# ComboGuard = Trifexis?



## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

The active ingredients in ComboGuard and Trifexis appear to be the same: Vethical ComboGuard® for Dogs from VCA and Flea, Heartworm and Parasite Protection for Dogs | Trifexis (spinosad + milbemycin oxime). 

I have no other wisdom or advice to offer, but this sticky thread contains a lot of relevant information: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...comparing-heartworm-flea-tick-products-6.html.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

I would not do the ComboGuard if it is the same as Trifexis, nor would I do Trifexis. 

My dogs are currently on Interceptor and Bravecto and doing good on both. Bravecto is a chewable that protects against fleas and ticks for three months. Just a suggestion. Are you seeing problems with only fleas in your area? 
You can also do the heartworm preventative, whether Interceptor or Heartgard Plus and Nexgard - Nexgard is also a chewable that protects against fleas and ticks. Nexgard is a monthly chewable.


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## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

I would not do Bravect. Something just doesn't ring right that it stays in a dog's system for 3 months. I talked to a personal friend who is a vet, and she won't give Bravecto to clients who come to her not already on it. She will is the client demands so, but she won't recommend it at all. Because, if there is an adverse reaction, the drug is in your dog's system for up to 3 months.. That is a LOT of flushing out that will need to be done.

I know you say you don't want Trifexis, so this is a mute point: We have been using Trifexis, and it has been working Great. The only problem is that it doesn't work for Ticks. So, we will be switching to Revolution (another AIO) because we need tick prevention since we are in the south.

I have also heard REALLY awesome things about Nexguard, and the heartguard for heartworms. A lot of people are using nexguard now. We like the idea of a single product instead of two.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

It is a matter of opinion - I have yet to hear a case of Bravecto causing any kind of adverse reactions and my boys will get their second dose this month. 
I feel comfortable with Bravecto and I did not make this decision lightly. 

Now, I could really cut down Revolution - I really don't like topical heartworm preventatives, there are so many things that can go wrong with that. Advantage Multi is another one like that - would not do it in a million years.


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## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

Are you in a place that has mild or moderate fleas?

I haven't heard any adverse reactions to the Bravecto, but I'd rather not take the chance until it has been on the market for more than a year.

I don't typically like the topical solutions either, but have heard great things about Revolution.. Care to "cut down" so that I can get your review? Have you ever actually used Revolution? As stated above, we haven't switched yet, but were thinking about it. We need something that will be better for ticks too. We have horrible amounts of fleas and ticks down here.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Not that it is really any of your business, but I am a LVT by trade and all vet clinics I worked for only started recommending Revolution for cats, because it eliminates ear mites. 
I am not going to argue with you over that anymore - do what you want, I really don't care!
I am only trying to give the original poster options other than Trifexis or the Trifexis knock offs.


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## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

Wait - I'm so confused.. I was genuinely asking for your experience and reasoning behind using (not using) Revolution.. I'm not going to use something if it has bad reviews or genuine reasons why it shouldn't be used.. 

I was seriously asking for your opinion, because I wanted to hear it.. So that I can take everything into account before deciding on what to switch to. I want to put my dogs on something that has a positive consenus and that will work for them.

I don't understand where you are getting that I want to argue or why you are becoming defensive..? I'm confused by your response.


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## iGirl (Oct 5, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies - as my location states - we're in Florida which is supposedly the home nest of all fleas - however we haven't had any problems probably due to Phoebe being an inside dog, and leash only - and no fenced yards so she is never out roaming about.
Still it's a major to severe problem for most so we are staying on the offensive.

Maybe it's OK to keep her on the current med since we haven't seen any problems. There seem to be very few alternatives in a one stop, single oral solution. Still looking at the options though so thanks again for the input!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Moose15 said:


> Are you in a place that has mild or moderate fleas?
> 
> I haven't heard any adverse reactions to the Bravecto, but I'd rather not take the chance until it has been on the market for more than a year.
> 
> I don't typically like the topical solutions either, but have heard great things about Revolution.. Care to "cut down" so that I can get your review? Have you ever actually used Revolution? As stated above, we haven't switched yet, but were thinking about it. We need something that will be better for ticks too. We have horrible amounts of fleas and ticks down here.





cgriffin said:


> Not that it is really any of your business, but I am a LVT by trade and all vet clinics I worked for only started recommending Revolution for cats, because it eliminates ear mites.
> I am not going to argue with you over that anymore - do what you want, I really don't care!
> I am only trying to give the original poster options other than Trifexis or the Trifexis knock offs.



At no point did she argue with you. She was sincerely asking for your opinion on Revolution, did you misread her post?


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Moose15, sorry I did misread your post. I apologize! 

Okay, the vets I have talked to and when working, stopped carrying huge supplies of Revolution a long time ago. When Revolution came out, every clinic got sold on it and in the beginning, a lot of people bought it. Then it fizzled out, people were not happy that it is a topical, vets were questioning its efficacy because of being a topical. 
It is a good product for cats with persistent ear mites - it does help against that. But other than that, the greasy feel to it, the repeated questions about will it work after my dog had umpteen baths. What if the dogs shakes it off or roles right after application, were questions often asked. And they are valid points. I don't like the idea of something being put on the skin and it is suppose to make it's way into the blood stream. Over the years, I have heard of dogs still getting heart worm disease with that product, is it the product, owner compliance? Who knows? 

My vet still carries a very small supply of Revolution - he actually advocates Sentinel more than anything right now. I personally don't do Sentinel, I tried years ago, it did not agree with my then golden and the flea action in the pill only sterilizes fleas, does not kill them. So, what is the point. 

Anyway, I am sorry for the confusion on my part - I should not post when I am tired and running in and out doing yard work.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

Hey cgriffin - a little off topic here, but I haven't thought to ask my vet yet, but are you aware of any oral flea prevention for cats? We've just always used topical on my cat, and our bridge girl Diamond (dog) was always on topicals, so the orals are new to us. Noah is currently on Nexguard until he turns six months old, then switching to Bravecto. 

My vet just started to carry Bravecto, and I asked for it last week and got it, but then with some online reading, I read that it should not be given to puppies under 6 months old, so they credited me back for it (unopened box) and I picked up another month of Nexguard instead.


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## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

Thanks for the response! I am so confused by all the different options out on the market. They all have different ways of working, and it's just really hard to pick out what is best for the pups and I. (Gosh, I am going to be terrible when we start having kids).

 Yikes! I hadn't thought of all those different circumstances though. And, I'm not sure how it would absorb into the blood stream, if applied on the skin, now that you mention it. Wouldn't that mean anytime I rubbed lotion on, it was absorbed into my blood? They are still puppies, so they get regular washes due to the messes they find themselves in. These are all questions that hadn't crossed into my mind.

Well, off to do more research on other types of prevention. Thank you!


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Moose15, you are welcome, and again, sorry about earlier. 

Rabernet, there are not a lot of options for cats in form of oral flea meds. I think Capstar and Comfortis are pretty much it. Capstar only lasts 24 hours to kill fleas, so it is pretty much a initial treatment to get rid of fleas. Comfortis - I am not a fan of because it is the spinosad component that is also in the Trifexis chewable. 

I think you are pretty much stuck with topcials for cats. 

I am also surprised that your vet office would sell the Bravecto to you for a puppy under age 6 months. 

Anyway, when it comes to heartworm prevention - I really prefer Heartgard Plus or Interceptor. Now, that Interceptor is back on the market, I switched my dogs back to it. It does give better intestinal parasite prevention than Heartgard Plus.


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## rabernet (Feb 24, 2015)

cgriffin said:


> Moose15, you are welcome, and again, sorry about earlier.
> 
> Rabernet, there are not a lot of options for cats in form of oral flea meds. I think Capstar and Comfortis are pretty much it. Capstar only lasts 24 hours to kill fleas, so it is pretty much a initial treatment to get rid of fleas. Comfortis - I am not a fan of because it is the spinosad component that is also in the Trifexis chewable.
> 
> ...


They said that it was so new to them, that they were not aware, and thanked me for alerting them to it.....sigh....but - it IS part of me being an advocate for Noah. 

They also sell Trifexus and love it, but I refuse to use it. They'd only had the Bravecto a week before I got it. The other thing that annoys me is that they said that they won't write a prescription for it, and will only price match if it's not a sale price. Might be time to find a new vet. 

Noah is on Heartguard Plus as well. 

Thank you for your time regarding the cat options.


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Hm, odd that they won't write a prescription for it to fill it in an online pharmacy. I guess price matching is a plus. Vet clinics all make their own rules about that, has a lot to do with whoever runs the clinic - not always the vet. They often hire managers and those are usually people that only run the financial aspect of everything and are not knowledgeable in veterinary medicine. I have worked for a clinic like that before. 

I saw that Drs. Foster and Smith have Bravecto cheaper than at my vet office, I will have to ask them about that, next time I am there. And I think that price is the regular price with that online pharmacy.


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## Moose15 (Feb 12, 2015)

Went to the vet on my lunchbreak to get their next month's supply of preventative.

I ended up going with NexGuard and HeartGuard. We will give it a shot and see how everything goes! Much more expensive to do it seperately, but I need tick prevention!

Thanks Cgriffin for opening my eyes to Revolution issues


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## cgriffin (Nov 30, 2011)

Great, if you have not given the meds yet, try to space them out by 1 - 2 weeks. I usually give a couple of weeks between different meds as not to assault the system too much at once.


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## iGirl (Oct 5, 2009)

cgriffin said:


> Hm, odd that they won't write a prescription for it to fill it in an online pharmacy. I guess price matching is a plus. Vet clinics all make their own rules about that, has a lot to do with whoever runs the clinic - not always the vet. They often hire managers and those are usually people that only run the financial aspect of everything and are not knowledgeable in veterinary medicine. I have worked for a clinic like that before.
> 
> I saw that Drs. Foster and Smith have Bravecto cheaper than at my vet office, I will have to ask them about that, next time I am there. And I think that price is the regular price with that online pharmacy.


In my most recent case the vet was charging 40% more than online! I've been using Heartland Vet Supply lately... Vets can be bullies about selling refillable prescription meds due to the profits involved, however I'm not so sure it's legal for them to force you to buy only from them. This time, I just had Heartland Vet Supply call the vet to request the prescription refill directly so I didn't have to argue with them.


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## Taz Monkey (Feb 25, 2007)

One of the former foster dogs in the rescue I volunteer for passed away yesterday, and their other dog is in bad shape, and the only thing that changed was they both got their first dose of Bravecto on Thursday. It's way too new for me to be comfortable giving to my dog. But, I need to find something that takes care of fleas, ticks and heartworm, either all in one pill or 2 separate ones.


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