Trifexis deaths - Page 2

Keith, did you read the report I posted the link for, or just skim the initial page? If you read the whole piece, and followed up by using the links in that report and on the sidebars, you'd have already seen that three of the dogs that died were 16 week old Vizsla puppies--the only three pups out of a litter of seven which died, AND the only three that received a dose of Trifexis. The first of the three died just 6 days after receiving his first dose of the product; the other two, three weeks after the product was administered.  The necropsy reports for several of the dogs mentioned in the report series are can be viewed by clicking the appropriate links in the sidebars of the WSB-TV reports:   Kinzie's necropsy      Vizsla Jade's necropsy     Vizsla Bishop's necropsy 

Clearly, something has changed, and once again, if you follow all the links and read the additional material, you find that the numbers of adverse reactions as reported on the FDA's CVM site only reflects a portion of the complaints that have been received--that site shows there's only been 31 deaths, while the data obtained by the reporter of this story through the Freedom of Information Act shows the FDA has 700 Trifexis-associated deaths on file at present.  The website shows 2,200 reports of vomiting as an adverse response; the data obtained under FOIA show that number is more like 30,000.  Something. Is. Not. Right.  I'm thanking the heavens, and my vet, that I've still got 9 months' worth of Interceptor left, and it's dated into Aug2014, which I ordered as soon as I heard about the Novartis plant in Nebraska being 'temporarily' closed down.

This situation really has me missing the old daily diethylcarbamazine citrate [Caracide, Nemacide, Decacide, Filaribits, etc.] heartworm products. Easy to dose, wide margin of safety WRT overdosing, readily consumed by most dogs, and few adverse effects across the breed spectrum--downsides were that you can't give it to dogs with adult heartworms, and if you forget to give a day's dosage you've left a window of infection wide open. Not much trouble with deaths when used according to directions. however.

In the UK so this doesn't apply...but a similar situation. I had a dog on a drug for many years to which she had no adverse reactions and on which she did very well. However it is a drug which also has seen many dog deaths and the data is there and is backed up. Much of the adverse information that was reported came from cases in the US, but many cases in the UK too...also played down by the drug company. At the time I used it this was not known as it was pre internet days.  Again, there are many, many dogs who have received it without adverse reaction. But it is a case of there but for the grace of God. Having been offered it in recent years for my dogs in different situations I politely declined with this knowledge in mind. I based my decision on the facts at hand. Not because I had had a bad experience with it personally - quite the reverse - but because I didn't want to risk it. If you know the reports, statistics and risks you alone can choose whether to take that risk.

Any drug or food that is recalled or sited for causing illness and death will never be given to a dog of mine period. I'm not taking the chance albeit how small.