Is testing dogs on Trifexis for parasites before a new puppy overkill?

Congratulations on your new puppy! I would recommend that she sees veterinarian for a new puppy visit. She will have fecal testing and see if she needs a deworming medication in addition to the Interceptor. She will also be started on her initial vaccines. I suspect the Interceptor tablet you gave is working and killing the intestinal parasites. That is why you are seeing them come out in the stool. You will want to keep her on it each month for the heartworm prevention as well. I hope this information helps!

Hello and thank you for your question. First, I Just want to applaud you for taking a prophylactic approach to heartworm and internal parasites by giving trifexis monthly. Great job. Trifexis takes care of and prevents roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. It does not, however, prevent a dog from getting infested by other internal parasites such as tapeworms or coccidia. Because there are so many different types of medications available over the counter that treat different types of worms in a dogs gastrointestinal tract, I encourage you to take a fecal sample to your local veterinarian to get a definite diagnosis and correct treatment. It would be best to take in a sample of the feces as well as one of the worms that you find for best results. I hope this helps. Have a great day.

It is generally not recommended to use two oral products together. It's not to say it's impossible but many of these companies have not done the testing to know if there are interactions. You may discuss this with your regular vet to see if they have any experience with this. Most topical flea and tick products are expected to be safe to use with Trifexis. There is also a collar called a Preventic which is fine to use with oral products. Most people only put the collar on the pet when it is going out to tick areas and they remove it when the pet is not in those areas. Another option is to ask your vet if they would exchange the product for something like Simparica and Interceptor which would get all your parasite concerns. Some clients will also switch products when ticks are in season or when exposure is expected and then switch back once the exposure time is over. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Congratulations on your new dog! I like Revolution if you are looking for a topical product. It consistently works well and is well tolerated. If you like the idea of an oral product better, I like Trifexis (it’s another all in one product). Sometimes though the pets can smell the Trifexis and they won’t eat it. In that instance, I like Simparica and Interceptor. My personal preference is oral products. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Intestinal parasites are spread in the feces of infected animals so as long as you sister is picking up after her dogs your dogs should be fine. Also, since your dogs are receiving a monthly heartworm preventative they will be protected from any infestation. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I like to use a flea comb dipped in a solution of dawn dish soap to comb off the fleas. That is safe and dipping the flea comb in the soapy water will kill the fleas. I would comb them daily and manually remove the ticks. All puppies get intestinal parasites from their Mom. Giving nemex every two weeks once they are four weeks old will take care of them. You can apply Advantage to the mother and place a drop on each pup when they are six weeks old to kill the fleas. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

Yes. If your dog has had trifexis before then I would not worry and continue it on your normal schedule. If she has never had it before, I would choose a different type of heart worm and flea prevention because the most common side effect is vomiting.