My dog reacts to meds. Are there safe natural flea/heartworm options?

If Adam seems to have skin problems secondary to food allergies it is possible that she is reacting to the flavoring in the Bravecto and Interceptor. You may want to look into using unflavored Heartgard and something like a Seresto collar (although this could cause topical skin irritation similar to the Frontline). Unfortunately there is no chemical free heartworm preventative, and most ‘natural’ options for flea prevention contain essential oils that don’t work well and can even cause harm.

You have a few options. If you want an all in one product, try Trifexis. Otherwise you will two separate products. You might try Simparica (fleas/ticks) and Interceptor (heartworm/intestinal worms). I also recommend to have Sparky's stool checked for worms in case that was a round worm. For that parasite, pets are often given bolus dewormings since people can get that worm. That will clear up the infection faster.

I am really sorry but to answer your question, there are NO natural remedies that are proven to work for fleas and ticks. They just don't work. If your dog did not do well on Bravecto there are many other products available that don't have the same active ingredient as Bravecto. You could try Simparica or Nexgard. Are you 100% positive the Bravecto caused the seizure? I hear this a lot from owners. They say the dog had a seizure a week or so after the Bravecto administration and peg that as the cause. It is highly unlikely to have been the cause that many days after ingestion. When dogs have seizures the most likely cause is underlying epilepsy. It is rarely due to medication administration. The other option is to try a Seresto collar. Many of my clients love this option and it does work well. One collar works for up to 8 months so it is cost effective too! ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/seresto-flea-and-tick-collar-for-dogs ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Flea and tick products: Spot-ons: Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well) Heart worm : Here is a comparison chart: https://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?articleid=580 Usually there are no long term side effects.

Hello, so sorry to hear that Kya had this problem with the Nexgard. Personally, if my dog had a reaction to one of the oral flea medications (like Nexgard) I would not using any oral products in the future. I suggest you switch to a Seresto Collar. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/seresto-flea-and-tick-collar-for-dogs ) One collar lasts 6-8 months depending on how much swimming/bathing the dogs does. I think you will be happier (as will Kya) with this collar. It is almost less expensive than using a monthly prevention. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Treatment with drops which are effective against heartworm are not recommended if you are unsure of possible infection (these are generally effective against fleas and worms such as revolution, advocate or nexgard tablets). There are many flea/tick only preparations which kill and/or repel insects only and will not affect heartworm - such as advantix or frontline drops, simparica or bravecto tablets and seresto collars.

Natural products just don't stand up to pests like fleas and it will leave you very frustrated as a pet owner trying to get rid of them. J would stick with a good quality flea preventative such as Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica or Comfortis. Frontline has largely grown out of favor because it has been ineffective in a lot of pets. The only over the counter product that may work in my opinion is Advantix or Advantage multi. Best of luck with your flea problems and I hope you get some resolve soon.