Another reason to not consent to INJECTABLE treatments for your pet

DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU ALLOW YOUR VET TO GIVE YOUR DOG AN INJECTION OF ANYTHING

The next time your vet wants to give your pet an injection, tell them you need to do your research first and you will let them know. Whether it is a "pain injection", an "injection for arthritis", "a yearly injection for heartworm" , or " a yearly injection for fleas and ticks", although it may sound convenient, it could possibly lead to a chain of events that leads to chronic health problems and possibly even worse...

There is no reason to feel pressured.

There is no such thing as a substance that does not have some kind of side effect, water and oxygen included.

Tell them you will get back to them at a later date with your decision.

Go home and do some research.

Read the package inserts. Heck, ask your vet for a copy of it to take with you. They can be hard to dig up on the internet.

And if it is a newly released product, within the psst year, my rule of thumb is to wait at least 2 years before prescribing it. Those first 2 years are the "clinical trial" years, when the real life side effects become apparent.

1. The re-release of PROHEART 6 as PROHEART 12:

Back in 2004, the FDA recalled the injectable heartworm preventative, Proheart 6, due to 5000 deaths of dogs. I remember this because I had patients who died of autoimmune hemolytic anemia from this product.

The other veterinarians I spojke with at the time were glad to see it pulled due to the adverse events.

Fort Dodge recalls ProHeart 6, citing FDA safety concerns

It is now being re-released by a different pharmaceutical company, but this time in a 12 month preparation, 3 times as strong as the 6 month.

From the current package insert:

“WARNINGS:

Do not administer ProHeart 12 to dogs who are sick, debilitated, underweight or who have a history of weight loss.

PRECAUTIONS:

Prior to administration of ProHeart 12, the health of the patient should be assessed by a thorough medical history, physical examination and diagnostic testing as indicated (see WARNINGS).

Caution should be used when administering ProHeart 12 in dogs with pre-existing allergic disease, including food allergy, atopy, and flea allergy dermatitis. (see WARNINGS).

Caution should be used when administering ProHeart 12 concurrently with vaccinations.

Adverse reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported following the concomitant use of moxidectin microspheres and vaccinations (see WARNINGS and POST-APPROVAL EXPERIENCE).

ProHeart 12 should not be used more frequently than every 12 months.

The effectiveness of ProHeart 12 has not been evaluated in dogs less than 12 months of age.

Prior to administration of ProHeart 12, dogs should be tested for existing heartworm infections. Infected dogs should be treated with an adulticide to remove adult heartworms. ProHeart 12 is not effective against adult D. immitis.

Caution should be used when administering ProHeart 12 to heartworm positive dogs (see ADVERSE REACTIONS).

“Post-Approval Experience (2018): The following adverse events are based on post-approval adverse drug experience reporting for ProHeart 6. ProHeart 12 and ProHeart 6 are the same formulation, but ProHeart 12 is three times the concentration of ProHeart 6. Not all adverse reactions are reported to FDA/CVM. It is not always possible to reliably estimate the adverse event frequency or establish a causal relationship to product exposure using these data.

The following adverse events are listed in decreasing order of frequency by body system.

Immune: anaphylaxis and/or anaphylactoid reactions, urticaria, head/facial edema, pruritus, pale mucous membranes, collapse, cardiovascular shock, erythema, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, immunemediated thrombocytopenia (signs reflected in other system categories could be related to allergic reactions, i.e. gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and hematologic)

Gastrointestinal: vomiting (with or without blood), diarrhea with or without blood, hypersalivation

General: depression, lethargy, anorexia, fever, weight loss, weakness

Dermatological: injection site pruritus/swelling, erythema multiforme

Neurological: seizures, ataxia, trembling, hind limb paresis

Hematological: leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia

Respiratory: dyspnea, tachypnea, coughing

Hepatic: elevated liver enzymes, hypoproteinemia, hyperbilirubinemia, hepatopathy

Urinary: elevated BUN, elevated creatinine, hematuria, polydipsia, polyuria

Cardiopulmonary signs such as coughing and dyspnea may occur in heartworm positive dogs.

In some cases, death has been reported as an outcome of the adverse events listed above.”

Proheart-12-Package-Insert.pdf

It appears from the current package insert that immunological reactions are still a concern.

Pet owners should also be aware that they do not recommend this product be given at the same time as vaccinations, or in dogs with existing allergic disease: seasonal allergies, food allergies or flea allergies, in dogs less than 12 months of age and in heartworm positive dogs.

2. Injectable Bravecto, 12 month injectable flea control

Approved for use in the UK, and soon to be available in the USA.

The oral product, labeled for 12 weeks, is already implicated in neurological symptoms of tremors and seizures.

Comments:

The biggest concern with injectable products, meant to last a full 12 months is:

1. the potency and amount of the drug being deposited

2. there is no way of reversing the drug or removing it from the system if the patient does have an adverse effect from it.

Both of these products are highly concerning, due to side effects which we already know occur from these very same products, given in much smaller dosages.

I was unable to find a full package insert on injectable Bravecto because it has not been approved in the US, yet.

Please ask yourself this question: Is CONVENIENCE really worth the price you may pay for your pet’s health or life?