# NexGuard Problems, anyone?



## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

I'm posting here, hoping for more traffic. NexGuard is the new chewable flea and tick control. I asked my Vet about it before I bought it, from him, said it worked real well, some dogs has flaky skin for awhile, and upset stomach, but it went away with usage. It is a one a month chewable liver flavored pill.
I first gave it to my 3 Mini Pins on April 18th. Noticed what they told me as reactions. Didnt get worse, gave the second dose May 21. Looking close, they ALL have reddened skin, and two slight stomach upsets. The third, is chewing herself raw, broken out all over her tummy, keeps eating grass to vomit, and even has sore pars, losing the hair from the paws. The only relief I can give her is antibiotic cream, powder, and benadryl. Has anyone else used this--and results? I'm contacting her vet tomorrow, and I know he is going to deny its the pill, but I know it is. Nothing else has changed--and I know my dogs


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## RichNC (Aug 22, 2014)

ceresone said:


> I'm posting here, hoping for more traffic. NexGuard is the new chewable flea and tick control. I asked my Vet about it before I bought it, from him, said it worked real well, some dogs has flaky skin for awhile, and upset stomach, but it went away with usage. It is a one a month chewable liver flavored pill.
> I first gave it to my 3 Mini Pins on April 18th. Noticed what they told me as reactions. Didnt get worse, gave the second dose May 21. Looking close, they ALL have reddened skin, and two slight stomach upsets. The third, is chewing herself raw, broken out all over her tummy, keeps eating grass to vomit, and even has sore pars, losing the hair from the paws. The only relief I can give her is antibiotic cream, powder, and benadryl. Has anyone else used this--and results? I'm contacting her vet tomorrow, and I know he is going to deny its the pill, but I know it is. Nothing else has changed--and I know my dogs


This forum goes back to serious issues with it since 2009, myself I have never heard of it, but from what I read I wouldn't use it!!

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/forum.read?mnr=799897-nexgard-afoxolaner-toxicity-veterinarians-and

Rich


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

Thanks, Rich--now, if I just knew how long the toxicity lasts. Informative article--and expected vet response


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## Cindy in PA (May 13, 2002)

That discussion on Nexgard only goes back to 2014, as Nexgard & Bravecto (3 month pill) were only released in 2014. Seems skin issues are a problem with Nexgard. My dog has been on Bravecto for almost 3 months. She had no detected problems with her first pill & it has been working great. My problem here is ticks, especially deer ticks. I went the natural route last year & she came up with a positive for Lyme in January on a snap test. She had no symptoms, but had 50-100 ticks crawling on her at Christmas when the weather warmed, so we treated as an active infection. She is due for her second pill on July 1st & I am wondering if hers might last longer, since she is on the lower end of the dosage & could actually receive less of a dose. Wish I could decipher how the stuff fades from the system. Would a higher dose mean it's longer lasting? I really hate chemicals, but we are out in the fields everyday. Frontline & Advantix quit working longer than 2 weeks with my previous dogs. Guess there is no easy answer!


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

I've gone to natural treatments for fleas/ticks. As many times as I've heard of a dog getting ill or dying mysteriously from the vet recommended medications, I won't take that risk, and I don't care for those chemicals to be coming into contact with me, either if it's something topical. I have a border collie, a breed notorious for it's bad reactions to these types of medications.


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## haley1 (Aug 15, 2012)

it almost killed my coworkers dog, they luckly were able to save it


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

I called the company, they took all the info, filed case number on each dog--and are refunding my money, they didnt seem suprised


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## KatieVT (Dec 22, 2014)

I'd like more information on what you do for natural treatments. We adopted a shelter dog at the end of March. She came with a voucher for a free exam at a local vet, so we took her in to start a relationship in case of future need.

He gave me a sample dose of Heartguard and of NexGuard. I gave her both and have recently started looking into purchasing those or something similar. They are SO expensive! She also developed dandruff, which I chalked up to being on cheap food. She is on a higher quality food now and doesn't have dandruff. Didn't think it could possibly be the NexGuard.

I am leary of these chemical medications. I've had enough problems of my own to know that most medications can have nasty side effects. [I'm in my 20s: my hips were destroyed by steroids used to save my kidney transplant. I used natural supplements to stop the pain (not pot!) and have avoided bilateral hip replacements for now.]


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

We get a variety of natural repellant and bug killing essential oils like peppermint, lavender, cedar oil, garlic, neem and eucalyptus. Mix several drops of each into jar of mild liquid soap and bathe them in that, allowing the soap to sit on for several minutes. Then we have a spray bottle with those same oils in water (has to be shaken before each use) and spray the dogs liberally with it after the bath. For the floors we use DE and neem powder. You can also feed your dog a little garlic every day and that helps internally...but you have to keep an eye on their mucus membranes. If they get light, the garlic is starting to make them anemic and you have to back off for a while.


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## Cindy in PA (May 13, 2002)

I tried natural oil sprays last year for my young dog. This is after my 12 year old now departed dog got Lyme on Advantix 2. I thought I was doing a great job getting all the ticks off of her after our walks, however she came up positive for Lyme at 1 year old in January. At Christmas we picked 30+ ticks crawling on her after a walk etc. The ticks are non stop here (mostly deer ticks) & almost nothing stops them. They have been worse since are last two super cold winters, as they were protected by heavy snow cover. I hate chemicals, but the Bravecto so far has done an amazing job. If I only had fleas (only had one problem in 30 years) I would do nothing, but Lyme is rampant here & Ehrlichiosos is climbing also, so I am left possibly poisoning my dog to keep her safe. I will be giving her the second 3 month pill next week & hope all goes well. It ties my stomach in knots, but I don't know what else to do!


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Cindy in PA said:


> I tried natural oil sprays last year for my young dog. This is after my 12 year old now departed dog got Lyme on Advantix 2. I thought I was doing a great job getting all the ticks off of her after our walks, however she came up positive for Lyme at 1 year old in January. At Christmas we picked 30+ ticks crawling on her after a walk etc. The ticks are non stop here (mostly deer ticks) & almost nothing stops them. They have been worse since are last two super cold winters, as they were protected by heavy snow cover. I hate chemicals, but the Bravecto so far has done an amazing job. If I only had fleas (only had one problem in 30 years) I would do nothing, but Lyme is rampant here & Ehrlichiosos is climbing also, so I am left possibly poisoning my dog to keep her safe. I will be giving her the second 3 month pill next week & hope all goes well. It ties my stomach in knots, but I don't know what else to do!


I found the same thing with Avantix- great on fleas but I have found a few ticks. 

I haven't considered Bravecto, thank you for the suggestion.


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## Woolieface (Feb 17, 2015)

Cindy in PA said:


> I tried natural oil sprays last year for my young dog. This is after my 12 year old now departed dog got Lyme on Advantix 2. I thought I was doing a great job getting all the ticks off of her after our walks, however she came up positive for Lyme at 1 year old in January. At Christmas we picked 30+ ticks crawling on her after a walk etc. The ticks are non stop here (mostly deer ticks) & almost nothing stops them. They have been worse since are last two super cold winters, as they were protected by heavy snow cover. I hate chemicals, but the Bravecto so far has done an amazing job. If I only had fleas (only had one problem in 30 years) I would do nothing, but Lyme is rampant here & Ehrlichiosos is climbing also, so I am left possibly poisoning my dog to keep her safe. I will be giving her the second 3 month pill next week & hope all goes well. It ties my stomach in knots, but I don't know what else to do!


Not sure if it's an option for you or not, but we found that free range chickens took care of our tick problem. We live in a very wooded area with lots of deer and our first year here had us all picking ticks off of each other and the animals constantly. The following year we got 12 hens and set them loose...our tick problem has all but disappeared. Guineas are also good at cleaning up the ticks.


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

ceresone said:


> I'm posting here, hoping for more traffic. NexGuard is the new chewable flea and tick control. I asked my Vet about it before I bought it, from him, said it worked real well, some dogs has flaky skin for awhile, and upset stomach, but it went away with usage. It is a one a month chewable liver flavored pill.
> I first gave it to my 3 Mini Pins on April 18th. Noticed what they told me as reactions. Didnt get worse, gave the second dose May 21. Looking close, they ALL have reddened skin, and two slight stomach upsets. The third, is chewing herself raw, broken out all over her tummy, keeps eating grass to vomit, and even has sore pars, losing the hair from the paws. The only relief I can give her is antibiotic cream, powder, and benadryl. Has anyone else used this--and results? I'm contacting her vet tomorrow, and I know he is going to deny its the pill, but I know it is. Nothing else has changed--and I know my dogs


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

My beagle, JoJo started chewing his paws a few weeks ago and I took him to the Vet. He put JoJo on meds and until last night, I hadn't thought about Nexgard causing the problem. When I read your post, I realized it must be the reason. I have 2 other rescue beagle mixes who are not having issues with it but all 3 have been on Nexgard for 3 months. I just spent $450 on a six month supply of Heartgard and Nexgard. I think I will send it all back and try something else. I gave JoJo a dose of Nexgard yesterday and he chewed his paws for an hour last night. Today he isn't eating and has been lethargic all day. What are you using instead of Nexgard? Did you replace Heartgard? Thanks!


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

We haven't had to use anything for years but this year is a bad tick year so we gave our dog Bravecto. No side effects, no fleas and ticks. 
Will have to give him one more before our cross country trip but he picked up two ticks at an upstate NY rest stop so taking no chances. 
Will have to put him on heartworm preventative for that trip as well.


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

Lisa in WA said:


> We haven't had to use anything for years but this year is a bad tick year so we gave our dog Bravecto. No side effects, no fleas and ticks.
> Will have to give him one more before our cross country trip but he picked up two ticks at an upstate NY rest stop so taking no chances.
> Will have to put him on heartworm preventative for that trip as well.


Hi Lisa,
I have been doing more research and stumbled on dogsnaturallymagazine.com which had an article titled "Bravecto, Nexgard And Simparica: Are These Oral Flea and Tick Preventives Safe?" As long as your dog isn't having problems then you may be okay but you may want to read this article. They also have a free guide to get fleas off your dog and out of your home without toxic chemicals. We planned a trip to Nova Scotia and read about the problem with ticks. That is why I changed from Trifexis to Nexgard and Heartgard. Big mistake!
Hope you have safe travels and no flea or tick issues! Thanks again for your response.


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## gracielagata (Jun 24, 2013)

The essential oil route.... rose geranium oil is supposed to be really good to prevent ticks. It stinks pretty badly to me, but hey, if it works! 

That said, I don't use it on my dogs, they get Frontline 1-2x per summer as it works well for us and is only needed the 1-2x and we are done, as we live in eastern WA, and it gets cold enough to not worry about them past that May-August time. 

It was on a natural tick prevention site by several someones in PA that said rose geranium oil works really well, even on the humans. So I thought I would pass it along.


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

Jenny was quite ill last Aug and Sept from Bravecto, nausea, vomiting, lethargy. On a Cavalier FB group, Cavaliers have had seizures. Seems they are sensitive to these medications crossing the blood-brain barrier. Topical flea and tick medications burn and irritate her skin. I have settled on a more natural spray with lemongrass and cinnamon EOs and religious use of the flea comb. I keep her on short grass and the roadway for walks to avoid ticks. Have several camping trips coming up. Not sure what to do about ticks then.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Nikki L. said:


> Hi Lisa,
> I have been doing more research and stumbled on dogsnaturallymagazine.com which had an article titled "Bravecto, Nexgard And Simparica: Are These Oral Flea and Tick Preventives Safe?" As long as your dog isn't having problems then you may be okay but you may want to read this article. They also have a free guide to get fleas off your dog and out of your home without toxic chemicals. We planned a trip to Nova Scotia and read about the problem with ticks. That is why I changed from Trifexis to Nexgard and Heartgard. Big mistake!
> Hope you have safe travels and no flea or tick issues! Thanks again for your response.


Thanks for the heads up but my guy is doing great with the Bravecto.


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

I am happy that it works for you. I am giving the Nexgard back but am still researching flea and tick prevention.
Happy Trails!


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## Cindy in PA (May 13, 2002)

Have had my dog on Bravecto for 2 years & she hasn't had any noticeable problems. This stuff works! I hate chemicals & kept her when she was under a year & my last dog on oils after my older dog had cancer in her eye. All I got for the whole deal was two dogs with Lyme disease even though I tried to be diligent. I have had fleas on a dog once in 30 years, but ticks here in SE PA are almost daily year round with the warm crappy winters we have had. Every time I give a pill I hold my breath & wonder what the long term effects will be. I do see that ehrlichiosis (?) is on the rise in dogs too, which seems even scarier then Lyme. Don't know what the best answer is. Used Frontline on the last two, but they both had problems later in life & the ticks were only gone for 3 weeks or less with the oily mess. Good luck.


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## Jlynnp (Sep 9, 2014)

Have any of you used the collar Seresto? It works quite well.


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

Cindy in PA said:


> Have had my dog on Bravecto for 2 years & she hasn't had any noticeable problems. This stuff works! I hate chemicals & kept her when she was under a year & my last dog on oils after my older dog had cancer in her eye. All I got for the whole deal was two dogs with Lyme disease even though I tried to be diligent. I have had fleas on a dog once in 30 years, but ticks here in SE PA are almost daily year round with the warm crappy winters we have had. Every time I give a pill I hold my breath & wonder what the long term effects will be. I do see that ehrlichiosis (?) is on the rise in dogs too, which seems even scarier then Lyme. Don't know what the best answer is. Used Frontline on the last two, but they both had problems later in life & the ticks were only gone for 3 weeks or less with the oily mess. Good luck.


Thanks, I just ordered electromagnetic tags, collars made from amber and another non toxic flea and tick repellent that you hang from their collar called the Pet Protector. Each one claims to cure the problem. Its funny but the reviews have been really good or really bad. I just don't want to risk anymore chemical reactions. The cost of all three came to one dose of Nexgard so I feel lucky if any or all of them work. I will let you know in a month or so. By the way, I live in Florida on a Preserve where deer have been in our yard until we fenced it in. Until 3 months ago, I didn't know that Trifexis did not keep ticks away, only fleas. That is why I changed to Nexgard and I am truly sorry after reading the horror stories of all the poor dogs that have died from chemical reactions to Nexgard and the others.


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

Jlynnp said:


> Have any of you used the collar Seresto? It works quite well.


Unfortunately I have read horror stories about that too. Just google Seresto adverse reactions and you can read about them. I know some people have been fortunate and their dogs have no reaction to it. I had mine on Trifexis and I guess sometimes its better not to know but after they were on it, I read that it has caused seizures in some dogs. So right now I am going the other way with no chemicals and I will keep my fingers crossed that one or all three work. Thanks!


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## Christopher McClung (May 1, 2017)

OK so here is my 2 cents worth. I have Livestock Guardian Dogs and am located in SE VA. We get ticks and fleas real bad 8 months out of the year. I think I have tried just about everything on the market including Nexguard. Most of our dogs did develop skin issues on it. Short lived trial period for us. Frontline and Frontline plus work for about 2 weeks and do nothing for flies and mosquitos. We tries Seresto but the pasture dogs would slip the collars. Other than that they worked fairly good except on the flies. We now use K9 Advantix II. It actually lasts 30 days and works wonders on flies and mosquitos as well. I actually wrote a blog post about it a couple months back. If you are interested just click here.


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

The natural stuff I tried does not work for fleas. Smelled good though! Consulted again with vet and gave Comfortis for fleas. She has to have something for fleas as she is allergic to flea bites. So far no nausea, vomiting, or skin issues. I haven't combed off any fleas. Finally found something she can tolerate. She takes Interceptor for heartworm, so will switch to Trifexis, which is Comfortis and Interceptor in one pill. I do not give year round. Still doesn't solve the camping tick problem though. Gonna try the rose geranium stuff for that I guess.


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

Christopher McClung said:


> OK so here is my 2 cents worth. I have Livestock Guardian Dogs and am located in SE VA. We get ticks and fleas real bad 8 months out of the year. I think I have tried just about everything on the market including Nexguard. Most of our dogs did develop skin issues on it. Short lived trial period for us. Frontline and Frontline plus work for about 2 weeks and do nothing for flies and mosquitos. We tries Seresto but the pasture dogs would slip the collars. Other than that they worked fairly good except on the flies. We now use K9 Advantix II. It actually lasts 30 days and works wonders on flies and mosquitos as well. I actually wrote a blog post about it a couple months back. If you are interested just click here.


Thank you for the information. I did read your blog and it is very helpful! I think K9 advantix II will be the way to go. Thanks again!


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## Nikki L. (Jul 6, 2017)

vicki in NW OH said:


> The natural stuff I tried does not work for fleas. Smelled good though! Consulted again with vet and gave Comfortis for fleas. She has to have something for fleas as she is allergic to flea bites. So far no nausea, vomiting, or skin issues. I haven't combed off any fleas. Finally found something she can tolerate. She takes Interceptor for heartworm, so will switch to Trifexis, which is Comfortis and Interceptor in one pill. I do not give year round. Still doesn't solve the camping tick problem though. Gonna try the rose geranium stuff for that I guess.


The amber collars arrived today. They look good but I don't really know if they work. The reviews I read were mixed, some people said they work, some people said they didn't. Out of 49 reviews it made 3.8 out of 5.
I'm not good at mixing oils together but I did read about Wondercide Natural Flea, Tick and Mosquito control spray on Amazon. 308 reviews and the average was 4.1 out of 5. If you go the natural route, this may work. I haven't tried it.


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## Elevenpoint (Nov 17, 2009)

I give mine Comfortis.
Frontline made one dive bomb in the grass I guess to get it off her.
Last year one dose lasted all year.
This year we'll see but there is a mass exodus in about an hour of giving the the pill and it puts an end to it with no side affects for any 5 dogs or 2 cats.


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