Is this flea medicine safe? Bravecto, three month.

[M-train]

Background, our old vet passed away last fall so we have been trying to find another vet.

Anyway our old vet always sold us "Frontline" on a month by month dose. I went to another vet in May who sold us "Advantage" which made both cats a little ill, and gave them a big welt on the back of their necks where the medicine was administered.

So I went to another vet last week, and the only thing they had was Bravecto which lasts 3 months in one dose [per cat]. This worries me, as we all know cats are very sensitive to any medicine. So, one dose lasting three months seems a little strong [even though I got it for the correct weight of our 7 year old, 10lb, female cat.

I was going to admenister it to her today as its time for her flea medicine, but I wanted to check her first before I do this.

Anyone know anything about this, good, or bad? Thanks.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Here is an article (see link below) about Bravecto that might help you to decide whether or not you want to use it. I think there is a link within the article that also discusses Frontline, so you could read a bit about it too.

But, tbh, if Frontline worked for you and your cats, I think you should stick with it. You already know it doesn't seem to appear to have any negative impact on your cats, and that is what we all worry about with any new product/med we have to give our pets. I am sure you will hear from members in support of and against Bravecto - same is true of Frontline and Advantage, as well as many other flea treatments.

My vet, who I trust, is now recommending Bravecto for his patients. However, I am hesitant to try it on my 15+ yo cat, so I have not yet used it. My vet's reasoning is that some of the flea treatments that have been around a long time are not as effective - which may be true. I used Advantage II on Feeby many, many years ago, and just recently had to start again because of a surprising flea infestation. Adv II has never posed an issue with Feeby, but it does not appear to be as effective as it was when I first used it.

Bravecto® for Cats (Reviews) | Is it Safe? What You Need to Know – AdvisoryHQ

 

[M-train]

Thanks. Looks like most of the problems came with it being used on dogs. I gave her the dose today, so we shall see.

If anything negative happens I will post it on here asap.

 

[Jcatbird]

I had the same worries. My vet switched for the same reason, less effectiveness in this part of the world. I like Advantage but we were having fleas. I just tried the Bravecto a couple of weeks ago on a few of the Clowder. So far, no one has had a bad reaction. I have some cats with sensitive skin and will be trying it on them after their wellness check. It seems to work. There is a warning about using it on a cat with heartworms. I have one cat that had heart worms and, although he has tested as free of them now, I am still hesitant to use it on him. I’ll be checking back with the vet. I actually had the first dose to one of these kitties administered in the vet office which made me feel a bit safer but it was all okay. We were there three hours and kitty was fine.

 

[Willowy]

The kind for dogs is taken orally. My mom tried it last year, out of pure desperation, on her 14-year-old dogs, even though she was highly suspicious and thought it might cause reactions. And neither of them had a reaction, the fleas were very dead, and that took care of the problem for the rest of the summer. And the dogs are still alive even now, and the one with severe flea allergies still has all her butt fur (which was missing pretty much every summer of her life).

Of course that's only one anecdote but if a couple of elderly dogs are ok with it, probably most younger pets will be too.

 

[M-train]

Thanks for all of your replies. So far the little girl is way more active on these following days than she was on either Frontline, or Advantage.
I will post any updates if there is anything going wrong, as that is important to the cat loving community.

Also, are the fleas becoming resistant to the older meds?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Also, are the fleas becoming resistant to the older meds?

That is the great debate - probably never to be resolved. Some say it depends on the region, others say other things. No one knows for sure, IMO. Whatever works for your cat(s) is, for now, the way to go.

 

[Jcatbird]

I can only tell you what I observed here. I have had to switch up flea meds because, in spite of using them diligently, fleas returned in force after using the same medication over extended periods. Maybe the fleas develop resistance or maybe we even have a new species of flea. Who knows? There could be many reasons but I do know that I must keep any fleas out! We do what works for us.
I’m glad your kitty is doing well on the Bravecto.

 

[M-train]

I just wanted to update this thread since its been a while.

The flea medicine seems to be safe as I haven't noticed any adverse reactions to my cats after two treatments this year [both male, and female approx age 8, and 10 years old, both neutured/ spayed indoor cats].

Thanks again, and I hope this helps someone else on the forum.

 

[fionasmom]

As W Willowy said, my 14 year old GSD who has a million health issues and probably will not survive the year is on Bravecto after a huge battle with tapeworms and numerous flea preparations that did not work. I was concerned about Orlando taking it, but he had absolutely no reaction to it and there have been no fleas and no tapeworms.

Two of my vets have said that Advantage is just not working anymore, so I moved to Revolution which did not work for every animal when it came to the fleas resulting in tapeworms. Dog was given Interceptor but even that did not stop the return of the tapes and it has to be given every month which made me more nervous than Bravecto. I do think that something is going on with resistance to the standard meds.

 

[rodger]

i just took my little girl in for a check up and to be sure she didnt have mites as she was showing signs, as sure as i was that she didnt have fleas sure enough its fleas. anyway the vet said no mites and we will treat her fleas with a treatment that will last 3 months i get very nervous with these types of things as i had a cat that near died from a poison like affect from a flea treatment many years ago, i told the vet and the tech how concerned i am and of coarse was reasured by both that this is safe [bravecto ] the tech went so far as to say that its totally non toxic and wont hurt the cat even if they lick it or me for that matter if i get it on my skin. for a moment i was feeling calm with no worries until i smelled the stuff it smells just like acetone [ nail polish remover ] then im looking at the package and see that they gave a dose for 13.8 to 27.5 lbs my girl just weighed in at 13.3. tech said the doc said to use the larger dose ?? THEN i see the warnings of neurologic disorders tremors etc etc, so now im afraid to say the least for my kittys safety thats what brings me here. i got a soft cloth and tried to wipe off as much of the medicine as i could not trying to undo whats been done but to try to minimize the potentialy excessive dose. i do feel a bit better after seeing a positive report of the use of this product on this forum but cant help but be worried until im sure she s safe from any harmful side affects, i only wish i new just how long that will be.

 

[rodger]

I just wanted to update this thread since its been a while.

The flea medicine seems to be safe as I haven't noticed any adverse reactions to my cats after two treatments this year [both male, and female approx age 8, and 10 years old, both neutured/ spayed indoor cats].

Thanks again, and I hope this helps someone else on the forum.

thank you for the update, it is very helpful as i am watching and worrying over my little girl that just had her first dose of the bravecto flea treatment. i was told at the vets that it was so safe and non toxic but of coarse upon researching the product and seeing all the cautions i am near melting down with worry. shes been threw so much and used up so many of her 9 lives before i got her it breaks my heart to think of any more pain or illness on her especially over some lousy fleas and a potentially careless vet. anyways thank you your info gives me hope and a bit of calm

 

[FeebysOwner]

rodger - Bravecto is relatively new when compared to many other flea treatments, and while there are many members on this site that are using it, I won't do so with Feeby (16+ yo). My vet said that the warnings are the result of the FDA requirements that have to include that information, because it contains a newer type of pesticide, which is part of the isoxazoline class, but that he trusts it. I also believe that Bravecto can cause side effects after continual use even if it doesn't on the first application.

I use Advantage II, but it is not entirely effective in my area, so Feeby still has some level of fleas. I do feel it is safe, if it is still effective in your area. The other treatment, a longer established product, that many members on this site have also used is Revolution, but the Revolution Plus version also contains one of the new class of pesticides, so it too includes warnings like that of Bravecto.

Long story short - most of the flea treatments may likely cause issues in some cats, regardless of how safe they are deemed to be. I personally think it is a gamble that each and every one of us has to decide or not to take. I do tend to feel as if the treatments that don't enter the bloodstream might be a bit safer - Bravecto and Revolution Plus enter the bloodstream; Advantage II and Revolution do not.

 

[fionasmom]

I did decline to take Revolution Plus from my vet last week when I refilled Jamie's prescription as I was not comfortable with that either.

 

[rodger]

rodger - Bravecto is relatively new when compared to many other flea treatments, and while there are many members on this site that are using it, I won't do so with Feeby (16+ yo). My vet said that the warnings are the result of the FDA requirements that have to include that information, because it contains a newer type of pesticide, which is part of the isoxazoline class, but that he trusts it. I also believe that Bravecto can cause side effects after continual use even if it doesn't on the first application.

I use Advantage II, but it is not entirely effective in my area, so Feeby still has some level of fleas. I do feel it is safe, if it is still effective in your area. The other treatment, a longer established product, that many members on this site have also used is Revolution, but the Revolution Plus version also contains one of the new class of pesticides, so it too includes warnings like that of Bravecto.

Long story short - most of the flea treatments may likely cause issues in some cats, regardless of how safe they are deemed to be. I personally think it is a gamble that each and every one of us has to decide or not to take. I do tend to feel as if the treatments that don't enter the bloodstream might be a bit safer - Bravecto and Revolution Plus enter the bloodstream; Advantage II and Revolution do not.

thank you i am taking particular note of your thoughts on bravecto possible cotinued use leading to potential side affects i will ride this dose out and give it plenty of time to clear her system and switch to the safer product, i would rather have to apply more often and have peace of mind that she is safe. 24 hrs now and she seems good this morning acting tired but she may just be relaxed from the fleas dieing off .