the news media has been hammering the folks who make Trifexis, claiming that hundreds of dogs have died while taking this preparation. Anybody here have any experience with it?
Its not something that I have come across, but I googled it and visited the facebook page 'does trifexis kill dogs' it sounds horrific.. Can you elaborate?
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I've never heard of it, it seems to be in the US, is that right? I've never been offered it by my vet, who's also one of my oldest friends, so if it is available it's possibly not proven enough for my vet clinic to offer it.
Now, you should understand that the news media's job is to stir up controversy so that people keep watching, so read the story with that understanding. Every once in a while they get it right
It also sounds like the numbers are being fudged:
"...The FDA numbers posted online for lethargy is just above 600. The updated number Strickland got from the agency showed it's actually nearly 8,000. The numbers on the web for vomiting is at 2,200. Updated figures revealed it's closer to 30,000..."
Oh wow, that's a lot of poorly or lost dogs And they have no idea how Trifexis is causing these problems? That's scary, and so tragic. Will keep bumping this thread to raise awareness of the possible complications from using this treatment and please keep us updated how it all progresses. I'm in the UK so we've heard nothing about it over here
will do. I hate to stir up trouble but I'm skeptical about a med that is strong enough to be taken internally and STILL has the potency to kill fleas when excreted by the skin
will do. I hate to stir up trouble but I'm skeptical about a med that is strong enough to be taken internally and STILL has the potency to kill fleas when excreted by the skin
I don't know that it's stirring up trouble if you have a concern about a product and want others to be aware of the risk. I think it's great that you're spreading the word as far as you can
The safety of Trifexis in avermectin sensitive dogs/dogs with an MDR-1 mutation has not been sufficiently demonstrated. These dogs may be at higher risk for the development of adverse effects.
Interesting theory here that the adverse reaction is caused by newborn heartworms dying and that dogs should be tested for heartworm before giving it.
*The reaction in MDR-1 dogs and the reaction to dead worms are not the same thing.
In any animals with a high worm burden, killing the worms may result in clinical signs as the dead worms may cause obstructions of the arteries or trigger a massive immune response leading to inflammation and even death! I would have thought that if an animal was regularly wormed, this would be unlikely to be a problem, however it is a risk in animals who are already clinically affected with signs of heartworm, so in these cases, medication should probably be monitored by a vet. We were told in our lectures that in severe cases, they actually surgically hook out the worms from the heart, rather than treating immediately with drugs for this reason. If you google images of heartworm, you can see why this would be a problem!
The problem with certain drugs and the MDR1 mutation is that these animals do not have an adequate blood-brain barrier and the drug can get into the brain and cause damage. (MDR1 is a protein that pumps stuff out of the brain) *
Hope this helps. Its good to be aware of things like this and then do a bit of research and ask your vet for their opinion.
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Only the first link worked for me I'm always sceptical when statements disproving a claim are made by someone hired by the company in the crosshairs. I'm not saying they've been bought, but I'd rather hear from an impartial professional too. They also talk about
What has to be present with any medication or situation is a positive correlation between (a) and (b). If animals receiving Trifexis causes more deaths or problems than animals without, then there is a positive correlation between Trifexis and death. Cause — effect. Read more at www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/trifexis.asp#UHx6SCPl7JirxtQW.99
And with this I don't agree. What he's saying is that for there to be a correlation, is that poorly animals ON Trifexis needs to outweigh those NOT on Trifexis - which is absurd. What you need is a higher incidence when compared to normal. In other words, before Trifexis came to the market there were x number of deaths from these kind of symptoms...since Trifexis started being administered there are now y instances, and this is z% more/less. If you start using a drug, and suddenly there are more dogs dieing or becoming ill then this is clearly an issue, there is clearly a correlation.
I'm intrigued about the heartworm theory. Worms could well release toxins as they die - how this creates problems when on Trifexis compared to other heartworm treatments raises some issues.
