Bravecto For Dogs VS Comfortis
Kills Adult Fleas? | Yes | Yes |
Kills Fleas Eggs? | No | No |
Kills Ticks? | No | Yes |
Usage | Oral | Oral |
Dosage | Once a Month | Once every 3 Months |
Active Ingredient | Spinosad | Fluralaner |
Average time to kill pesticide | 45 minutes – 1hour | up to 24 hours |
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The Pros and Cons of Comfortis versus Bravecto in Treating Your Dog
Fleas and ticks are pretty common among dogs. They love feeding on the blood of dogs, causing them annoyance, making them sick, or worse, killing them.
Dog owners of course would not want their canine friends to suffer from these nasty little creatures. So they look for ways on how to remove these blood-sucking pests off dogs’ furs.
While there are tons of ways to get rid of these parasites, one common treatment is the use of chewable tablets. Unlike the topical method, these chewable tablets cannot be washed off. In addition, these take effect shortly after consumption, and do not expose humans to the chemicals these contain.
Basically, chewable tablets prove more benefits than the other flea treatments. With that said, have a look into two popular chewable tablets and determine the pros and cons that each possesses. It is a battle between Comfortis versus Bravecto.
What is Comfortis
Comfortis is an FDA-approved chewable insecticide used to kill fleas and prevent them from laying eggs on dogs. It attacks the fleas’ nervous system, killing them in effect.
Based on the active ingredient spinosad, Comfortis for dogs effectively kills adult fleas within 4 hours. Spinosad is a natural substance which can be found in soil microbes. It is fast-acting and starts to take effect after 30 minutes since application. Its effect also lasts for a month.
One Comfortis dosage should be administered to dogs once a month. However, this may vary depending on the type of Comfortis you give to your dog. There are five different-colored boxes designed for specific sizes of dogs. Each requires various administering methods to achieve effective results.
Administering Comfortis is easy since it can either be beef- or pork-flavored. However, you should take caution in giving it to your dog. You should never administer Comfortis to dogs if they are: pregnant, under 14 weeks of age, or do not have a full stomach. Always consult your vet before giving the said treatment to your dog.
In addition, you should never use high doses of ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug found in Heartgard and Ivomec, together with spinosad. This combination may lead to seizures, blindness, tremors, and more. Spinosad is also known to cause abortion to pregnant dogs.
What is Bravecto?
Bravecto is a relatively new FDA-approved chewable tablet aimed to fight fleas and ticks among dogs.
This flea and tick treatment contains an active ingredient called fluralaner, an effective ectoparasiticide, which also attacks the pests’ nervous system to kill them. Fluralaner is a type of isoxazoline which protects dogs for 12 weeks from fleas, while it takes 8 to 12 weeks for ticks. Therefore, it should only be administered once every 12 weeks.
The new treatment is said to control four species of ticks based on clinical reports. When you administer Bravecto for dogs, it begins to kill fleas within two hours. Ticks will also be killed a short time after exterminating the fleas.
Furthermore, you should consult with your vet before using Bravecto, since it is a prescription-only drug. Like Comfortis, different boxes are also made for the particular sizes of dogs. The dose a dog need depends on their size. However, the minimum Bravecto dosage is around 11.4 mg/lb.
Since Bravecto is chewable, dog owners can administer it easily. If you are having a hard time administering it to your dog, giving it along with his food should help.
Unlike Comfortis, Bravecto is safe for pregnant dogs and lactating animals. It can also be given to pets that are over 6 months old. However, it should not be given if dogs are sick or having chronic immune mediated disease.
Side Effects of Comfortis and Bravecto
While both Comfortis and Bravecto help kill pests on dogs, each may cause certain side effects upon use. When using any of the products, you are advised to take caution and observe the following side effects on your dog.
Because of the nature of the drug, Comfortis might cause your dog the following side effects:
- Behavioral changes
- Diarrhea
- Drooling
- Increased hunger
- Increased thirst
- Itching
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of coordination
- Seizures
- Skin redness
- Trembling
- Vomiting
The side effects mentioned above should gradually stop with repeated use. However, if these effects persist, you should consult your vet immediately.
On the other hand, Bravecto for dogs may cause the following side effects on certain cases:
Bravecto side effects:
- Blood in stools
- Changes in behavior
- Diarrhea
- Edema
- Gas
- Hyperemia
- Increased thirst
- Increased hunger
- Itching
- Lethargy
- Loss of appetite
- Seizures
- Vomiting (by far the most common)
- Weight loss
Bravecto is supposedly a safe drug for dogs. However, consult your vet if the symptoms above persist.
These side effects do not apply for every dog. Results may vary from dog to dog. Thus, it is important that you carefully monitor your dog upon using these products.
Pros and Cons of Using Each Product
To determine which product is more suited for your dog, listed below are the pros and cons of using Comfortis and Bravecto.
Due to the active ingredients found in Comfortis, it proves certain advantages and disadvantages over Bravecto. These advantages include:
- Ease of administering the tablet, since it has beef and pork flavor
- Being super effective against fleas
- Killing fleas quickly within 3 to 4 hours
Disadvantages of Comfortis include the following:
- Known to cause harmful side effects in some animals
- If a pet is allergic to beef or pork, it can cause unwanted allergies
- Does not kill ticks
- Quite expensive
On the other hand, Bravecto is proven advantageous in the following ways:
- Kills both fleas and ticks
- Protects dogs from pests longer
- Safe for pregnant dogs and lactating animals
However, disadvantage of Bravecto includes:
- Certain side effects to dogs
- Fleas and ticks must have ingested blood from your dog before it becomes effective. Hence, transfer of specific tick-borne diseases is still possible.
Conclusion
It is hard to tell which treatment is better, as both present unique strengths and weaknesses. Comfortis has been in the market longer, yet it does not guarantee that it is the better flea treatment than Bravecto. In fact, Bravecto has proven certain advantages that make it appear the more beneficial choice than the older drug.
While both treatments aim to help dogs get rid of the blood-sucking insects, it is also worth noting the possible risks it may impose on our pets. Taking extra caution is advised regardless of which treatment you administer on your dog.
From personal experience, Comfortis has been a positive experience of usage for my dog so I see no reason to change. If it isn’t broke don’t fix it. Right? Unless for some reason my dog had tick problems I’d consider giving Bravecto a go.
Hope this helps :)
Kea Kou
BuyDogFleaMeds
About the Author
Kea here. I started this blog to help pet owners find better prices on flea medicine. I know what it's like paying an arm and a leg for pet products since I've spent hundreds of dollars on my wiener dog (Dachshund) named Mr. Beans.
I've done all the research (testing, comparing, talking to other pet owners) and I share with you all that I find. I hope my Blog helps you make a better decision on which products are best for your pet and to help you save money at the same time :)