# Topical vs oral flea & tick treatments?



## Bridget_in_MD (Jan 3, 2015)

Hi everyone -

Does anyone have good or bad experiences with oral flea and tick treatments? We had a lab that we used Frontline on. She would COWER when she saw that vial come out. :redface: But after a day or two she was just fine and we never had a problem with fleas and ticks. But, our lab also had bad knees, so she was only outside to potty.

Now we have a Port. Water Dog pup, with LOOOOOOOOOOTS of fur, and we are wondering if we should try another product. We talked to our vet about Nexgard. She said she has patients who love it, and some that hate it. I live in a rural area of MD, and my big(bigger) concern is deer ticks over fleas.

My concern is that if our pup takes the pill and vomits (which seems to be the #1 side effect, along with diarrea), 1. we are out of a pill and 2. out of protection because the pill wasn't digested. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable giving a 2nd dose, and how do I protect her from fleas and ticks? 

Plus, it seems that with Nexgard, it takes a few days to take effect (which is fine if you start and then are really good about remembering to dose every 30 days), and that the ticks actually have to bite the dog first, to die. I've seen ticks take a loooooooong time to settle down and bite. Ugh. I guess Frontline repells them from even biting? 

I am not really interested in a flea/tick/heartworm medicine - she already takes a single dose of heartworm (I forget what it's called). I hate that while I am trying to help my dog, I have to give her something toxic. :help:

Thanks for any advice you can give.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

No advice on topical vs oral but if ticks are a big problem I would also do some kind of spray before you go out. I've used this stuff and like it, I know there are a lot of homemade things you can try too.


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## Kudzu (Aug 15, 2013)

I use Flea Treats for my guys. They are tasty chewable treats you give twice a day. I put in their food since I feed twice a day. Totally non toxic and highly effective in my experience...going on three yrs.

Works for ticks too.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I use an oral flea control on Ginger. Started them because she was in desperate need right after her spay surgery and just continued. My vet will give me another pill if she vomits after taking one but so far she has kept them all down just fine.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

I don't think there's any one answer. 
Depends on how bad the fleas are, where you live, what sort of environment, and your own feelings about natural vs. synthetic.

It's a different problem if you're in a warm climate and let the dogs run in a large yard than if you're in a northern climate and the dogs are mostly indoors.

Get the best advice you can and expect trial and error. Be alert to what growth stages a product treats . . . and understand that some things prevent reproduction but don't kill adults, whill some things kill adults and don't affect juveniles.

If you'd asked me six months ago I'd have suggested the Soresto flea collar. But our local fleas seem to have very rapidly developed resistance to this and I'm back to shopping. One of my dogs gets seizures when exposed to synthetic pyretheroids. Sigh! I'm still shopping.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

It does really depend on your needs. Some people are fine with a product that kills ticks but doesn't repell. I used a collar that killed ticks and just ended up with tons of dead ticks all over my bedroom floor. Ick.

I'm using Vectra3D right now and I love it. I've heard that Frontline doesn't work well anymore in most areas, so I went with Vectra. 

We also don't have an issue with fleas, but deer ticks are a big problem.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

There is actually an oral med that treats/prevents ticks??? I know they have oral flea meds but hadn't heard of an oral tick med. Frontline still works well enough in my area so I use it. I have heard good things about Vectra 3D and if I need to change that is probably what I'd go to. Frontline doesn't repel ticks, it just kills them if they bite.


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## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

dagwall said:


> There is actually an oral med that treats/prevents ticks??? I know they have oral flea meds but hadn't heard of an oral tick med. Frontline still works well enough in my area so I use it. I have heard good things about Vectra 3D and if I need to change that is probably what I'd go to. Frontline doesn't repel ticks, it just kills them if they bite.


Yes. NexGard is supposed to do both fleas and ticks. Never used it. From the makers of frontline. requires a prescription. Quoting from an ad.

How it Works:
NexGard contains a brand new ingredient not used in any other flea and tick protection. Afoxolaner, the ingredient in NexGard, works by absorbing rapidly and safely into your pet's bloodstream and causes uncontrolled activity the flea's and tick's central nervous system, which causes death. Afoxolaner is slowly excreted through your pet's metabolism, which allows NexGard to continue to provide effective treatment for a full 30 days. This means amazing protection in a tasty morsel! NexGard is a prescription-only medication, so talk to your vet.

Cautions:
NexGard is for use in dogs only. The most frequently reported adverse reactions include vomiting, dry/flaky skin, diarrhea, lethargy, and lack of appetite. The safe use of NexGard in pregnant, breeding or lactating dogs has not been evaluated. *Use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures.*


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## MelTruffles (Jan 27, 2015)

From what I understand, with oral medications, the fleas only die if they bite the dog. With topical, they act as a repellent, also killing the fleas. I could be wrong... and I am very open to it.

I think with anything you try you have to accept that it might fail. If you do give her a pill and she does throw it up, then you're back to where you started. But, if she takes it and everyone is good, then that's great! Several of my friends (including my parents) give their dogs oral flea preventives and I have never heard them complain about vomiting or diarrhea, but every dog is different.

I personally like to give my dogs an all in one, so I use Advantage Multi. I am very interested in Trifexis and I really want to try it because I feel like a oral medication would be more effective than a topical (also it can't wash off or anything), but I have throughly freaked myself out by reading all these reports online. :behindsofa:


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