Trifexis Safety Issues Visited in Southeast Kansas

Today, I had a client call and ask me about the safety of Trifexis because she "heard rumors" that it was killing dogs.  We informed her that the "rumors" were unsubstantiated and that I am still using Trifexis on my dogs and recommending it to my clients.  Now what I have to say about these "rumors".

Google Trifexis Kills and you will get 15,200 results in about 0.15 seconds.  If you take the time to scroll through the searched sites, you will note that the majority of these sites are by news media, individual blogs and personal social media groups.  These sources lack scientific medical evidence to support their claims.  In order to give validity to their claims, they must have positive correlated scientific evidence linking Trifexis to an animal's death.

Let's put this is perspective.  In humans, it has been estimated that 16,500 people with arthritis, die every year from NSAID related complications (aspirin, Aleve, etc).   While tragic this happens, the percentage of people that die in relation to the millions of people that take NSAID's that do not die, is extremely small.  Yet we do not remove aspirin from our pharmacological arsenal.  We have to weigh the benefits of taking aspirin versus the possible negative side effects of the drug (bleeding, liver disease).  If the benefits outweigh the risks then we consider it a good medication.  But if the risks are greater than the benefits (more people die taking aspirin than people not taking aspirin), then it is a drug that is unsafe for use.

Every medication (whether designed for man or beast) have negative side effects.  You pick up your medication and your pharmacist hands you a printed list of the possible negative side effects you may suffer.  Your doctor has already weighed the risks vs the benefits for you.  If this is the first time you have taken the medication, you will not know until you take it if the negative effects out weight the benefits.  If you discover the negative effects are greater, the medication is discontinued for you (not the  other millions that can take it with no difficulty) and your doctor will prescribe another alternative.  The same happens in the veterinary medical field.  Our goal is to minimize those risks for as many individual pets as possible.

Trifexis like any prescription drug is FDA approved, meaning is was extensively tested by Elanco (manufacturer), before FDA would approve it's use in dogs.  The FDA and the manufacturers of any drug (for man or beast) monitor reports of potential toxicities.  Your veterinarian also monitors the effect of medications for pets.  If a patient of mine becomes ill and/or dies and I suspect it is the medication that caused the illness/death, I make a report to the company.  The company may request blood work or request the body be sent to a lab for pathology, so that they may determine if the illness/death is directly related to their product or if the patient had some underlying disease (that neither the owner or the veterinarian was aware of)  that may have contributed to the animal's illness/death.

A good example of careful monitoring by veterinarians, manufacturers and FDA is the recall and discontinued manufacturing of the topical flea and tick product Promeris.  After it's extensive testing for FDA approval, and after millions of applications, it was found to predispose cats and dogs to a serious skin condition, pemphigus foliaceus.  We used to carry Promeris in this clinic, we never experienced this skin condition in any of our patients, however in the over all population of the pets at large, there were more incidence of pemphigus reported and confirmed by proper testing.  The risks of using Promeris were greater than the benefits for the overall population of pets using it.

Bottom line, don't believe everything you read on the internet (my husband is a French Model!!), look at the source of the information you read/hear and educate yourself with the information regarding any medication based on the scientific studies and side effects vs benefits.  Ask your veterinarian questions about the medications they prescribe and share your concerns.  If your pet acts ill after taking any medication contact your veterinarian.  Your veterinarian relies on you to report any problems so that they can protect your pet.

I use Trifexis on my dogs.  They have been taking it for two years. They are alive and well, flea free and protected against heartworms.  The reported side effects of Trifexis (vomiting, anorexia and itchiness)  do not outweigh the risks I feel my dogs have of contracting heartworm disease and diseases associated with flea infestation.  Trifexis may or may not be beneficial for your dog.  To determine if it is the best product for your dog, you must communicate with your veterinarian and together decide if the benefits are greater than the risks.