Simparica Trio Chewable Tablets? and freeze dried Primal Raw Dog Food lamb alternatives?

[melissadeaun]

I hope it's ok to start a new topic x2 on this. I couldn't find in my searches something that directly answered this in the forum search.

My then 1.5 year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi became sick in 9/2022. She went from 26-28 lbs to only 15lbs by January 2023 and clearly was near her end. I then found this site end of Jan 23 and got the enzyme diane immediately and put her on the raw primal lamb freeze dried diet and she immediately changed and has now hit her goal of 25lbs. this past month. It was horrible going through that as you all I am sure know.

When she got sick I think a lot about what happened surrounding that time. One of the last things I remember before discovering that she was hiding being sick all the time was giving her a Simparica Trio Chewable Tablet. I red flagged that in my head since then. Now that she is back to normal weight and back to her normal loud crazy self I got her updated on vaccines in the safest way possible scenario and it worked fine. No side effects. However, I am holding onto the new script of simparica and am scared to give her the tablet. Is this fear reasonable? I just can't imagine risking putting her back into a decline of health again when we she just got back to 100%. I can't do topical on the neck due to her corgi brother licking. I am worried about fleas mainly here in Seattle. She was negative on heartworm test.

What would you do for best safest practice at this point?

2nd question. After trying many foods the only thing that worked has been Raw Primal food lamb freeze dried. However, this is insanely expensive. I literally spend $600 on dog food a month to feed just her. I am scared to try anything else though in fear of messing up our success. Also, maybe this is just in my weird frame of mind that since she just literally got back to a normal weight after over a year of fearing her dying, should I really be messing with this balance so soon? I have to feed her 4 cups of it a day treated with the enzyme to keep this weight. I just don't know if there is perhaps a cheaper route? That is my main concern.

I also can't find a reliable vet in Seattle that knows about EPI or takes new patients. I looked at the resource on this site, but none of those are options.

Thanks in advance for help! Today is Emme's 3rd birthday! I really thought in Jan 2023 that I would not have her much longer. I am super dedicated to this non-profit and to the creator of Enzyme Diane and this is my first post. I am super thankful for this forum and hoping I am following the rules.

[jilbert57]

Hi. A lot of opinions on flea, tick and heart worm preventatives. They are neurotoxins that can and do affect your animals. Lots of reports of seizures and death associated with the topicals as well as pills. Obviously not all animals are affected. Particularly bad are the pills that combine flea, tick, heartworm and worms. There are a lot of natural deterrents you can use, best to layer things: natural collar, natural sprays. Just google the subject.
We have a topic on making your own food you can look up.
viewtopic.php?t=2030

Jill

[Patsy]

I used simparica without side effects on healthy dogs. In the information leaflet it stated to only use it for two years. That statement was enough for me to abandon it.
My epi dog became ill for a week after the usual multi booster vaccination. The vet advised not to give it again, but to only give leptospirosis annually. She had probably got immunity to the others. He agreed to provide a covering letter to boarding kennels in case inspections made visits.
If a dog has autoimmune conditions, you can’t tell how they will react.
Why do we have 7 in one vaccinations? Possibly the drug companies that monopolise the market and can charge for more expensive vaccines can answer that.

[Olesia711]

Hi Melissa, i understand your concern and applaud you for asking. With regards to tick and flea meds... if you are interested... here is a good read on the various products:
https://epi4dogs.com/tick-flea-meds-analysis-6-2020/
But in short.... IMHO, once a dog has a reaction to a specific brand of tick and flea.... i would avoid it in the future... and try to use a product with a different underying effective chemical .

But i hear ya about having to deal with ticks and fleas. the #1 piece of best advice is exactly what Jill mentioned... avoid any product that combines multiple treatments like tick, flea & heartworm all in one product. Next... with vaccines, etc... space them out, talk to your vet about doing titers when possible. And or ask your vet to research and give more individualized vaccines if possible.

Is there anyway you can use a topical and just wrap up the shoulder area until it is all absorbed??? just wondering.... as i was told that the topicals are much safer .

Also... if push comes to shove... what you can do is rub your dog down with Diatomaceous Earth .. just don't get it in the eyes or near the nose. I gie tick and flea meds, but my vet explained to me that it only cover 1 type of tick and when we go on vacation in the mtns... there are other types of ticks,,so instead of over-dosing my current dog with too much of the tick and flea poisons... she recommended that i use the diatomaceous earth to help deter the ticks in addition to the current tick and flea med i use...... of course nothing is perfect, but this could help.

Also regarding tick and flea meds.... my EPI dog, who this website was started for... contracted IMHA in her 7yr year of EPI. With IMHA, you ahve to avoid chemicals ... even typical common household cleaning chemicals.... so i was in a quandary with the tick and flea meds as at that time, we lived in the blue ridge mtns with tons of ticks.... so i did my research and went with the least offensive tick and flea med, which was a topical ...Frontline PLus... however.... because of the IMHA... i could NOT give it every 30 days... it was too much for her system and condition, and read and contacted a blood specialist and it was suggested to only give the Frontline Plus once every 45 days due to the IMHA. I wasn't sure it was going to work, but it did, even though there were signs up everywhere at vet clinics to give tick and flea meds every 3 weeks cuz the tick explosion was so bad that year where i lived............ i learned a very valuable lesson....not to believe everything we are told without questioning.... but to really dig into some issues and do our own research.

REgarding the food...... i hear you about the expense.... i took my current dog off all kibble... just because.... HOWEVER... i cannot afford to feed a large dog the commercial raw/home-made foods.... so i make my own and am saving a LOT of money!!!! in the beginning i didn't but now i do supplement with Mercola Meal Mix (vitamins and minerals) to make sure all is properly balanced.
As mentioned in one of the replies above..... you can find a variety of home made meal recipes on this page
https://epi4dogs.com/diet-raw-home-prepared-recipes/
scroll down to the pup loafs.
However.... with all the recipes, some say to bake at 350 degrees.... but it is much better to bake at a lower heat of no more than 325 degrees to avoid any possible bacteria contaminations but yet not bake the food at such high temp that is destroys actual nutrition in the food..

i hope this answers some of your questions.. and please feel free to ask any other questions you may have...........

[Eddiespaghetti]

I can not help with the tick medication. Where I live we don't have fleas or ticks. It's too hot and dry for them to live.
I can help with food options though. Eddie weighs about 17 pounds now. Pretty close to his ideal weight. I have tried a lot of different foods. He eats them for a little bit then gets tired of them. He is currently on Ollie lamb and cranberries recipe. He loves it and finally eats it. It is 303 for a two month supply. Roughly 150 a month at that price. I also add taste of the wild Appalachian valley kibble to give him extra calories. It might be a little higher in price for you since they are a little bigger. Ollie also has different options you can check out and see the price difference.
Also, tell emme happy birthday for me.