Comfortis

[bj2circeleb]

Comfortis has just been released in Australia with these claims:

The wait is over Comfortis is now available in Australia!!

The once a month tablet that kills 100% of fleas in 4 hours!

Comfortis’ rapidly kill fleas (Ctenocephalides felis): studies conducted have shown that Comfortis begins to kill fleas within 30 minutes of oral administration and kills 100% of fleas within 4 hours. Because it kills fleas quickly, ‘Comfortis’ controls flea allergy dermatitis too.

‘Comfortis’ is a chewable tablet and is readily consumed by dogs. Alternatively, Comfortis Chewable Tablets may be offered in food or administered like other tablet medications. Comfortis Chewable Tablets should be administered at monthly intervals.

As ‘Comfortis’ is an oral product, there are no restrictions with regards to swimming or washing after treatment. The dog can be treated while it is wet and can be exposed to water immediately after treatment.

Additionally, there is no requirement to exclude the dog from access to any furniture or home fittings. As the product is inside the dog it cannot damage any surfaces or other materials in the home.


I wonder if they failed to admit that it will not kill fleas in the envirnment like frontline did!!

Personally I would have thought that something on the outside of the dog would do a better job at killing fleas in the environment than something inside the dog. I cannot see the use of something which kills fleas on the dog but does nothing to stop them in the enviromment.

Curious as to what you have all heard of this.

Personally I am sticking to Advantix, it has been great for as long as I have had Brooke and covers ticks too, as well as a few other things.

[Cera]

I'm confused as to what you mean.  How does advantix kill fleas in the environment?  I thought they had to be on the dog for it to kill the fleas.  I thought if you have an infestation then you need to treat the infestation--treat the carpets, yard, or bomb.  But we've never had an infestation, so I am not actually sure.

Personally, I would be thrilled to use a pill that actually worked.  Topical is difficult for me to use.  That said, I use advantix because I get it for free with my IAADP membership.

[Spectrum]

No topical or oral flea treatment will kill the fleas in the environment. Eventually if you keep treating the animal, all the fleas in the environment will die because they don't have a host, but they will not directly kill fleas in the environment.

I have not had any personal experience with Comfortis, but doc isn't keen on trying it because it's oral and is supposed to be long-lasting, so if the dog has a bad reaction to it, it will be hard to treat. We do use Capstar on some dog when they come in covered with fleas, and it is oral and works really well, but it only lasts for about 24 hours. It's much easier to provide supportive care for 24 hours if there's a bad reaction than to try to provide supportive care for a month.

[Wolfheartnsoul]

I belong to several dog forums and there have been numerous posts on Comfortis side effects, including death. As with anything you give your dog, I would do some research on this product before using it. Personally I would never use it.

[state_of_nowhere]

I would be quite wary of anything that kills all fleas in 4 hours. But I take a more reserved approach to pet care regarding food and vaccines.

Has anyone used a more holistic approach to the flea problem? There is a woman who owns an organic pet shop in the area who recommends something that is supposed to bitter the dog's blood so the fleas aren't attracted to the dog.

[bj2circeleb]

I have no intention of using it, I am happy with the advantix which I use. As it is new in Australia all these claims are being made about it, and I was just curious as to what the feeling was in the US for it. As it was invented in the US, I knew that you guys would know of it, and problems with it, if any would be known to some degree, even if the makers are not acknowledging them yet. Some of the things you have raised are interesting. The idea of something lasting for a month which you can do nothing to alleviate side effects of is quite horrible. As with the topicals you can wash them off, and I do know people who have had to do that. I can see the use of such things for some people, but I have also never considered what must be in a product for it to kill all fleas within 4 hours. That is the shortest time claim that I have ever heard of and if it also lasts for a whole month it would also be worrisom to me. I always research anything very thoroughly before I buy it and i also never buy anything that is not a tried and tested product, I just don't like to make my dog or myself a ginea pig for trails of products, but that is just my opinion. No flea, heartworm or worming treatments have to be prescribed by vets in Australia, most are sold in all petshops, online, etc and some are even sold in supermarkets. I am concerned as to where this new product will be sold, but most pet shops do not recommend products they have not had extensive experience with and so while they may sell it, it would be out of the way and only available to those that asked for it. Named brands are not sold in supermarkets and the only things I have ever really seen sold there are daily heartworm tablets (I cannot believe that anyone would bother using them these days) and flea collars the like which are advertised everywehere as being useless. All of that part of every supermarket appears covered in dust as if no one has ever bought any of them, so why they stock them i do not know!! Any animal sold in a pet shop or shelter must come with extensive information on the most accepted ways of treated fleas and heartworm, vaccinations, feeding, water, shelter, bedding, etc, etc. They must be up to date on flea, worming and heartworm control, vaccinated, bathed, microchipped, spayed or neutered, etc.

[Cera]

As it was invented in the US, I knew that you guys would know of it, and problems with it, if any would be known to some degree, even if the makers are not acknowledging them yet.

I'm in the US and I've never heard of it.  The only oral I've ever heard of is Capstar and I've never used it because I think the vets only use it for real bad infestations.  I only use flea treatments reccommended by/from my vet like advantage or advantix or frontline.  Never had an issue, so I've never researched it further.

[Kirsten]

Capstar only kills the fleas actually on the dog.  There is no residual effect for preventing future infestations.  You can use it in an emergency to clean a dog off, and then start a regular preventive. 

My own vet is very cautious about oral flea treatments.  Remember that we're talking basically about a poison that your dog must ingest and secrete through either his blood or skin glands in order to have the desired effect.  My vet's other policy, which I think is wise, is not to use, recommend, or carry new products.  He said "let the other guys test them."  He sticks with the ones that have been around long enough to have some data behind them other than that paid for by the company that sells the drug.

All of that said, he's okay with Capstar, just thinks it has a very limited use.

[Kirsten]

Advantix has been in use for, I think, something like nine years.  There's a good amount of data behind it.  We know it kills cats.  Good to know if one has both dogs and cats.  It is only dangerous while still wet.  So you know to keep the dogs and cats completely separated until the dog is completely dry.

I'm going on foggy memory here, but there was an oral flea product that was released, killed some dogs, was re-tooled and re-released under a different name.  It might have been this one, or it might have been something else entirely.

[Spectrum]

My vet's other policy, which I think is wise, is not to use, recommend, or carry new products.  He said "let the other guys test them."  He sticks with the ones that have been around long enough to have some data behind them other than that paid for by the company that sells the drug.

That's pretty much what doc does. We just started using Cerenia (a fairly new anti-vomiting medication) this past week, even though it's been out for quite a while. The one time we did try a new drug was because we got it free for a clinical trial, it was a drug called Convenia which is supposed to be the equivalent of cephalexin (an antibiotic) except in a one-time injection that was supposed to last for about 2 weeks. It did okay for some dogs, but in others it did nothing at all. Doc used it on Max when he had a flare up of his skin condition on his leg, and it did nothing a tall    So we stick to tried-and-true unless nothing else is working for a given patient.

The only time we use Capstar is if a dog comes in with really bad fleas, or if a dog has fleas when it comes in for boarding or hospitalization, even if the fleas aren't bad, because we can't let the clinic get infested.

[bj2circeleb]

The clinics I use also do not test out new products, and they do stick with the tried and true. I got this product in an email newsletter of pet products on the market, and the vets I have spoken to said they will not stock it for at least a few years, as they tend to do with most things. Sure if some animal is not healing from something that is tried and true they will try something new, but they would order it in, just for them.

I have seen some clinics that advertise about always using the newest things around so clearly some people do want that, but I am not one of them!!

I did do research when I moved here for a vet on this wavelength, but I am looking for a new one, after I was abused by them when I said that Brooke had been at college with me all day as she as an assistance dog, as only guide dogs are apparently allowed in public places and it is cruel to tie up a dog outside a college campus all day!! I am currently searching for a new one, and think I have found one!!!