Bravecto: Summon Your Courage for This Killer
Be Very Clear on What Bravecto Does
Sure, you don’t want fleas and ticks attacking your pets. I get it. They are the definition of “pest!”
Not only bothersome, they can carry disease and cause anemia.
And this new drug called Bravecto sure sounds like a slick fix to keep these buggers off your Sadie.
But, let’s get real for a moment. Amid all the glorious Bravecto ads proclaiming flea “prevention” and “control,” you’ll also find the word “kill.”
You just have to dig a bit, and there it is.
*Bravecto kills fleas and prevents flea infestations. Bravecto Chew kills ticks (black-legged tick, American dog tick, and brown dog tick) for 12 weeks and also kills lone star ticks for 8 weeks. Bravecto Topical for Cats kills ticks (black-legged tick) for 12 weeks and American dog ticks for 8 weeks.”
In fact, the rapidity with which this drug kills fleas is one of its top selling points. The killing starts within two hours of your dog eating the chewable!
Now I can’t, in my heart of hearts call this a “preventative,” can you? It’s a killer of pests, in this case, fleas and ticks.
So, let’s use this word instead, shall we: Pesticide.
And let’s be blunt, while we’re at it: Pesticides are poisons.
How Does This Work, Exactly?
It’s the delivery system that should give you pause. In case it’s not apparent in the slick ads, let’s again be very simple about this, fair enough?
If you feed your dog a pesticide, and it kills fleas and ticks, what’s the vehicle for the pesticide to get to the pest?
Your pet’s blood stream!
Does that cause you any concern at all? It was like a cold slap to the face when I first saw Merck’s ads for this.
And, get this, it stays in your pet’s blood, at lethal levels to fleas and ticks, for 12 weeks!
If that’s not at all scary to you, you probably can skip the rest of this article. In my mind, bells and whistles went off reading about how fast it starts poisoning fleas and how long it persists at killing concentrations.
In your pet’s blood stream.
The Undying Hope of Toxic Drugs
All the killing drugs you’re sold by Big Pharma, whether it’s pesticides for your pet, antibiotics for infections, Monsanto’s RoundUp for weeds, or chemo for that darned tumor that popped up, have the same simplistic hope:
We’ll only kill the bad guys. We’ll leave the good guys alone. Promise.”
Good guys here means beneficial flora, crops we desire to sell or eat, or our own cells vs the wildly reproducing cancerous ones.
If only that were the case.
We now know that even one dose of antibiotics can create life long gut flora disruption, aka dysbiosis. And that affects digestion, immunity, and even behavior, all for ill.
We also know we’ve been fed a bushel of lies on how safe RoundUp is supposed to be. It’s residues are following many GMO foods right into your body and causing similar dybiosis and its attendant negative effects.
Ask anyone who’s had chemo how long they felt terrible, and if they were lucky enough to beat the tumors, if they ever recovered from “chemo brain.”
And so it is with Bravecto. It’s targeting insects and ticks, and mammals are supposedly built differently enough that they’ll escape the toxic effects of its active ingredient, fluralaner.
This pesticide, like most of the flea killers and the heartworm larvae killers I teach about in my ebook/audiobook on drug free heartworm prevention is a neurotoxin.
Insects and ticks and yes, even heartworm larvae under the influence of these neurotoxins go into spasm and stay that way until they die of asphyxiation.
And the undying hope continues to falter along.
“Only the bad guys…”
So, How’s That Hope Working Out?
I’m glad you asked. As you might guess, we’re seeing horror stories popping up:
- In Facebook pages dedicated to telling the reality of people and pets’ experience:
Does Nexgard Kill Dogs? (Nexgard and Bravecto, same class of pesticides)
- and in my own inbox:
Hi My dog is sick since receiving Bravecto. Diagnosed w kidney disease and pancreatitis. He Is not throwing up anymore but he won’t eat.I will never again give him or my other 2 dogs and cats pesticides.” – Anita Clark
“I live in country rural Queensland Australia and we had a shocker of a tick season starting early….so I weakened as they all (Pomerians) have huge big fluffy coats and made the worst decision in my entire life as a companion owner.The clincher here for me is that TWO had the Bravecto BUT the baby (7 months) was under weight (1.9kgs) to give it to her (even though vet said it would be fine), so I held off for two weeks until her weight was in the correct range…. During the said two weeks the two older girls were a little “off” so to speak…baby was normal and healthy….
However, within a day or so of administering to the baby all three hit the tiles….vomiting blood, repulsive stools ….bleeding from the rectum….a lesion developed on the babies bottom lip and eye lid…Middle girl developed a lump on her tummy region….all three grazing grass profusely.
All whites of eyes were going a brownish colouring….gums were blackening beautiful white teeth were yellowing…” – Lillian Oxley, Queensland, NSW, Australia
Common Side Effects
Merck sells the Bravecto but only by prescription.
[Side note: “Be brave! Trust us on this blood borne pesticide against fleas!” Is that where the “Brav” piece comes in, do you suppose? Gotta love drug names…]
They list common side effects, mostly corroborated by those who’ve filed Adverse Drug Event reports. Here’s a third quarter 2016 ADE Report, summarized by Dr. Elizabeth Carney. [ Note: this report covers three similar pesticides, Bravecto, Nexgard, and Simparica, all in the same class]
For this time period, there were 1,875 reports, including 1,867 for dog, 4 for cat, and 4 for human (accidental) exposure. The top 6 reported clinical signs are:
- Vomiting and Emesis 787 reports
- Lethargy 244 reports
- Diarrhea/Loose Stool/bloody diarrhea 214 reports
- Lack of efficacy (ectoparasites) 181 reports
- Anorexia/decreased appetite/not eating/inappetance 207 reports
- Seizure 62 reports
Deaths reported total 38 (death by euthanasia + found dead + sudden death).
You now know these pesticides are neurotoxins, so the reports of seizures won’t be a big surprise to you.
And, as you likely know, the number of reported adverse drug effects is a tiny percentage of those that actually occur.
In case you’ve come late to this page, and your dogs are already intoxicated by this drug, here’s my Homeopathic Detox Protocol that you can download and get started today. Full instructions included on what I’d be doing if your dog was my patient.
Detox My Dog NOW
Better, Safer Options
One of my most popular pages spells out some simple yet effective methods for controlling fleas (and ticks) without the use of pesticides.
None of these will contaminate your pet’s blood, and none of them will kill fleas in two hours after oral ingestion, but now that you know the risks of these drugs, that’s probably no longer top of mind for you.
Here’s that page for you, which, depending on where you live, you may want to bookmark for Spring: Non-Toxic Flea (and Tick) Control.
Let us know in the comments if you’ve experienced Bravecto (or Nexgard, or Simparica, all related pesticides).
Good results and bad, we’re all ears.
I really don’t get it. Horror stories about these toxic pesticides killing pets and yet people insist on using these on their pets. Why?
It’s the power of marketing, and to a lazy mind. We all want easy, but yeah, if easy is toxic? Why, indeed?
Vet’s in Sydney, Australia, especially those in high paralysis tick areas (where I used to live, but am now in a very low paralysis tick area), REALLY PUSH Bravecto…like they’re getting commission or something! Despite there being alternatives – when living in a high tick area, during tick ‘season’ I used a fortnightly spot on treatment that did NOT pass the lipid layer, therefore it did NOT enter my dog’s bloodstream, and in the ‘off season’ I used a specialised paralysis tick collar which also remained in the lipid layer, therefore it did NOT enter my dog’s bloodstream. I did considerable research, and was happy with my regime, but was STILL getting shamed by my vet at the time for not using Bravecto – as it was ‘the best option for my dog’, even though my regime was working just fine. Fast forward a bit, and my old girl passed away after a long, happy life, from a short illness. I’m now living in a very low risk area for paralysis ticks, and have 2 beautiful Cavoodles (Cavapoo’s), and hadn’t been giving them any tick (or flea) preventative for a few years due to being undecided….
But this Summer was forecast to be a wet one – and ticks were being found in Spring in areas they wouldn’t usually be, my Dad uses the Bravecto spot on for his 2 toy Poodles and hasn’t had an issue, so looking at all the options again (and having 1 dog that won’t eat ‘chewable’ treat like products), I went for the Bravecto spot on – ASSUMING that it was like other spot on’s and remained in the lipid layer…well it doesn’t, it spreads throughout the whole body via the bloodstream. I put it on them both in late November and they’ve both been completely fine – no issues, they’re both around 8.7-9kg so felt OK that I wasn’t overdosing them being near the top of the weight range (4.5-10kg). Problem is, is that it only covers the brown dog tick for 3months – and since May 2020 we’ve had brown dog ticks spreading a deadly disease (E. Canis) around certain parts of Australia (not NSW to date, but it started in the NT & WA, and is now all over SA too!).
And I feel generally uncomfortable dosing my girls with a product that otherwise lasts 6months AND has the potential to cause seizures, as Cavoodles already have a predisposition to seizure disorders.
So although we’re almost 3months past administration, and there have been no adverse effects, I’m very reluctant to use this again. I don’t believe that just because it was ok the first time, it would necessarily be ok EVERY time. I want the best for my girls, and want to keep them safe….it’s just so hard to find the right combination of products to suit our needs – hence not using anything for a few years! 🤦🏼♀️
June 26, 2021 Me and a friend applied Bravectro to my cat after trip to the vet found her to be anemic from fleas and that stuff made her howl all night long and i was afraid she was in pain as her meowing was so unnatural. The next morning she was seemingly ok and over the hallucinations i thought. But she had a bout of it a couple night or one night later and she would go under the dresser and she wanted to come out but was yelping again and notice, she had this silent moeow always! But at any rate, she would go to walk turn and go back and the bottom line she ended up not able to even stand up and she was eating like a champ but my friend said she was pooping over her poor little self and so that was about it. That’s sad. She was walking fine before we put that shit on her, I’m sorry but that is that. Something is a little tooooooo strong or something, she wasn’t itching any more or scratching, and she used to. I hate fleas and they’re no good Devil’s club bug that has no useful purpose.
Thank you for this discussion, i have read just about every post and i am reminded how much i do not trust big pharma…
That said, what i dont see on this page and would really like to discuss: so as to be informed more is DOSAGE.
Long story short i let a friend convince me to put my sweet 2yo chihuahua boy on bravecto bc in florida fleas are year round…
my friend brought over two chews, one for his dog and one for mine, both the same 4.4-9.9lb range, and said, “Milo is 5.5 lbs, Sasha is 11lbs, but they take the same dose.”
I said “Milo weighs HALF what Sasha weighs, i will split it in half!” So this is how we dosed them, BOTH DOGS being slightly UNDER DOSED for their weight, and i have to say Milo has been flea free and not shown one single odd symptom, and i have thanked my friend for this new way of life..
(Also i believe i waited a good 5 months to give him the other half of the pill, and then gv him another half a pill 4 months later so a longer stretch in btwn doses than the 12 wks recommended as well…)
So here is what i am wondering, bc milo has showed no side effects, and my friends dog Sasha has been taking it a few yrs now, also w no problems, is it possible that there is some math that is not going into how these drugs are administer? I mean forgive me, i have no doubt that this drug is POISON!, but then so is alcohol, and many humans consume it in moderation to little consequence…
So i wonder of it is actually “safe” in smallEr than recommended doses, (and if younger animals, with NO existing health issues also present more resilience)
Thank you for any insight on this, as i am on the fence for the fourth time now about administering this drug to my precious baby…. for now im holding off but it really has been the only thing thats worked for us, diatomaceous earth, mint sprays, neem oil etc have all been only slightly effective, not complete like this miracle poison
Hi,
I can’t comment for Bravecto, except that I felt more comfortable using it given the fact that my 2 dogs are on the upper end of the weight range.
But the worming tablets I use have 2 options (sorry, have to use metric, I’m Australian😅) – less than 5kg, and greater than 5kg (up to 25kg, before the instructions advise to give more than one tablet for dog’s over 25kg). Now my 2 Cavoodles hover around 8.5kg-9kg, and when transitioning my eldest from the up to 5kg tablet to the next one…I did the math based on the numbers on the packet, and I couldn’t possibly give her the bigger tablet – it was literally 6 times the therapeutic dose required! So I did 1.5tabs of the smaller one until she outgrew that, then I halved the big one’s, and have been doing so ever since (same deal with her little sister) – so they’re still both getting on average the required amount for a 12.5kg dog on 1/2 a tablet, why on earth would I give them 3 times the therapeutic dose by giving them a whole tablet!?!? What a stupid range to have! Giving a 6kg dog the same as a 25kg dog? Don’t think so.
So I’m with you on narrowing the dose if your pet sits in the middle or on the lower side of the range!
Are there any suggestions for natural treatments for Demodex in cats? My cat has what seems to be eosinophilic granulomatous disease, now thought to be caused by Demodex (wasn’t diet, doesn’t go outside, no fleas). So I’m using Bravecto (just gave second dose) to avoid the courses of steroids when he gets bad rodent ulcers and leg nodules. I haven’t had any issues with the Bravecto, but would love a more natural treatment if one is to be had…
Why would you use a flea medication if your cat doesn’t go out Sind and has no fleas?
I gave my 4 year old cat Bravecto for a year, 4 doses. First dose was on 5-17-17 and last 2-21-18. She started having mild side affects, but they increased and she got sicker and sicker. She definitely had trigeminal nerve damage because she couldn’t drink water and had trouble eating. Pretty sure she suffered with feline dysphasia but the vet never diagnosed her, I did. His diagnosis’ ranged from allergies to some kind of spinal injury. She had ALL the symptoms for feline dysphasia: drooling, gagging, dropping food from the mouth, repeated attempts at swallowing, coughing, weight loss and pain around the head, mouth and neck area and weakness all over her body. I had to put her down August 10, 2019 she was 6. 😿
I find it interesting that in the excerpt from the person with the two adult dogs and the puppy that the two adult dogs did not become seriously ill until after the puppy got a dose of Bravecto. This seems more like all three dogs has exposure to something else that made them sick. There is a tendency to confuse “correlation” with “cause and effect”. If I fell down stairs and broke a leg after drinking orange juice that does not mean orange juice causes broken bones, or even clumsiness.
There’s a place for repeated correlation however, and these comments paint a picture of concern for Bravecto’s side effects being serious.
Wow, John, 9 months later and both still suffering? That’s a real travesty, from a drug that’s purported to be safety tested, isn’t it?
I’d strongly recommend hiring a homeopathic vet to get your girls turned around. Nothing in conventional medicine can truly cure what you’re faced with now, the all too common chronic disease that lingers and smolders and makes life challenging for all involved, victims as well as caregivers.
Head to my Resources page: http://vitalanimal.com/recommended-resources/ and search in the AVH list (mostly US homeopathic vets, so if you’re from elsewhere, just grab the international list nearby).
Next, search on two criteria:
1. Most or all of his/her practice is homeopathy, and
2. They’ll work with you by telephone appointment, assuming you’ve not got someone in #1 nearby.
Give it time, curing chronic disease is rarely a “one hit wonder,” but it can get both girls cured over time, with proper attention to details of how they are ill. All the best, Dr. F