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Parasite Control

scorning

Well-Known Member
My dogs just had their annual checkup, and while I haven't had my dogs on any type of preventative parasite control, I think we are going to start fostering more so am considering starting them on something. I live near Seattle and we haven't had issues with fleas, ticks, or heartworm, but we do travel for nosework trials so am considering treating for these things as well as intestinal parasites.

My vet recommended either Revolution (didn't address ticks) or using Bravecto and HeartGuard.

Does anyone use these and have any feedback? I'm not sure I'm comfortable giving oral medication, so am currently leaning towards Revolution, but from what I've read online it doesn't prevent intestinal parasites in dogs, only cats?
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
May I ask why you are uncomfortable giving an oral med? I don't like any of these products, but I do feel that they are necessary. Of the two, I prefer an oral over a topical. I feel that topicals are less .... precise? I'm not sure that's the word I'm looking for. I know that on Ella, who has a fluffy gene, a topical works just fine because she has so much hair. For my boxers, with their short and sleek coats, there seems to be too much product and I feel that I lose a lot of it on furniture and run off, etc. I have also had dogs in the past that had sensitivity to topicals.

I currently use Heartguard, but I used to use Interceptor because one of my dogs had a problem with Ivermectin (active ingredient in Heartguard). There's now Interceptor Plus which is an oral and controls heartworm and internal parasites. Active ingredient is Milbemycin. My daughter is giving her boy Sentinel. Sentinel covers heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and prevents the development of flea eggs. If adult fleas are present then you use capstar. I'm thinking of changing to Sentinel. It's not that much more expensive than any of the others and I know my daughter did her research before choosing it for her boy.

As for Revolution, I've never tried it. Years ago when it first came out there was a lot of discussion on the boxer forums from people whose dogs had had very bad side effects from it. I don't know how true that was, but I decided it wasn't worth the risk to me at the time. I know many people use it and really like it. Maybe someone else has used it and can give you better info.
 

scorning

Well-Known Member
I've just read such bad reviews of dogs getting sick and/or dying from Trifexis, Bravecto, and other oral meds. In general I try to do limited vaccinations (we do required rabies and titer everything else) and only treat if/when we have a problem, which we only had after we fostered.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
I completely understand. I also do limited vaccinations and only treat if there's a problem. Except for heartworm. We have a high incidence of it here so I treat all year except for the winter months. Like you, I've only had a flea problem after fostering. Good luck finding something you're comfortable with.
 

DennasMom

Well-Known Member
I've thought about fostering, but the hazards they might bring in the house is one of my hold-ups... that and all my business travel...

If you douse the foster well before they come in the house, and just remain vigilant for "hitch-hikers", would you be able to keep with your current regimen (i.e. not needing to medicate)?

I'm also in the Seattle area... and we don't even have a flea problem in our current home. We do use a topical about once a year when we go camping east of the mountains, and rotate product - using whatever the vet likes that year. I've heard some bugs are getting resistant to different meds, so mixing it up seems like a good thing.
 

scorning

Well-Known Member
One foster I had last year gave my dogs intestinal parasites, and the last one gave them ringworm. They were from different foster organizations and supposedly vetted before they came to me. I'm less worried about fleas and from the fosters and more about the intestinal parasites. We travel enough for nosework and I want to buy a large plot of land next year for vacationing, so the flea/tick/heartworm thing is more related to that. I only foster short haired dogs so fleas are usually pretty obvious before they come into the house.
 

Boxergirl

Well-Known Member
What about food grade diatomaceous earth? Won't do anything for heartworm though. How prevalent is heartworm in your area? Ask your vet, they'll know. I know a lot of people don't think it's a problem because they haven't heard about it but are unpleasantly surprised to find out otherwise. Also ask about the prevalence of lepto in the area where you'll be buying your land. It, and distemper, have been on the rise in a lot of areas where it didn't used to be a problem. I don't like vaccinating for those things, but I'm going to have to consider it with it being a risk in my area now.
 

Cher

Active Member
My dogs just had their annual checkup, and while I haven't had my dogs on any type of preventative parasite control, I think we are going to start fostering more so am considering starting them on something. I live near Seattle and we haven't had issues with fleas, ticks, or heartworm, but we do travel for nosework trials so am considering treating for these things as well as intestinal parasites.

My vet recommended either Revolution (didn't address ticks) or using Bravecto and HeartGuard.

Does anyone use these and have any feedback? I'm not sure I'm comfortable giving oral medication, so am currently leaning towards Revolution, but from what I've read online it doesn't prevent intestinal parasites in dogs, only cats?

My Mastiff picked up giardia from a kennel last April and it kept recurring and haunting her and me ever since. I use Nexguard Spectra which I ordered from a website in Australia. 6 in one box for 6 months for about $80. My sister recommended it as she owns a kennel in Thailand. It treats fleas, ticks, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms and whipworms. For giardia, I use Fenbendazole for 10 days. I get the Safeguard Dewormer for Goat 1000 ml. You use 1 ml for 5 lbs of body weight, so for my female who is 130 lbs, she gets 26 ml. My male is getting 24 ml since he's about 120 lbs now. He is still a puppy, so I weigh him weekly as I have to keep adding more ml for him.
 

scorning

Well-Known Member
After talking to a couple people who use Bravecto, I decided to try the vet's recommendation of Bravecto and Heartguard plus. If they don't react to the Bravecto, I will stick with it but am thinking of trying either the Nexguard Spectra or Interceptor Plus once we finish the Heartguard Plus since they cover more types of worms. Thanks everyone!
 

Steven C

Well-Known Member
My vet just changed to Revolution gold topical and it does not work at all, for us anyway in Florida. I went back to the Advantage 2 topical and that does the trick. I don't use orals for 2 reasons, one I fear it will damage their kidneys, and secondly I heard they bring on seizures and I have 2 breeds that are supposedly up on the list of seizures. I mentioned this to my vet and he did not deny it so I stay away from oral flea meds. If I had a tick issue which we do not, I would go with Advantix 2.

Good luck! I know I hate even 1 flea getting in.