Nexgard problem

[BLACKJACK]

Nexgard is the new oral flea and tick medicine, manufactured by the same company as Frontline. I have two labs, a two year old and a twelve year old. I jumped on using the oral Nexgard this spring when the vet mentioned it because my young lab HATES the Frontline, when she smell it coming, she tries to slink away.

About a month ago I started picking off a few ticks so I gave them the first dose. Worked fine on the ticks but I noticed the old dog staggering when I threw dummies, I'm thinking dam she’s aging fast, might not even be able to take her out to SoDak this fall. She had started lagging behind on walks but this staggering was concerning.

Fast forward to this weekend. Sat was a nice day, we were out and about, took a break from my tree planting and threw dummies, life was good. Went for a long walk Sunday morning, stopped and threw dummies, life was good. Sunday night got home from celebrating Mothers Day, gave them the second batch of Nexgard because I had started picking ticks again, went for a walk, noticed the old dog stumbling as we went up a steep hill, ok no dummies. dam she’s getting old I thought.

Last night after supper, as usual threw some dummies, I normally throw enough to where they're both huffing and puffing, after awhile I notice the old dog coming back, she wouldn't give up the dummy and she was really staggering, stopped and got her to some water, but she was really out of it, pushing against me, shaking, I thought she was going to convulse out in my arms!! The good news is that after about 15 minutes she was back to normal.

Talking it over with my wife about getting her into the vet we finally made the connection, we think it’s the Nexgard AND the vigorous exercise. She was fine walking around yesterday but the after 8-10 dummies she started the staggering.

Will be getting her into the vet today for a checkup but she isn’t getting anymore Nexgard!!!

[Ufatz]

We ALL appreciate the EARLY heads up on this and hope you will keep us informed. There may well be a problem OTHER than the product but we need to KNOW one way or the other.

Everybody: keep your ears open for any negative reports on this new stuff and spread the word. At the same time, stay cool and don't start tearing it down until we know more.

[Ufatz]

I did a little research over-night and could find no "smoking gun" regarding the product. You guys can check around too. There have been some reactions to it according to the maker, one of which is lethargy. That COULD be what has occurred with the older dog being discussed. I found no serious discussions of troubles with the product.

Before using it you might want to do your own quick check.

[BLACKJACK]

Taking her to the vet this afternoon and will report back. At this point she appears fine but I avoided any strenuous exercise last night.

Did some searches on the internet and couldn't find any bad reports. Clinical trials reported side effects of vomiting, dry skin, diarrhea, lethargy, and lack of appetite - none of which I'm seeing. The timing is just too close though, give her the monthly dose and she gets dizzy/stumbling with exercise for the next few days. I'm 95% convinced its the Nexgard.

[TylerS]

Flea/tick medicine has always given me a weird feeling. When I was little, the corgi we had got a monthly dosage if Frontline, and I swear the days after she would be a completely different dog: neurotic to the point of spastic, super aggressive, just weird. After a week or so (apparently as her body adjusted or whatever) she returned to normal.

I have both my GWPs on a Frontline knockoff now and they do fine. Haven't seen any negative reactions yet. But you always have to wonder what's actually going on with a medicine that basically turns them into a walking, living pesticide...

[MNHunter65]

My lab has reacted odd to topical flea and tick treatments in the past like the previous posters mentioned, so a couple years ago, I stopped giving him treatments all together. Now I run a flea comb through his coat every evening to check for ticks. It works great and I haven't found more than a couple stuck-on ticks on him since going this route. It's a little more work, but worth it in my mind.

[BLACKJACK]

Visit to the vet didn't do much, he's going to call the manufacturer of the Nexgard, I'm supposed to report back to him if she keeps having symptoms (after a few weeks to let the Nexgard wear down).

She seems fine now but I haven't given her any strenuous exercise either, that seems to be what brings it on.

I did trade in the Nexgard for some Frontline, even though the young dog hates it, not going to feed either of them that Nexgard rat poison. We're in a heavy tick area, I can go for a walk and watch the tick races up my pants leg, the dogs get the same. And I know from past exerience how itchy a tick bite is until it heals up, if I have to pick 5-10 a night off of them that have already dug in, just think how that feels!! Plus if they get dug in you have a better chance of them getting Lyme disease.

Pick your poison I guess!!!

[Jmnhunter]

blackjack, maybe its too late if you applied the frontline, but there is a newer product from k9 advantix, a tick collar thats supposed to work really well, i believe todd caswell is trying it right now on his dogs, maybe better than a topical medicine

[Field Marshall]

Just stumbled onto this HSOforum and topic after a Nexgard search and wanted to add my two cents. I had used Frontline for a little over 2 yrs before switching to Nexgard. My Field Breed Springer took his second dose on June 25th with no previous problems. Every morning now he has vomited up yellow stomach bile between 6-7 am while in his kennel.He will be three yrs. old this month. This morning while getting him around the up chuck and out of the kennel, he growled at me!!!! WHAT THE HECK.... I have owned retreivers and springers for over 40 years (ok, I'm an old guy) and never had one growl at me . I know he didn't mean it and after 45 mins., a nice run and a huge bowl of water he was trying to lick my face off and saying he was sorry. Long story short, no more nexgard for me and I will try to spread the word. I hate to say it but I was somewhat releived as other people are having problems with it as well. My Vet thinks I'm stupid but we know our dogs. Have fun and be safe....

[LABS4ME]

Welcome to FM Field Marshal... Hope you come back and post here often! Glad to have someone from Penn. on here.

I bought a field bred American Cocker from a genetleman in Pennsyvania a few years back... he is a great little dog.

Good Luck!

Ken

[jmd1]

Have 2 labs both have had the Frontline. One lab is 6 tomorrow the other was 5 last month. Older lab will be sick not eat or drink, vomit and not do anything for 3-4 days after application. Younger lab, nose runs, sneezes, won't eat or drink, just wants to lay around for a couple days also. Stopped the treatments, side effects all went away. I will check my dogs have them groomed when needed before i give them these products again. I have been considering the rattlesnake vaccine but i really think that avoidance of certain areas is best method for us. We are not bird hunters so we are not in the field that much. Do like to take them to the rez to run but now it is just to hot. Just my thought. Safe 4th of July, watch your kids around water.

[bigbag]

Blackjack my 11 year old lab took Nexgard for the first time 2 weeks ago. He is lethargic isn't eating, weak and everything else. What have you found out? We too, thought it was because he was aging. Made two trips to the vet for xrays and bloodwork. Everything checked out fine. It's a holiday weekend so we cant contact any vet for advice on flushing this medicine out of his body. Any advice will help. Also, how long did it take for your older Lab to get back to normal. We just don't have a couple thousand dollars to take him to an emergency clinic.

[bigbag]

Let me know if he ate. Our Lab will not eat anything

I'm making him lick peanut butter now. How long did it take to wear off? We are kind of frantic here.

[BLACKJACK]

bigbag, I've never had the problem with my old dog not eating, she just periodically has 'mini-seizures', starts staggering, back legs splayed, she temporarily loses her mental facilities, stumbles into things, gets disorientated, can't find me until I call her. After I hold her for 10-15 minutes she'll be tired, panting, wants water, then shes back to normal. Stress, excitement, getting hot seem to bring it on. I know I can get her staggering by throwing dummies but she'll even have these episodes at other times, like when we get home, walk around the yard to do their duties, let her in the kitchen and she'll be staggering.

As you can tell, time hasn't cured her, last Nexgard dose was in early May. I keep hoping that she'll snap out of it but if anything, with the hotter weather, the episodes are more frequent. My wife and I were doing some searches on the web and the symptoms point to seizures.

At this point I'm not sure if its the Nexgard or if shes just having some other health problem??! As I've said, its worse in the hot weather, I didn't notice any problem until I gave her the Nexgard in April, but thats also when it started warming up.

Going to wait one more week and then I'm making another vet appointment, get some blood work done, see what he says.

Does your dog show any other symptoms besides not eating??

[BLACKJACK]

Update on this problem. Had my old dog into the vet again several weeks ago for another checkup. He seems to feel the problem is heart arrhythmia, basically an irregular heartbeat which cuts down on blood flow, causing her to get weak and collapse. Options were to go to the University of MN vet clinic, get ECG and other tests, maybe even a pacemaker, or else just manage her care, keep her comfortable.

We made the decision that we're not going to spend thousands of dollars on a 12 year old dog. Maybe if it was the younger 2 year old but I'm afraid when we got down to the U they'd want to do this test and that test and before you know it we'd be into some real money.

The old dog is doing fine so far, I've just started limiting her exercise, if you go on too long of a walk, she starts weaving, back legs get weak, etc. Then we have to sit down for 10-15 minutes, let her recuperate. Also noticed that the same thing happens after eating, the digestion takes a lot of blood, so we've started feeding small portions many times a day. High humidity days are tough on her. She gets to ride up front in the AC. I do still throw her dummies, but she gets only about 1 for every 3 the young dog gets, and all in the water and short, try to keep her cool. My feeling is that if she dies chasing a dummy she'll die happy.

Kind of tough leaving her home when I go out for hikes and its really going to suck leaving her home this fall when I grab the gun and go hunting. She's not going to understand...

At this point its probably a coincidence that she started having problems when I gave her the Nexgard but at this point I'll never know, did the Nexgard cause the problem?? Its hard to believe that I never noticed her 'weaving' and collapsing before the Nexgard, I throw dummies just about every day, but it was cool all winter... I don't know.

[leechlake]

although it stinks it's reality of having dogs. We always have two dogs and eventually the older one gets to be retired and stay home with mama while the younger dog and I go hunting. While I like to think my dogs are human too I'm convinced once I'm out the driveway for a while the older one gets spoiled and then lays down and falls asleep and doesn't sit and ponder their plight of missing a hunting excursion. Sure when you get home the older one comes outside sniffs around and looks like he knew what he missed but I kind of doubt it.

You'll always have the great memories and at least now you know what the problem with the dog is even though you aren't sure what may have caused it.

[bobberineyes]

With the new pup we picked out this early summer and having 2 dogs in the past having issues ( 1 having lymes disease and the other diagnosed with anaplosmosis ) which both dogs were on frontline, we decided to give nexgard a shot. I do enjoy the fact that the nexgard is mess free and purley simple to give. So far the pup has been giving 2 doses and no problems with the above symptoms. I dont know wether its the puppy formula that hes had no reaction or what but hes had no fleas or ticks at this point. He will be ready for the third dose soon. just thought i would give my thoughts.