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Old June 26th, 2008, 09:39 PM
MyBirdIsEvil's Avatar
MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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Has anyone heard of a flea med called Comfortis (spinosad)?

This is apparently a relatively new prescription flea med that comes in chewable form.
I didn't find any discussion on this when I searched so hopefully I'm not rehashing something that's already been asked.

Apparently Frontline is no longer working on many dogs, and that would include mine and my mother in law's dogs, not to mention several friends of mine, especially this year. I have been having to spray Walnut down with flea spray to give her any relief whatsoever, and I absolutely HATE using chemicals like that, but she is allergic to fleas and the Frontline is now doing absolutely nothing.
I'm not sure if many of you have as big a problem with this, but I live in a climate that is warm and humid for many months of the year and even the winters are often mild enough that bugs don't die. Well fleas are BAD this year for everyone, I have a ton of them jumping out of my grass and biting me when I take the dog outside so I have to go get chemicals to put on my lawn and kill them. The cats also have them even though they also get Frontline Plus, but they don't seem to be bothered by them at the moment, still maybe someone can recommend a good med other than Frontline. The LAST thing I wanna do is give my CATS a flea bath and I don't like using sprays on them either.

Yesterday my mother in law went to the vet and he recommended this new chewable tablet called Comfortis, which is supposed to kill fleas for 30 days like Frontline is supposed to. I'm seeing lots of really good reviews on it online but I have not spoken to anyone personally that has used it. I'm assuming it's very new.
Does anyone have any information on this drug or has tried it out and what are your opinions? My mother in law is going to bring me a tablet tomorrow for Walnut to see if it works for her, I just want to see what other's thoughts are about it.

[Edit: I originally said fleas and ticks but it's apparently just fleas, so I guess I'd have to find something else for ticks]

Last edited by MyBirdIsEvil; June 26th, 2008 at 09:45 PM. Reason: Mistake
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Old June 26th, 2008, 10:13 PM
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satchelp satchelp is offline
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About Comfortis .. note that just this past Wednesday, the FDA put out a warning bulletin. Here is a link to the bulletin on the same subject, put out by the manufacturer of Comfortis. Please note that this warning applies specifically to dogs that are using Comfortis, BUT who have also been given an extremely high dose of ivermectin around the same time. This would not happen often, but may happen if they are being treated for something such as demodectic mange with the high-dose ivermectin.

http://elms.xh1.lilly.com/10788_03_tech_Bulletin.pdf

Also, rather than putting chemicals on your lawn, you may want to try resolving the issue with nematodes. Check this link for more info http://www.pesticide.org/fleas.html

Last edited by satchelp; June 26th, 2008 at 10:15 PM.
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Old June 26th, 2008, 10:31 PM
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MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by satchelp View Post
About Comfortis .. note that just this past Wednesday, the FDA put out a warning bulletin. Here is a link to the bulletin on the same subject, put out by the manufacturer of Comfortis. Please note that this warning applies specifically to dogs that are using Comfortis, BUT who have also been given an extremely high dose of ivermectin around the same time. This would not happen often, but may happen if they are being treated for something such as demodectic mange with the high-dose ivermectin.

http://elms.xh1.lilly.com/10788_03_tech_Bulletin.pdf

Also, rather than putting chemicals on your lawn, you may want to try resolving the issue with nematodes. Check this link for more info http://www.pesticide.org/fleas.html
Thanks for the info.

I saw the thing about Ivermectin but didn't think it would be an issue. Walnut does take heartguard but it was a couple weeks ago when she got her last dose anyway and it's just a normal dose for her weight.
It does kind of bother me to try something so new with little info, but she's SO miserable. I just can't get these fleas off of her completely and even just a few fleas makes her get horrible rashes and chew on herself since she's allergic.

As far as the nematodes I'll have to try those. I'm all for that kind of option rather than chemicals. It's why I don't kill the spiders around my house, I want them to eat pests, lol.

Last edited by MyBirdIsEvil; June 26th, 2008 at 10:34 PM.
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Old June 30th, 2008, 12:17 AM
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MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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I just thought I'd update and say I gave Walnut a Comfortis 2 days ago and so far no stomach upset or anything, which seemed to be one of the main symptoms. It already seems to be working and she's no longer scratching at herself constantly.
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