Important Information About NexGard and Bravecto

Some of you may have recently seen news reports on the FDA’s recent announcement for the potential for neurologic side effects in a newer class of flea and tick preventatives. BLVD routinely prescribes 2 of these types of preventatives: Nexgard and Bravecto. The FDA reports that some animals have shown neurologic side effects such as muscle tremors tremors, ataxia (wobbliness) and in some cases, seizures.

We want to underscore that the FDA still deems these medications safe for the majority of patients. From the FDA bulletin: “The FDA carefully reviewed studies and other data on Bravecto, Credelio, Nexgard and Simparica prior to approval, and these products continue to be safe and effective for the majority of animals.”

There will likely be changes to the labeling of the medications in the future to alert to the potential for neurological side effects. If you see any of these signs in the 24 hours after administration of NexGard or Bravecto, please notify us immediately.

Lastly, if your pet has a history of seizures, they may be at increased risk for the neurological side effects and as a precaution you may want to put them on an alternative class of preventatives.

We will continue to monitor the situation and let you know of any new findings by the FDA. In the meantime, our opinion is that the benefits of these medications (preventing tick-borne disease, flea-related illnesses and other dermatological parasites) outweigh the small risk of neurological side effects.

Please contact us if you have any questions and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.