Bravecto Plus

[Maurey]

Has anyone here used Bravecto Plus on their cats? What was your general impression of it? I use a combo of Advocate and Drontal every 3 to 4 months preventatively (every month in summer as we spend weekends in the suburbs with family, where they get to go outside with supervision), which is generally recommended here. Having a combo treatment for both + flea treatment that covers 3 months seems ideal, but I’m somewhat sceptical that something high dosage enough to last 3 months is all that safe For long term use,

Also unsure of the dosage for Jum, if I do go with the bravecto. She fluctuates between 5.9 and 6.3 kg on my home scales depending on the time of year, and their starting point for their formulae for large cats is 6.25kg. I’m guessing I should be cautious and go with the lower dose?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Personally speaking, if your current regimen is working and your cats have never had any reaction to it, I would stick with it. The Bravecto line is a newer product and contains a newer class of parasiticide, known as an isoxazoline. And, any product containing one within this class will carry warnings of potential seizures/neurological issues. In the research I have done, Advocate does not contain that class nor does it warn of these particular side effects. I believe that to be true of Drontal as well, but my research did not include this particular product.

I would highly recommend you do your own research on the drugs contained in each of these products and make your own assessment. Although it is becoming less true as we all become more educated in overall pet care, most folks use these products with no in-depth appreciation of the drugs involved.

 

[Maurey]

Personally speaking, if your current regimen is working and your cats have never had any reaction to it, I would stick with it. The Bravecto line is a newer product and contains a newer class of parasiticide, known as an isoxazoline. And, any product containing one within this class will carry warnings of potential seizures/neurological issues. In the research I have done, Advocate does not contain that class nor does it warn of these particular side effects. I believe that to be true of Drontal as well, but my research did not include this particular product.

I would highly recommend you do your own research on the drugs contained in each of these products and make your own assessment. Although it is becoming less true as we all become more educated in overall pet care, most folks use these products with no in-depth appreciation of the drugs involved.

That was the conclusion I’ve come to, as well, more or less, re:the safety, based on the reading I’ve done, which is kinda unfortunate. Much as it’d be nice not to worry about applying spot on monthly, and having to swap between advocate and frontline plus (advocate doesn’t cover ticks, and I need them covered for when I take them to the suburbs), I’d rather they be safe. Would be ideal if advocate could come out with a new formulation that covered ticks, but I’ll keep alternating for the moment, I guess, since it has overall broader coverage than frontline plus.
It costs about the same either way, at least, and I rather my animals be safe than save myself a bit of faff.

 

[FeebysOwner]

From what all I've researched, you are 'spot-on' (not meant as a pun ) with the treatment options since you need tick coverage as well!

 

[Maurey]

Thank you! I’ve obsessed probably too much about what to given them, since I want to keep them safe without exposing them to an excessive amount of toxic things. Hence they only get preventative care 4 times a year outside of the warm months, where they get frequent flea prevention so I can take ‘em out for a walk without worry :>

I’ve considered worming more often, since Jum insists on killing and eating bugs of all sorts, but I’m tentatively going with the ‘if it’s not broke don’t fix it’ mentality for the moment. Just hope it doesn’t come to bite me in the butt one day. Or, more importantly, my cats. Advocate covers all the super nasty things she could get from eating bugs, tmk, though, so might be worth the relatively small risk to reduce the amount of dewormer I give them. Would appreciate your thoughts, though!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I have never used any of the products that prevent roundworms, etc. But, given Advocate takes care of everything but ticks, it would seem Drontal is overkill, yes? You could start a month early with Advocate and eliminate the use of Drontal, if I am understanding how you are using them. And, a natural tick repellent might work when it is needed, and eliminate the need for Frontline altogether. With ticks, since there is less frequent exposure, checking the cats for them after an outing along side a repellent should cover all your needs, IMO.

 

[Maurey]

I have never used any of the products that prevent roundworms, etc. But, given Advocate takes care of everything but ticks, it would seem Drontal is overkill, yes? You could start a month early with Advocate and eliminate the use of Drontal, if I am understanding how you are using them. And, a natural tick repellent might work when it is needed, and eliminate the need for Frontline altogether. With ticks, since there is less frequent exposure, checking the cats for them after an outing along side a repellent should cover all your needs, IMO.

Advocate doesn’t cover tapeworms, which is what the Drontal is for (tmk flies can carry tapeworm larvae) — it has complete coverage with Advocate for everything but ticks. That’s why I generally feel safe giving it as rarely as I do, given we don’t really get bugs in winter due to how cold it is, so me not using Advocate or Drontal often during winter will have minimal impact.

Re: the ticks, I’d consider it, but we get encephalitis ticks where I live (not super common, but are enough of a concern that I’m wary), so I’m not totally comfortable risking natural remedies that might be less effective (and potentially more toxic, since you have to spray down the entire animal).

 

[FeebysOwner]

I see - I now understand why you are doing the Advocate/Frontline/Drontal approach. Not sure - other than tempting fate with Bravecto Plus - you have any other options. Hence, the reason for your original post!! As far as the ticks go, I have read that brewer's yeast (which can be used as a food supplement) is effective. Have had no reason to try it, so I can't attest to its true effectiveness, but it wouldn't require applying to your cats' skin/hair. Look it up and see what you think, if it would help with your routine any.

 

[Maurey]

Thank you for all the info, I’ll be sure to look into it! Always appreciate bouncing ideas back and forth :>

Having looked into it, encephalitis ticks aren’t endemic in my specific city and the suburbs I take my cats to, but they’re present in nearby regions. We also have Borrielia ticks (Lyme disease) endemic to nearby regions, which is just *lovely* even if I’m in a non-endemic region, I was always taught as a kid to take ticks seriously, because it takes being unlucky once, which does seem reasonable, given the potential risks. If that means faffing about a bit so my cats can go with me to have some fresh air when I go see my family, so be it.