NexGard (Afoxolaner) Toxicity, Veterinarians and $$$$ - Page 1

A follow up post to topics such a ProHeart 6 and similar new and wonderful safe products for our dogs!!!  A GSD male .. one year old, Czech and German lines, 95 pound very strong and very fast male who had a dangerous allergic, immune, or toxic reaction to NexGard.  Within a few hours of dosing the young male was ripping out patches of fur and coat, panting, vomiting, and eventually lost 10 pounds of weight or more due to loss of appetite, vomiting, dehydration. Skin lesions and dermatitis persisted for many days.  Location NC and this report obtained by personal communication with the owner who contacted me as the breeder .. the owner has been in contact with me since she got the puppy from me at 12 weeks. Owners of puppies and older animals from the same litter and bloodlines have not had any similar problems or experiences.   The veterinarian said the "sickness" was just a coincidence.  The same immune reaction has been widely reported.  NexGard is not safe and even those using it without a reaction on the first use should be careful as reactions can occur at any time and can be triggered by external environmental factors in combination with the afoxolaner and spinosad active ingredients.  The veterinarian administered the product and upon seeing the reaction said that the symptoms were coincidental and that the NexGard was safe and had no known adverse effects.  Please feel free to trust your veterinarian .. the owner of this dog got a new veterinarian but if you wait for veterinarians to stop chasing the newest and most profitable solution to their problem ( money and profits for their practice ) you will be waiting a long time.  Pharma reps sell new products and services to veterinarians based on the profits and incentives for the veterinarian and of course themselves .... safety is always assured and proven by studies the company paid for and sponsored with known friendly "reliable" researchers while any unfriendly research is suppressed or tossed out as "unscientific".  When you and your dog show up at your veterinarians on birthdays with a Star Bucks coffee in one hand and a birthday cake in the other like the Pharma reps do you will have as much influence as they do on what products the veterinarians sell.  NexGard is about marketing an expensive and profitable product through veterinarians with a five year protected market window ( excerpt below).   

NexGard is for use in dogs only, the company says. The most frequently reported adverse reactions include vomiting, dry or flaky skin, diarrhea, lethargy and anorexia. Its safety in pregnant, breeding or lactating dogs has not been evaluated, and veterinarians are advised to use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures.

A. Marketing Status:
The drug is restricted to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian because 
professional expertise is needed to monitor for and respond to adverse reactions.Freedom of Information Summary
NADA 141-406
Page 22 of 22
B. Exclusivity: 
Under section 512(c)(2)(F)(i) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, this 
approval qualifies for FIVE years of marketing exclusivity beginning on the date of 
the approval because no active ingredient of the new animal drug has previously 
been approved.
C. Patent Information:
For current information on patents, see the Animal Drugs @ FDA database or the 
Green Book on the FDA CVM internet website.

If dogs had hands the Pharma companies would make beef flavored cigarettes for them and claim health benefits, FDA would approve them as safe,  and veterinarians would sell them !!!

 

Be careful, there, bubba, you'll be called a DIYer.

So, let us see. This means vets and big Pharma want to kill your dog and put themselves out of business.

As we all are ultimate decision makers in the care of our animals, the choice to decline a treatment or even to use a product does lie with your consumer dollars. 

Make yourselves informed and if you aren't sure about your vets motives or treatments, do find a second opinion and/or different vet.

 

We have been using NexGard the past two months.  So far, no complications.   The Frontline that you put on the skin wasn't working.. We were still finding a few ticks on him.  So far, the NexGard has been very effective.   Once winter time rolls around, I will quit using it until next spring/summer. 

What keeps the big auto, cigarette, food, pharmaceutical, pesticide and medical supply companies honest is the thought of class action lawsuits and unlimited liability awards combined with punitive damage awards.  The lower the potential criminal and civil penalties for killing people and animals, the more the big companies are willing to kill or maim.  The cigarette, auto, and Pharma record on taking risks with our lives and well being is pretty well documented when government regulations and regulators shield them from liability so the only thing saving most of us from profit seeking mayhem by all businesses is the $500 per hour lawyer with a class action lawsuit or a medical liability claim for many millions.  When contaminated dog food is killing dogs the companies delay, deny, and hope they die .. but if a child handles the dog food and even gets sick then millions of pounds are recalled.  Why .. a dog dies the liability risk and chances of any class action are near zero .. if a child dies the liability is in the many millions if proven and if a hundred children or humans sicken and die the companies see a class action with hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in both liability and punitive damages if proven.  Due to political pressure and campaign donations from mega corporations like Monsanto, ADM and Cargill the governmental regulators will turn a blind eye to health concerns and deaths.  Governmental controls and fines are too little and too late.  How many decades were cigarettes allowed to be sold like bubble gum due to "unproven" health concerns not being conclusive enough to justify tougher regulations??   The cigarette companies biggest mistake was not marketing cigarettes exclusively through the police, churches, political organizations, doctors and hospitals because if they had the jury would still be out on whether cigarettes are bad for your health and if the cigarette companies knew they were killing people for profit.

Sooooo.......What should I use?  There is A LOT of ticks in my neck of the woods.  The NexGard  has seemed to work great so far.   

Jmoore, your dog won't get ticks if he doesn't pass by them in the woods. If he does pass through where they are waiting, it is easy to remove them before they latch on. Check him every day. Unless you don't care if he is poisoned (by the nexgard) and you are likewise poisoned (by the nexgard), that is if you have contact with your dog,like petting him. The tick is not as toxic as the poison you are putting in your dog's system and the systems of every person who pets him. Remove any ticks every day. The ticks have to bite your dog before the poison (nexgard) in his system can kill them, so if you are not removing them within 24hrs, he can still get toxins from the tick.
The poison (nexgard) you apply to your dog does not neutralize the toxins from the ticks which they are excreting into the dog before the poison (nexgard) takes affect and kills the tick.....what affect do you suppose the poison (Nexgard) is having on your dog's system?

Joanro, I agree with you.  This post def made me think about it a lot more..  My dog is fine with me checking him over, messing with his ears, paws, etc.   I want him to be as healthy as possible.  He just turned 10 months old.  I think I will discontinue the NexGard.  I just purchased a 3 month supply Friday....haha......Crap....$65 for 3 months of NexGard.  It's def pricey. 

 

Since we are on this subject, what about Heartgard?  Do you feel the same way about this product? 

Heartgard is to prevent heartworms...it prevents the microfilaria (sp?) To mature, it doesNOT prevent moscoes from biting, which is OK. It DOES kill the baby heartworms before they can cause damage. However, EVERY month is not necessary. Once every two or three months will do. I use ivermectin every other month during moscoe season, in winter discontinue unless we have a warmspell when moscoes re-emerge. Heartworms are devastating to a dog and no reason nowadays for any dog to suffer from them.

Jmoore, one more thing about heartgard.....it kills the ACCUMULATED microfilaria on the day the med is administered. Not the same as a poison remaining in a dog's system and actively killing insects for a month long duration.