Advocate and dogs that love water

[Zed Ed]

Hi,

We have a seven month old springer that likes a swim; also as is to be expected he routinely gets covered in mud and needs cleaning with water after walks.

Can anyone advise whether Advocate remains effective in this scenario?

The breeder recommended Bravecto but the vet supplies Advocate, but i’m just not sure on effectiveness.

[anonymous-user]

We gave up on Advocate after getting some on a remote control and seeing it melt the plastic. We now use Billy No Mates herbal supplement in his food instead. Obviously no problem him getting wet either.

[bexVN]

It adsorbs into the blood stream (to be able to protect against lungworm and roundworm etc) so as long as you allow it to dry it should not get affected by water.

Lungworm is the biggest concern in pups these days. Personally I use nexguard spectra which is a tablet that does fleas, roundworm and lungworm. You can get a prescription from your vet for products they don't stock.

Herbal remedies are another option but often their evidence is anecdotal and not regulated to ensure consistency in every batch you buy etc.

You could phone Bayer to check as well. Or get your vets to phone them.

[Jasandjules]

Do not use chemicals on your dogs, there is a LOT of info out there about the harm which can be caused. Plenty of natural treatments too.

Just search for example for bravecto killed my dog and see what comes up!

[Drogo]

Grahamdub said:

We gave up on Advocate after getting some on a remote control and seeing it melt the plastic. We now use Billy No Mates herbal supplement in his food instead. Obviously no problem him getting wet either.

+1 For Billy No Mates

Our Cairn has been on it for apx two years with no ill effects or any signs of nasties.

[FiF]

Jasandjules said:

Do not use chemicals on your dogs, there is a LOT of info out there about the harm which can be caused. Plenty of natural treatments too.

Just search for example for bravecto killed my dog and see what comes up!

Correlation and causation. Two different things. Sometimes that FB page on Bravecto reads like an Icke forum.

[jmsgld]

I'm a vet, I use Bravecto on my own dog.

[FiF]

jmsgld said:

I'm a vet, I use Bravecto on my own dog.

Fair enough, I'm not convinced by the social media claims against Bravecto either.

But equally, keeping it on topic to the thread, ie what do you do with dogs that like water, there's a difference between spot on and oral treatments. The Bravecto is a treatment every 3 months, not sure how that sits with a claimed half life of 16days, nor quantifiable detection in plasma after 112 days but anyway. If the animal has an adverse reaction, an oral treatment is in there for however long it takes to be eliminated, a spot on treatment can be washed off. Equally in terms of efficacy for water babies is an oral treatment better compared to external?

[jmsgld]

I don't have the figures to hand but looked at them before starting my own dog on Bravecto. Anecdotally I have prescribed Bravecto to thousands of dogs and have seen nothing worse than mild gastro upsets - vomit / diarrhoea.

My dog is walked for 2-4 hours most days in a 700 acre woodland at the edge of my village, it is teeming with ticks in season and I know there is Lyme in the area. If I wear shorts, I am constantly checking for them, often brush them off before they attach, and regularly have to remove them from myself.

Since starting Bravecto (2 years or so) I have had to remove 2 dead ticks from my dog, towards then end or possible slightly over the 3 months. (I use monthly Milbemax fo lungworm).

I have never seen a flea on him, but we don't have cats and he is treated year round.

Advocate data sheet;
"Brief contact of the animal with water on one or two occasions between monthly treatments is unlikely to significantly reduce the efficacy of the product. However, frequent shampooing or immersion of the animal in water after treatment may reduce the efficacy of the product."

For a dog that swims regularly I would consider an oral treatment, I certainly would recommend avoiding swimming / bathing for a few days after application.

[jmsgld]

Advocate is absorbed through the skin, but depending on timing you may be able to wash it off in the case of an adverse reaction in the same way that swimming / bathing may reduce it's efficacy. I suspect only a smallish fraction is removed by bathing unless it is very shortly after application.

I can confirm that Advocate will melt certain plastics, it is not the active ingredients but the base liquids, it rarely causes bald spots in cats. I regularly get it on my fingers and have never had any issues.

[FiF]

Aiui most adverse reactions to application of spot on treatment is down to the oils used as the carrier rather than the chemicals. Our Golden really hates Advocate, reacts badly for 12 hours afterwards, really unsettled.