Comfortis is a chewable tablet that kills fleas and prevents flea infestation on dogs for a month. It sounds good, but it has a very dangerous side effect-death. An owner of six Boxers gave Comfortis to his dogs. One of them started throwing up within a couple of hours, and again the next morning. Another Boxer named Mia started throwing up in the morning, too. She vomited so intensely that she tore her stomach loose and it twisted. Her owners rushed her to the emergency vet, only three miles away from their house. By the time they got there they were too late and Mia passed away. Two other dogs in the household had upset stomachs and were unable to eat. This means that four out of six dogs that were given Comfortis became sick from it, and one of them died. The owner contacted the vet at Lilly, which is the company that makes Comfortis. They told her that it does make some dogs sick and they have had reports of twisted stomachs from it's use, but the problems were within acceptable guidelines. The website for Comfortis states that the most common adverse reaction recorded during clinical trials was vomiting. I don't think vomiting after treatment, twisted stomachs or death are acceptable side effects. My heart goes out to Mia's family. There are many other products out there to kill and prevent fleas. Flea preventatives should only be bought from your vet. Do not buy flea treatments sold in grocery or pet stores; they rarely work well and have serious side effects. Never use a flea product containing permethrin if you have cats. Most store bought flea products for dogs contain permethrin, as does K9 Advantix. It's toxic to cats and can kill them. There are side effects that come along with any medication, so do your research before buying any product. Do not use Comfortis. I recommend Advantage or Frontline.
Comments
Amazing! While you may be right about Comfortis - I can't believe you recommend Advantage and Frontline which are full of toxins and suspected by INDEPENDENT vetinary experts as being a likely cause of the huge number of cancers in dogs
I gave my dog (38KG Mastiff) comfortis and within four hours he was having violent sezuires and is still at the vet. It looks like my best buddy of 14years is about to die !! I wish I did not go to the Vet and allow him to be given Comfortis. Im so sad he has had to die this way! Truly horrible.
I have 4 dogs and they all use Comfortis. I think it is a miracle drug for dogs! They were itchy and miserable before I started using the medicine. No reactions.at all, thank God. I would reccomend it to all dog owners.
I love this product. My dogs have been doing great on it. Tried the other ones, but they still had fleas. This one gets rid of all of them. I'm happy and so are my dogs.
I have pitts, one Staffordshire and one American ... my Staffordshire is highly allergic to all the ones that need to be applied to the back of the neck. It gives her hives and her hair falls out. She has been on comfortis for over a year now, the other is only 11 months so only on it for 6 months now, and both are doing fine. No fleas, no hives, and they have all their hair. Every living thing reacts to medications differently. My father had a life threatening allergic reaction to an antibiotic ... no one ever knows how they will react to something until they have tried it, and that goes for animals as well. I'm sorry for all those who had pets that reacted badly, but for every one of you, there are ten of us who have benefits from comfortis, and you can't condemn a product when there is no garauntee that any med is 100% safe. Stop looking for something/someone to blame, including yourself ... because life has no garauntees either.
THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING!!!
gave it to both dogs a little under 3hrs ago.
all fleas have gone, you could see the little blood sucking buggers looking for the EXIT SIGN.
was using proban but to difficult to get the dose right, pretty toxic too I think.
there was another product I found on the net called Archers Flea Fix.
its a spray you can use inside and outside the home. has a growth regulator in it. breaks the fleas life cycle. claims to be non toxic. lasts for up to 7 months.
stop em breeding they become extinct, at least at your place.
cant seem to find in Australia.
has anyone seen or used it? still need insectide for adult fleas though.
I so agree with Keith! We had our 12 year old American Eskimo react adversely to Advantage after he was on it for years. The Vet told us to change him to Advantix, which we did, and I am sad to say he died a week later from a reaction. Right now I am watching our precious little 5 month old reacting to Comfortis. I am so worried about him that I am going to lose him from one of these stupid insecticides that's supposed to protect my puppy! I trusted the Vet to give my little guy the safest means of flea protection. I am done with this crap. There HAS to be something safer I can give my dog that won't poison him! Now he's trembling! I am furious! If I lose this little guy, someone's head is going to roll!
It is much more likely that Comfortis is generally safe but the particular dogs in question had a problem. No med is totally safe and Comfortis has had to go through the trials any vet med would. Not enough evidence, despite the heartbreak for the owner of the boxers, to damn Comfortis IMO. That said, the clinical studies do not extend to our particular situation so we are not using it.
IT IS SAD TO READ THESE REPORTS OF DOGS SUFFERING FROM TREATMENT THAT ARE FOR
RIDDING DOGS FROM FLEAS. MY BELGIUM SHEPARD WAS LOOSING HAIR, BLEEDING, ITCHING
NIGHT AND DAY WITH FLEA PROBLEMS. HOWEVER HE WEIGHS OVER A 100 LBS AND HAS ONLY
HAD VEY MINOR SIDE EFFECTS. I WILL CONTINUE TO USE COMFOTIS. I FEEL SOME DOGS MAY BE TO SMALL TO DEAL WITH THE DOSE THAT PET OWNNERS ARE GIVING THERE PETS.
I JUST TODAY GOT ANOTHER PILL FOR MY DOG AND HAVING READ THESE REPORTS I HAVE
DECIDED TO BREAK IT IN HALF AND GIVE IT TO HIM OVER A TWO DAY PERIOD.
I HOPE YOUR VET MAY RECOMEND SOMETHING SIMILAR .
JUST FINISHING READING MANY COMMENTS , SCARED THE hell out of me. i gave my little pom he is 10 pounds the comfortis was concern about the 270mg but he was so infested with fleas and i had tried frontline ADVANAGE and they did work so what fleas still on him so i had to do something this comfortis is wonderful yes while there is concern, we have to have faith that our pets will be ok i feel better reading your comment thanks. i will give him another next month
Flea treatments shouldn’t be so complicated and deadly; I need to research my pet’s medicine the same way I do my own.
Thank you for this information. This will allow me to make informed decisions about my pet’s flea treatments.
I am so sorry for Mia’s death.
I am sorry but there is no town and no date on this story. How can it be verified
my apology's. After posting I see a date and a town. Sorry
I am a professional groomer and I can tell you that Advantage, Advantix and Frontline Plus are no longer working on any of my clients dogs. A couple of them have also had severe reactions to these products. I've also read that a dog on a healthy diet with a healthy immune system won't get fleas. Oh really? Maybe we should tell the fleas that. Do your research so you can make an informed decision on what to use. As for myself I'm going to try Comfortis. I'll stretch out the applications as much as possible to keep my 5 dogs flea free. while incorporating natural shampoos and products on them and in the environment. This allows me to only have to use the "heavy duty" stuff one or two months a year and I live in south central California near the ocean.
Doing a search for Comfortis and came across this. Advantage and Frontline haven't worked in a long while. I'd rather use something that actually works, than to continue to put poison all over them, having it accomplish nothing. Flea shampoos work, but only in getting rid of existing fleas. I don't believe it's preventative.
Hello I would like to say my Boxer/ST Bernard mix is highly allergic to fleas and Fronline plus, and many other treatments stopped working for him and he was miserable. I treated home,yard and my Petey, with no releif. I started him on comfortis and he is healthy and hapy without a flea in sight. I do have to feed him a big meal first then 20 min later I give him the medication and no side effects. The first time I gave it to him he did vomit but I did not give it to him without food from that point on. I finally found a medication that works for him. My heart goes out to Mia's family too and I do know that vomiting is a side effect and vomitiing can cause death but I was to the point of putting my best friend to sleep as he was so miserable. Comfortis made Petey's smile come back, and he is happy again.
I just want everyone to know that I lost my 7 yr old Boston Terrier yesterday because of seizures. The first thing the emergency animal hospital asked was what kind of flea medicine was he on? when I said Comfortis she said to stop it immediately as they have found the one of the side effects is seizures. He had been on it for over a year and they now think it could have cause a brain tumor which caused the seizures. So it is very scary what we give our animals and I am very sad to think it was my fault that he is no longer here.
i agree our dogs all different sizes and breeds had so many skin problems from the fleas and nothing worked.. We would give them frontline or advantage a day or two before we would take them to the beach but within 24 hours they where so infested. We have used comfortis for over a year and they haven't had a flea or any skin problems since. A good vet would tell you to feed your dog before giving this med. I tell everyone that has a healthy dog to use this nothing worse than seeing a poor dog scratching until their skin is infected because of one flea bite.
I'm sorry to hear of Mia's Death, but my question is "Did you feed Comfortis with a meal or wait awhile to give it?" I gave all my Great Danes this with a MEAL, yes one vomited but only to eat it right back up. I had nothing but fleas problems here in the south and the rain is awful. I can't treat the yard and the kennels until it dries, but I'm not going to make my babies suffer. I am also a groomer and have been noticing that Advantage and Frontline are no longer working. The fleas have gotten immune to them. I can't stand fleas and ticks. BY BY FLEA, cause we are flea FREE, Comfortis is here to stay.
I think any medication should be taken with skeptism, all dogs are not created equal, some breeds are more sensitive to certain medications.Twisted stomachs are mostly the result of a large chested dog having activity on a full stomach, most will die if they get a twisted stomach.That is why it is safer to feed more smaller meals to dogs like sheperds, danes ,boxers.My cat got a terrible eczema the when I used the frontline on him,most cats don't.Just like humans some people will react to any medication.Thats why some meds can only be bought at the vet, or dr office.Always read the precautions so you know what to be looking for as a reaction
Comfortis works ! I have tiney yorkies, i'm talking about 3lb yorkies. Follow directions and give them a full meal before meds.One of my yorkies does have a sensitive stomach and so far by feeding her a complete meal and making sure she eats plenty , she does fine.You may have to spoil them to get them to eat. I have cooked chicken and fed them to insure their tummies are full before meds.The comfortis works well with food.Read directions and good luck to all fighting the fleas.
I had a 5 lb yorkie that I gave comfortis to on a full stomach. The next morning she was convulsing and very lathargic. She spent 4 days at the vet with an iv and ended up dying there. I feel really bad that she died alone during the night in a wire cage at the vets office instead of at home with us that loved her.
I was under the impression that the dog is to be over 5 pounds to use Comfortis. I have a 4 1/2 pound, 5 month old Papillon and was wondering if I could eventually use this product for flea control. The breeder I got the dog from uses it for her dogs. What dosage do you use for you dogs?
We had serious flea infestations despite using the topical products, but broke the cycle with Comfortis. However, one of our two dogs (25 lbs) rejects the chewable tablet and twice vomited a whole tablet (with food). But we now administer 1/4 parts of the tablet across two days (after feeding) without any sign of upset.
In response to Keith Bourton...Advantage and Frontline are topically acting products, they are not absorbed systemically. FUll of Toxins???? While these actives are most certainly toxic to fleas, they are not to mammals. I am curious as to where you are getting your information. We also know that Advantage has a team of scientists and veterinarians who monitor resistance in fleas and so far, they haven't seen any resistance to imidacloprid (the active in Advantage). Not sure about Frontline, but I will ask their rep the next time he is in.
Frontline is a neurotoxin! WHY do you think the product comes with so many warnings about disposal, keeping it away from children, washing hands after application etc? If the product was "safe" for "mammals" it would not need warnings! Do your research before you make ridiculous bogus claims.
The scariest part of your whole post is that your name implies you might be a vet tech! SCARY!!!! You can't believe everything pharmaceutical companies or their reps say about a product.... their job is to SELL the product, not warn you about the risks of using it. As consumers, it is our job to research product safety!
Not true! Advantage and Frontline are absorbed systemically! How do you think they work? They are absorbed through the skin (the largest organ in the body) into the blood stream, throughout every organ and hair follicle and out through the skin in order to paralyze the flea/ticks nervous system. Not only that, there is a measurable residue from these products that are toxic to the people who pet these animals all month long. Children and sensitive groups (people w/MS, Lyme disease, Fibro and more) should not be exposed to an animal who has a topical flea/tick treatment because of the neurotoxic effects. Do your homework and don't always believe everything your vet says, they are "practicing" medicine.
^ my above response to Vet tech's comment
We have used Comfortis for over 13 months now and we love the fact that our dogs are flea-free! We have five dogs and they all eat it and none have vomited. I highly suggest that pet lovers try it, and avoid the messy goo-like toxins that smell bad and are a hastle to use. Our Vet is our hero, and he always steers us in the proper direction. I also read on the brochure that the active ingredient is "GREEN" as per the EPA. That's a nice benefit too! Comfortis is our saving grace!
I use Comfortis on my Chihuahua. Prior I used Revolution RX and found that it did nothing to control fleas...my vet suggested Comfortis and I went online and researched it. For me it seemed like the pros outweighed the cons and I decided we'd give it a try, so far I love it.
I have used Frontline, Frontline Plus, Advantage, Advantix, and Sentinel in the past. I tried Frontline Plus this year, and it was a waste of money as my dogs still became infested with fleas. I will be trying comfortis next.
i gave both my dogs comfortis for the first time about two weeks ago.one i had gotten from schnauzer love rescue three weeks ago.one i had sence he was a baby.the one i got from a rescue seems to be ok one one i had from a baby is sick all the time sence comfortis he won't play he just lays around.i thought it was becouse i got the other dog for the first week thay played together.now he acts like he hates the other dog. i am going to give the other dog back but it might be the comfortis. i fell bad about giveing the other dog back this all might be becouse comfortis its to late to stop it now the wheels are already turning.
I can't believe that no one has mentioned the fact that boxers as a breed are about as sesitive as you can get. Any time I get an emergency phone call about a dog having hives or severe allergic reaction, my first question to the owner is "by chance is your dog a Boxer?" Most are shocked and say "how did you know?". The Boxer's immune system overreacts to everything. I have also seen boxers drop dead from a bee sting. Our clinic will continue to use comfortis. I am sorry for Mia and her owners.
What a STUPID and ignorant response to people's experience and pain.......
I am a pet groomer and have seen how well comfortis works. On the other hand to I have seen where some dogs and usually real small dogs have had a problem with it. Even my dog had a slight reaction of scratching constantly. On that dog I use advantix and my other dog I use comfortis. I would say that 99% of the dogs that I have recommended to put them on comfortis has worked wonderfully for them. I don't recommend anything that I haven't tried myself and do tell clients what reactions I have heard of from other clients and of course reactions my dog as had.
Our little baby died a few days ago, just hours after giving him his first dose of Comfortis ever, we don't blame his death 100%on Comfortis; as our 3 1/2 year old Lab most likely had a pre-existing condition; however the Vet and we do believe the Comfortis triggered some sort of seizure......it just makes us angry that our baby got cheated out of many more years of a happy life.....all we can do is spread the word on the dangers of this very potent pesticide and hopefully save other dogs life and heartbreak of other dog owners too.....definetely talk to your vet before administering Comfortis..I believe in my heart of hearts this dangerous medicine did kill our happy puppy.....
We use and recommend comfotis for flea treatments at our clinic. When given with food as recommended we have not had any problems. Fleas are becoming immune to Advantage and Frontline thats why Comfortis is becoming the preferred treatment in the south. Comfortis is an FDA product and is held to high test and standards than the anything you can buy at walmart.
Were the boxers all related? That would explain why four of them showed similar signs. Don't base a claim like this to be the total truth.
My dog is a shepherd/golden mix. I gave her Heartguard in the morning and 3 hours later I gave her Comfortis on a full stomach and she vomited it all within 2 hours. Is this normal? this is the second time this has happened. Just switched her from Revolution which was nice but not acceurate. She got fleas.
Any suggestions?
Our little terrier mix Kadie died with vomiting and bleeding from the retum for 2 days. It was 3 days after giving her a comfortis pill. I fed her and her mates (3 jack russels) and a few hours later gave them their comfortis. This was not the first time she had the comfortis pill. She ate and acted well the first day and then began vomiting clear liquid. I took her to the vet and he acted as if she had eaten rat posion. We treated her with meds, vitamin K, and Albon. We are watching our other dogs for any effect. She only lived 3 days after taking the pill. We are devistated and feel as if we killed our dog while trying to help her. Please be carefull.
i would just like to say that i tryed that rotten comfortis and now i am putting my dog down so dont rave on about that product at all
Trialed Comfortis on my two boxers yesterday to treat minor flea prob. Used Frontline Plus b4, but hadn't used anything for about 6 months as neither of my babies had any fleas for a while. Boy do I wish I read this first! I gave each of them a tablet with a decent sized meal at around 4pm and everything seemed fine, no changes for rest of the day. But this morning when I let them inside I noticed a BIG change in both of them (btw they aren't at all related). Both are extremely lethargic, have very little appetite, panting heavily and just seem overall sick. The male is worse than the female as he's yelping if any pressure's on his stomach. Hubby went to vet, told him what had happened and vet said its not really much to worry bout and if it gets worse to bring them in. NOT MUCH TO WORRY ABOUT?? I'm pretty freakin worried! I'm prayin they'll be ok. I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THIS CRAP BUT IF YOU USE IT BE CAREFUL, ESPECIALLY IF ON BOXERS - MY DOGS STILL HAVE FLEAS AND ARE VERY VERY SICK!!
I have been using Comfortis for about six months and I haven't had one flea on my dogs. Before I used Frontline and was fighting fleas constantly. I give them their heartworm pill on one day and wait a couple of days before I give them the Comfortis. I think that to give them both on the same day is to much chemical for their systems. I do have to say that the first time I gave it to them one of them did throw up. I made sure after that to give it to them with food and it seems to be working. Every dog is different and you need to do your research before you make a decision. One of my dogs weighs 16 lbs and the other 86 lbs. Not sure what I am going to do now about ticks for this summer.
gave it to my boxer and the next day she was very ill and she was coughing and was breathing heavily and died 5 days later.
The manufacturer provides a warning that this could be a side effect when using Comfortis. Our vet recommended Comfortis for our two dogs. They have not had flea problems since starting treatment. I highly recommend Comfortis over other flea treatments, but strongly recommend talking to your Vet before using this (or any other product).
I used to use Frontline and Advantage on all of my dogs. It got to the point where neither one of these worked anymore, even if I alternated them. Last year we had a major flea outbreak, so I tried Comfortis. My dogs never vomited or anything, and I was amazed that it worked so well and actually took care of the fleas for a whole month. However, I did read the package and it said" Long term affects not known". I thought hmmm........ that's not good. I knew it had to have some really potent chemical in it to last for a whole month. I'm real funny what I give my dogs anyway. I don't keep flea medicine on them continually because of the chemicals. Anyway, after that major flea outbreak we had, I only used 1 Comfortis on them,period. I didn't have to read anymore about it(side effects) to know continuous use of it wasn't good. No chemicals are!!
I have a shihtzu I got from a rescue almost 3 years ago. I got her at the end of the summer and she was infested with fleas, and also very allergic. She would bite herself and lick herself and create bald spots. I tried Frontline and other popular meds to help her out. I finally saw Comfortis at my vet and asked about it. Since Id tried so much else, I went ahead with it. This is her second summer on Comfortis and I am happy to report she has no fleas, her fur is also in better condition, and no signs of allergies. As with any med used on us or our dogs there are side effects, and Im sorry to hear some were so lethal. But for me and my dogs, well Comfortis has been a life saver.
I have an 8 month old boxer, and I just got another boxer puppy a few weeks ago. My 8 month old has puked 4 to 6 hours after being given the comfortis the past 4 of 5 times given. I knew vomiting was a side effect, but I'm starting to become concerned. The comfortis has been the most effective product I have used...but at what price for my pet? I think I'm going to switch. My other boxer puppy seems fine as of right now. He's 14 weeks and he didn't seem to have any side effects.
Trust me... my dog's health is of the utmost importance to me!! I was SUPER concerned about giving my Boxer this product bc of the problems I have heard. I tried EVERYTHING for his fleas, but he is a magnet. I finally gave in and tried Comfortis. It worked! The ONLY product that did. I watched him like a hawk for days after giving it to him, afraid to go to work, but he seemed "okay". I hate the price and the possibility of side effects (no matter how slight), but so far so good...
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