giving him the medicine for about three months. The other group had a similar story.

I would ask that ALL dog owners be VERY careful with what they give their dogs and other pets. We had been wondering about what had caused our wonderful dog to die so suddenly. After investigating, I found HORRIFIC stories online from people whose dogs had had terrible reactions including death within 24 hours of their first dose.

Thank you.

The games drug companies play...
by: Anonymous R.Ph.

It makes no sense to give TWO neurotoxic chemicals ORALLY AT THE EXACT SAME TIME in one horribly "convenient" pill. IT MAKES NO SENSE. Drug companies know this. They are willing to risk the increased toxicity to pets because of the butt load of money to be made. While calmly dismissing any claims of outright poisoning pets, they are watching the money come in. Dogs were doing fine being treated for heartworms monthly and treated for fleas as needed at a SEPARATE time topically or getting a bath with a flea shampoo. THE ONLY REASON TRIFEXIS was put on the market and pushed on pet owners was to MAKE MONEY. Veterinarians stand to make money too. Hey, times are hard. There is nothing convenient about seizures, emergency vet visits, and the heartbreak of watching our pets suffer needlessly. The people at Elanco knew the risks before putting this drug out there no matter how much they give pet owners the run around. It's all about money. It's just a game to them. Don't let up. Demand to be heard. LOUD.

trifexis
by: Anonymous

On March, 2013 I gave my 11 lb. shihtzu trifexis. In April he got his 2nd dose and within 3 days started having seizures. In a week he had 37 seizures. $400 later we figured it was the trifexis and put him on phenobarbital and valium (sp). After 3 months he stopped taking the meds above and he has been fine since. It did change his personality a lot though. He's afraid of everything now. Look up what's in trifexis and you will probably think twice before using it or just smell it and tell me if it's something you would take???

3 Year old Goldendoodle trying to recover from Trifexis
by: Acworth, GA

On 1/27/14 our 3 year old Goldendoodle experienced many of the same symptoms listed on this blog. (Loss of hind legs, Star gazing position of the head, loss of appetite, stroke like behavior, rapid breathing) she took Trifexis since 10/1/11. Looking back there were visible symptoms all along; bloody spots appearing over body; growths around her mouth; extreme lethargy; FOUL SMELL coming from her bottom in form if mucus.

We are at 3/11/14 and after many neurology appointments, tests, etc. We basically have a 3 year old (once perfectly healthy) in the condition of a 15 year old dog.

Our hearts are broken over poisoning her with this toxic crap. But we are not giving up on a treatment plan as she doesn't appear to be in any pain. She can walk, eat, potty and take very short walks.

Prednisone seems to be the medicine that helps her the most.

Just searching every day for anything to improve the quality of her life (energy level, nutritional benefits)

TRIFEXIS KILLS AND MAIMS OUR BELOVED PETS AND I DONT KNOW HOW MANY OTHERS HAVE TO GO THRU ThIS PAIN BEFORE IT IS REMOVED FROM THE MKT!!!!!

Veterinarians are in league with the pharmacuetical companies
by: Ruth Newsome

I just had a visit with my vet, in Bradenton, Florida to have puppy shots for a 12 week old puppy. He was trying to talk me into a heart worm injection for this puppy good for 6 months which I declined and which got us on the subject of Trifexis again. I have posted on this sight before I lost my tri collie and a litter of puppies to Trifexis. (The vet) seems to think we are all liars just trying to hurt the company. He said the same thing about this 6 months heart worm injection that they had bad reports on it but that they were all lying. My reply was "and you want me to give this puppy the injection despite these reports" he said yes because these people were all lying. I would expect a more serious discussion on this matter from a veterinarian I would expect that veterinarian to consider there may be a grain of truth in what people are saying. To do tests to determine how safe the product is they are promoting. He told me he has been selling it for 4 years with only minor reactions. Now who is lying. With veterinarians in league with the big companies it is sad to say we cannot trust them to be honest with us. We cannot trust them with the health of our animals.

Pug, Trifexis, seizures
by: Robin Caldwell

4/3/14. My 9 year old Pug Otis has been a happy, active, healthy baby and has been on Trifexis for a few years. I recently bought a new box from my vet and gave him his first dose from that box and 3 days later he started having cluster seizures. 12 in a 25 hour period, 2 days in the hospital and random seizures for the next couple of days. They put him on anti convulsive meds and he went for three weeks without a seizure and was just starting to act simi normal again. I gave him the second dose from that box and 3 days later he started having cluster seizures again. I called the maker of the med and gave them the lot number and they said that they have not heard of any problems before which is total BS from what I read on this site but gave me a case number so they could refund me for the four doses I have left. Why would they want to buy them back if they don't think there is a problem. I have filed a report with the FDA and this stuff needs to come off the market. It is killing dogs every day! I am pissed off and feeling very guilty about giving my baby this horrible stuff. If you are reading this and are seeing symptoms in your dog, please contact the FDA and let's get this stuff off the shelves.

Trifextus
by: Anonymous

Our Black Lab is experiencing Tremors, muscle weakness, unable to walk properly or get up from a sitting position without difficulty after using this product. We started him on it in March 2011.At first he started with small shaking tremors , we were concerned and mentioned it to his vet about a year and a half ago. Nothing was investigated by the vet. As time went on he tremored worse and one day in this past November 2013, he could not get up to walk without help. Then he walked wobbly and seemed disoriented.We started to research the side effects from Trifexis and we called the company. We also took him to our vet that same day.No one had an answer.Trifexis offered to pay for a blood panel to see if it was his thyroid, had that done and that was ok.Then they offered to have him looked at by a Neurologist, which we did, the diagnosis was ruled,"OPEN". No one will come right out and say it's Trifexis causing this to our pets.After reading all of others concerns and seeing they have lost their pets we are concerned we may lose our dog also. We have taken him off Trifexis and he seems to have improved but the tremors and the muscle weakness are apparently not reversible as he still suffers from it. We would join a class action lawsuit to stop this drug from harming our pets if anyone knows of one.

I lost my Cavalier from Trifexis dose
by: Andrea

I gave both my Cavaliers Trifexis on March 27th. I followed the directions and watched them for several hours making sure they seemed ok before retiring to bed. I woke up the next morning finding Chopper had passed in the night. UGA completed an autopsy confirming he died of heart failure. I truly believe in my heart that he would still be sitting beside me this very moment had I not given him the dose. Abby my other Cavalier has experienced very loose stools since her dose. I am filing a complaint report with the FDA and the manufacturer tomorrow. They have not heard the last of me or my loss. I hope everyone keeps getting the word out to the dangers of Trifexis. BTW; I have also made the decision to change vets. They knew that Chopper had a heart murmur and from everything I have read since he should not have even been put on Trifexis.

Trifexis and liver levels
by: Anonymous

Does Trifexis cause elevated liver levels in dogs.......??? Someone please let me know...

Yes Trifexis causes elevated liver levels!!!
by: Deonna Hanley

To the most recent comment about elevated liver levels: the answer is YES!!!!!!

Sunday Night
by: C Gilfillan

We gave our 11 month old black lab and her great Aunt their first Trifexis dose of the year Sunday night. Aunt spit it out twice before I hid it in a hotdog...she knew better! 630 Monday morning we where at emergency vets. 11 month old would not get out of bed. Walked thru house to see if she had gotten into something. Found over dozen spots where she threw up. Driving to vet with your pup in your lap on deaths door rips your heart out. She had glassy eyes, shallow breathing, could not support her back end. Vet heard heart murmur which she did not have at check up month prior. One sick pup. Reported to drug company that day-they gave me a case number. They called next day to ask how pup was doing... how NICE of them. Pup feeling better but have cardiologist appt. in couple days. Will be spreading the word!

enlarged heart/Trifexis
by: Debby

I am wondering if anyone has experienced an enlarged heart in their dog as a result of taking Trifexis. I have seen this side effect in a couple of "young" (2 year old) dogs; very unusual for a young dog to have an enlarged heart.

My girls
by: Steve in Houston

I have been giving my two aussies trifexis for a couple of years with no problems until a month ago. My youngest had a seizure last month and then again this month. The MRI showed nothing and we're still waiting ont he results of the spinal tap. The first seizure was two days after taking the medication and the second was the same day. I won't be giving it to either of them again as a precaution.

Trifexis bad drug
by: Anonymous

My 12 year old Aussie mix has had three does of this drug. Makes her weak, sleepy, vomits. This last dose has caused her to have a seizure and her eye has turned red all over. Will not give this to her ever again if she gets past this last dose.

heartguard and seizures
by: Anonymous

my 5 year old healthy lab started having seizures one week after i gave him heartguard he continued to have seizures off and on for 6 months when i gave him heartguard at the next year he had another seizure. so i figured it was the medicine i stopped heart guard for over a year now he never has had another seizure. i am convinced it was the heartguard.

Antidote for Trifexis
by: Anonymous

TRIFEXIS ANTIDOTE-----There is a way to reverse the symptoms caused by Trifexis. It took me three weeks to figure out that trifexis has poisoned my dog.

He is a rare specimen, half jindo and half belgian shepherd he could jump higher off the ground than Kobe Bryant, he was faster than any cat I have ever seen, a magnificent physical specimen. Then he started to vomit and in the aftermath of three days of that condition he began to slow down, become lethargic and soon has trouble just jumping a foot and a half into the van. He was looking old, his rear end was tender and inflamed. Then I looked at the trifexis package and date and realized the problems traced back to his first dose. I found the fabeook page trifexis kills dogs and realized he was suffering as a result of one dose of trifexis.

I spoke with elanco and they put their head veterinarian on with me. She was quite nice, offered to pay for the vet visit, wanted me to return to the vet who sold me the trifexis. After much discussion she told me there was no antidote for trifexis.

I then contacted a homeopath and she advised me to start a regimen right away,. I started my shepherd on liquid dandelion and liquid milk thistle, fifteen drops apiece, twice a day. As well I gave him one animal strength biosuperfood from bioage, an algae complex that has been remarkable in the past for recovery after illness. After three days the shepherd was bounding again, I slowed the dosage and he reverted to the lethargy and pain. I returned to the previous criteria and after three weeks, he is again strong and vital his regimen has slowed to once a day for the liquids and every three days for the biosuperfood. The tenderness in his rear is gone.

I will write and call elanco and inform them or my progress, I suspect that they will continue to maintain an innocence in regard to the conditions that arise after the use of their product, but I do believe that the regimen has brought this dog back to his previous most healthy state. I do now believe there is an antidote.

2 rhodesian ridgeback take trifexis
by: Anonymous

Before you gave trifexis you need to take your dog to the vet to do worm test and how is your dog health, etc.
I have 2 rhodesian ridgeback female and on trifexis. They are fine and healthy.
You also need to give the trifexis with food.
So the bottom line is: you need to know how your dog health overall by doing test to the vet.

Trifexus made my Australian Shepherd / Cattle Dog Sick
by: MaryTX

SNAP recommended I try Trifexis for my dog since he would not eat Comfortis. He ate the Trifexis readily and went outside. We noticed foamy vomit on the driveway about 30 minutes later.

I called the Trifexis helpline and they said it's a safe product and he should be okay, make sure he eats first (which he had) and monitor the next month. The second time, he started foaming heavily from the mouth almost immediately, threw up the chew, his food and bile from his stomach. He continued to foam and gag for 15 minutes or so.

I immediately called Trifexis and spoke with someone who said they were a vet. She told me the dog should be okay and to give it to him a third time and monitor! I told her I was NOT giving any more to him. She then offered to send me two additional chews for the ones he threw up!

I reported the incident to SNAP and they gave me a full refund. I am shocked and saddened to read all the problems pets are having allegedly from this product. I will be researching natural products, since I no longer trust these drug companies or vet recommendations.

Thank you for this site and for everyone's posts. The more we share, the more we know, enabling us to make the best decisions for our pets.

Need Honest Answers
by: Aussie <3

I have 2 aussies (turning 7 months this month) they have been on trifexis since they were of age so they on their 4th or 5th dose. I have never had a problem...knock on wood. The common thing I see on these posts is that the pet is being switched to it and has some age on them. My vet told me to never give trifexis to a dog who has been off of it during a time frame of warm weather when there are mosquitos because if there is a chance of the dog having heartworm it could kill them. Has anyone had their pet on the pill ever since they could be and had a problem? Im just trying to gather data because their next dose is due next week. Sorry for everyones loses and scares, I dont know what Id do if I lost my boys.

Research
by: Anonymous

How many of your dogs were on another form of heart worm/ flea preventative a month before giving your dog the Trifexis? THAT is what is killing your dog. Not the Trifexis itself. You cannot switch heart worm/flea medications that quickly with different acting ingredients and expect your dogs to be okay afterwards. My Husky has been on Trifexis since he was a baby and that's the only medication he's ever been on. He's never had an issue with it. What is killing your dogs is the reactions between the different acting ingredients in two different kinds of preventatives, especially if one of the ingredients is Ivermectin. And based on what a lot of you have said, you switched medications. Any vet will tell you this.

Note from Anton: While switching meds may be an issue, Australian Shepherds with an MDR1 gene mutation can be particularly sensitive to Ivermectin (as well as many other medications). More information about how the MDR1 Gene Mutation Causes Dangerous Sensitivity To Trifexis And Ivermectin For Dogs here. While it may be safe to give a Husky (or an Australian Shepherd without the MDR1 gene mutation) these drugs it may NOT necessarily be safe for your dog.

Tumors
by: Anonymous

My healthy young dogs, after using trifexis, now have tumors, this product worked well, but not worth the side effects obviously. One that was given trifexis actually still got heart worms.

Trifexis causes mega problems
by: Ruth Newsome

I am a breeder and I warn the people who take my puppies never to use this product. In corresponding with people regarding the purchase of a puppy I hear so many horror stories of how they lost a beloved pet. One lost a puppy at a year old from bone cancer the vet could not determine the cause. I asked what medication the puppy was on and was told Trifexis. One man lost both his collies who were healthy dogs until he gave them Trifexis. Another collie puppy on his third dose of Trifexis lost the use of his legs and had neurological problems - staring into space with his head uplifted - he died the vet still denying it was Trifexis. Another had seizures after taking Trifexis. The list goes on and on. This is no coincidence Trifexis is a killer. If it does not kill immediately it will cause liver damage,. kidney damage, neurological damage and so on. Please stay away from this product for your pets sake - fleas are a problem but it is better to bathe them and flea comb them and use things like food grade diatomaceous earth. Dogs used to live much longer before all these chemicals were introduced..

More information PLEASE
by: Anonymous

Anyone have information on pursuing this. I have been fighting a life and death battle for the last month after giving my dog Trifexis.

Message for anonymous
by: Anonymous

To the person looking for help with fighting a life and death struggle with their dog my posts are lost in here from several years ago. I lost a Boxer and both me and my wife still grieve over the loss. As for Trifexis they are still in business and getting away with what is obviously a product that is very dangerous depending on the dog. There is no recourse to getting this product off the market so far and every time I have the opportunity to spread the word to someone else to stay away I do so.

Class Action
by: Ruth Newsome

I would love to get a class action law suit against them. Does anyone know a good attorney willing to handle this.

This is what they are saying about our loss
by: Ruth Newsome

Unsubstantiated Mass Hysteria Targets Trifexis

comfortis killed my dog
by: Brian

First let me begin by explaining to you that my dog was considered as my son. he was a beautiful healthy solid blue pitbull who was very loving to people and other animals. I took him to Peggy Adams to get his regular shots. although he did not have fleas he does play in the yard and the vet recommended comfortis. within 30 minutes of giving my dog comfortis he began foaming at the mouth and having severe seizures. long story short after three trips to the emergency veterinarian and giving him IVs he continuously had the seizures to the point where he finally went blind and deaf and eventually died All within a 3 week period. I am definitely interested in a class action lawsuit.

Deadly
by: Anonymous

Gave Trifexis to my healthy 7 mo old Rhidesian Ridgeback.
2 hours later he let out a horrible Yelp and then died in my arms. No health problems and had passed health checks by both mine and my breeders vet.

Do not give your Cat Comfortis
by: Tammy

I am not sure if Comfortis killed my cat or not.
I took him to the vet 10/10/16 for the pill. They gave it to him at 6 pm and at 1:30 am he passed away.
No signs anything was wrong. Has always been healthy. My cat was like my child I have had him for 16 yrs. Never again will I ever give any animal any kind of pills for fleas or ticks.

Don't use Trifexis
by: Anonymous

My sheltie had a very bad reaction to it within an hour. She was up all night shaking, panting, pacing and her heart rate was super fast. My vet acted like I was exagerating and told me that he doubted it was the trifexis. I am not sure why the vets are pushing it so hard. It was very scary and i will never use it again! My advise: why take the risk and use it if there are other options out there!!!

I have a miniature Aussie
by: Anonymous

My miniature Aussie is five years old. We wanted her on heartworm meds when she was old enough. The vet researched a lot to find what was safe for her since we had concerns that ivermectin was toxic to this breed. He suggested trifexis. She has been fine but we were told recently that sentinel is fine for her to take. I just don't know what is safe! Anyone have any recommendations? Sentinel is new to me. thank you

Trifexis killed ours
by: Anonymous

We had a Havanese who, after switching him from topical Advantage (didn't work at all) to Trifexis, he developed IMHA, and then died violently of Pancreatitis shortly after taking a pill.

We didn't connect that it was the Trifexis until we adopted our second dog, same Havanese breed but different breeder.

We had no problem with it until he crossed the dose-weight threshold (he went from 5-10lb to 10-20lb dose). As soon as the vet gave him the 10-20 we started seeing problems.

A day or two after taking Trifexis he would become lethargic, then a few days to a week after taking the pill he would start shaking, begin nonstop puking, have bloody stool, and end up in the hospital for a few days with a severe case of Pancreatitis. Very scary! And expensive!

This happened twice, at which point we realized it was exactly what had happened when our last dog died! The days of lag between the pill and the reaction made it hard to pinpoint the cause.

We have stopped Trifexis, and have not had a repeat of these incidents. I wish we could have figured it out with our last poor guy. :(

Living in California and having mega flea problems with no topical that has worked, we are going to have to try Comfortis (basically just spinosad - Trifexis without the heartworm med), but at half his weight dose (5-10lb, not 10-20). We are hoping this will not make him sick, as the fleas are terrible!

Also getting diatomaceous earth to put in the yard and our rugs, but people do be careful when applying to your dog - I hear it can be dangerous if inhaled, due to lung issues. I've tried it before, it is hard to apply without making clouds of it, and my sinuses/lungs suffered for days...

I wish i had looked Ivermectin up sooner
by: Kat Hamilton

I have 2 mixed breeds since they were givennto me by ppl whi found them abandoned i only know my oldest dog Shasta is Aussie mixed with unknown, and my newest stray rescue is a Pyrenees mix with Shepard, or herding dog of some sort..The point to my story is i was unaware of their sensitivity to Ivermectin whichnis innall of these meds..So recently i toon my pup the Pyre mix in because he has mange, hevwas given Ivermectin 2 days later hes puking his little guts up, took him to ER and took the new med Ivermectin as well as all his doctor papers..I thought maybe he ate something i really didnt have a clue about this medicine i never git any warnings, never a printout of side effects nothing..So the do exrats and look in his belly he had some foreign mattet but the Radiologist says it shouldnt be causing all this, next day hes doingvwell so we go get him .on they way home hes sick again..They even said when i asked if i should still be giving him his Ivermectin yes..So we bring Him back by a few hrs latet they keep him.overnight again, same story, still noone ever mentions the Ivermectin even though i have asked now 2 times about it..That night hes ill again so i take him back to his "new vet" who prescribed him this deadly medicine, he wants to run a Berium swallow to see whats in his stomach..Im still thinking that he musta ate something..So i agree , i just want to save my pup. He bumps his head on a chair while wevare thete and i say ,maybe something neurological? The dic said nothing he takes him back for his treatment. I pick him up at closing and he says to continue his meds that i am fir the 3rd time now questioning..He says yes,and bring him backbthe next day to check his exrays..My dog bumped into something and i again said something,,thedoc didnt act as if it was odd. I pick my pup up latet and he says once again to krep him on his Ivermectin and then bevause i said he has fleas he gives my Trifexis..So mow my pup is on Ivermectin that is slowly killing him i still was not aware..The vets none of them have commented. So my pup this night not only gets his Mange does of Ivermectin but also the Trifexis..A couple hours after giving him these meds he is paralyzed cannot walk ..I rushed him to ER again. I thought he was going to die..The vet comes in and knows rightbaway when i again tell them hes on a mange med that its Ivermectin..I confirm it and she gives him a treatment to get that poison out..Thankgod one vet knew something..So i picked up my revovering pup in the morningband change him mow to another new vet as im not taking him back to that vet who gave him this..She was disgusted by the fact he was given this..Whybwith all this info that it took me too long to find out..Why dudnt the vet know better?

IMHA & Trifexis
by: Alice, Oklahoma

Tonight I opened my email to happily find my Australian Shepherd monthly newsletter - and then the words TRIFEXIS & IMHA caught my eye. I’ve spent the last 20 minutes reading every post, and a sick and angry horror has consumed me.

My male Black Tri Australian Shepherd, Uno, was obviously not himself in July, 2019. I took him to his vet clinic, and was diagnosed with Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. After a Prednisone regimen, his blood was re-checked with not only no improvement—but worse results than when he was diagnosed. A week later I knew in my heart he was miserable, the doctors advised his quality of life would not improve, and on August 26, 2019, I let him go. He would have been 8 years old the next month.

Uno took Trifexis since he was of age to do so. Yes, it smelled horrible and I had to drown it in scrambled eggs, bacon and cheese. I never saw one parasite on him. Ever. There were no seizures, no upset tummy, etc.

So now I’m questioning the connection. It won’t bring Uno back—but I am currently giving Trifexis to my 3 year old and my 1 year old Australian Shepherds. Of course I’m not ever giving it to them again, and I’m just devastated by everyone’s loss and grief. If I can contribute in any way to stand up to this possible (and obvious) connection, you bet I will.

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