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An investigative reporting team has discovered that the number of complaints filed with the Food and Drug Administration claiming that the popular flea and heartworm preventative was responsible for dog deaths has outnumbered those about chicken jerky treats.
Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Jim Strickland filed a Freedom of Information request with the Food and Drug Administration and discovered that every 36 hours since Trifexis hit the market in 2011, a pet owner reported that it killed their dog. More than 700 dogs have reportedly died after being given the Elanco-produced monthly pill.
Consumers that visit the FDA’s site for information about Trifexis might be confused. An FDA spokesperson told Strickland that the numbers on their website may not be accurate as they’re currently updating their system.
Instead of the 31 deaths listed, FDA has received complaints about over 700 dogs dying as a result of the drug. Where complaints of lethargy are numbered around 600 on the FDA website, actual complaints are closer to 8,000. And, though the site lists 2,200 complaints of vomiting, that number is closer to 30,000.
The FDA says they are monitoring reports of complications and deaths due to Trifexis, but have yet to discover any trends that prove a direct link to the product.
Frances
Nov 21, 2014 at 1:14 pm
I never have understood feeding animals pesticides. Thankfully my vet not only does not sell this but also will not write a prescription for it either. He said in his opinion they are not safe for the animals and refuses to help his clients obtain it.
Pete
Sep 9, 2014 at 5:11 am
We have been giving all our dogs Trifexis for years now. We have had some problems with vomiting but I have figured out the sweet spot between meals to keep that from happening. No problems.
pitts duncan
Mar 12, 2015 at 8:49 pm
i also have used trefexis for several years and NO PROBLEM at all just have to remember to feed the pup first. THEN the pill
James humbertson
Sep 8, 2014 at 10:59 pm
I have a beautiful Great Dane, he was almost a year old when he had his first dose of trifexis shortly after he started having seizures. We talked to the breeder and she had 6 litters and ours is the only one she knows of with this problem. She went as far as putting us in touch with some of the other owners of her puppies and they report no problems, but they did not give there dogs Trifexis!
Michelle
Sep 8, 2014 at 8:41 am
There is no question in my mind it twice Lexus is an extremely dangerous possibly deadly drug. One pill does all that work? does it sound like it’s too good to be true? well it is.
My son’s dog went into horrible convulsions and almost died after the first dose
That particular veterinarian thought it was unrelated and wanted to give it to the dog the next month the same reaction the dog almost died
After switching medications and splitting then apart by five days the dog is been fine ever since.
Linda Demaree
Sep 5, 2014 at 7:18 pm
I own 7 dogs. 4 of them are on Trifexis, with no side effects or problems. I always give to them on a full stomach. Otherwise, they throw up. Now, just the other day I gave the 4 their dose, and my Wheaton Terrier threw up. That is the only problem I have had.. However, I am seriously considering going back to Heartguard Plus and NexGuard. My only problem being, we have whip worms in our soil here, and Trifexis is the only one that protects against whip worms. However, better safe than sorry and I am considering changing.
Elissa
Aug 8, 2014 at 8:59 pm
We feed our dogs processed foods that are full of chemicals and wood shavings, our dogs eat/play/chew toys that have plastic containing carcinogens in them, we literally OVER vaccinate our dogs every year and pump them with pesticides on their bodies to prevent fleas and ticks… But everyone throws a huge fit over trifexis? Maybe it’s a combination of filling our dogs systems with all this shit? Keep being in denial about the war and chose to fight this little battle. And we WONDER why dogs have such an overwhelming amount of cancer these days.
Chris Darrow
Sep 7, 2014 at 10:02 pm
You are 100% spot on. We have studies that show vaccinations last 7-9 years yet our vets and animal control want them every year. The pet food industry teaches animal nutrition classes at vet schools. Thats like letting McDonald’s prepare the curricula for nutrition at Harvard Medical School. 60 years ago we did not have the level of illness in our dogs we do now and it was not that we did not know how to diagnoses it either. We also did not spay and neuter our dogs and cats before they hit puberty and deny them crucial hormones their body needs to develop properly. We would never chop off an 8 year old boys testicles or remove an 8 year old girls ovaries yet it is some how an acceptable practice with our pets. All of these are the reasons why over 8,000 dogs a day are diagnosed with cancer now. If we fed our dogs a diet their bodies are designed to process not this crap the pet food industries jam down them, stoped fixing them before they are fully grown, vaccinate them only once every 5-7 years not every 1-3 years and only treat them for illness they have we could actually turn the tide on the vast majority of our pet illness. The problem with this is the Pet food industry, the pharma industry and the vet industry all stand to lose way too much money so it will never happen.
Frances
Nov 21, 2014 at 1:22 pm
Thankfully I go to a vet that does not believe in annual vaccines for older dogs. Rabies is required by law. He recommends healthier commercial food grain free, filtering city water and many other things including milk thistle for helping cleanse the liver. Most the time if my animals need something, he sends me to the vitamin shop for a mineral, herb or such.
Terry
Aug 7, 2014 at 10:11 am
My 4 year old male standard poodle keeled over from a heart attack on his 4th birthday. Could this medicine have caused it? Was it the breeders fault? The breeder told me that the 2 litters from the same parents produced 1 heart attAck ( my dog) and 2 suffering from Addison’s disease. Is this high?
Dave
Aug 6, 2014 at 11:53 pm
It should be recalled
change.org/petitions/fda-elanco-recall-the-preventative-dog-tablet-trifexis#
So should Round-up herbicide.
Holly
Aug 6, 2014 at 6:29 pm
I remember my 90+ year old grandmother using a natural remedy involving vinegar that worked on all of her dogs through the years. I googled and found something similar that you can try. The FDA will be slow to move, if at all, just like for humans but in the case of animals they will be even slower. So, I wouldn’t chance it. Talk to your vet and get their thoughts but I would try the natural route:
everydayroots.com/flea-remedies
Frances
Sep 5, 2014 at 6:20 pm
Great site. Thank you.
Frances
Nov 21, 2014 at 1:18 pm
Great info. Thank you.
Sadly if your vet makes money off selling toxic stuff they will probably think you silly for wanting to do something safer.
Frances
Aug 6, 2014 at 2:59 pm
No trend just like the jerky treats. Don’t hold your breath on the FDA doing anything about it.
Biggest question if you use this or are thinking of use it, is it worth the risk?
Kathy Hume
Aug 6, 2014 at 4:46 pm
No, it’s not! I’m NOT giving it to her any
more!!!