Is Bravecto safe for dogs?

Bravecto’s fast-acting and long-lasting efficacy is thanks to its active ingredient Fluralaner, an FDA-approved insecticide, and aracicide. After ingestion by your pet, Fluralaner enters the fluids under its skin, where it starts to work almost immediately to kill pests as they bite. This is thanks to its ability to attack the nervous systems of invertebrates such as fleas and ticks. Because Fluralaner is more effective on invertebrates than mammals, field tests and clinical use have found Bravecto to be safe for dogs.

Fluralaner’s effectiveness comes from disrupting certain pathways in invertebrates’ nervous systems, creating waves of nerve transmissions that lead to seizure activity that is fatal to fleas and ticks. This has caused some concern among pet owners that Bravecto can also affect their canines’ nervous systems. However, field trials revealed the most common side effects to be vomiting, lethargy, and diarrhea—all symptoms related to the gastrointestinal system, not Fido’s nervous system. When administered properly, Bravecto provides year-round protection from fleas and ticks with just four tablets, protecting your pet from diseases such as Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and allergic reactions that can cause infection.

As with any flea and tick treatment, Bravecto should be given only as instructed on the package for your specific pet. Bravecto chews are available in five different strengths for dogs of every size, including puppies over six months and dogs weighing more than 4.4 pounds. Bravecto can be used in breeding, pregnant and nursing pets. The most common adverse reactions seen during clinical trials were mild and transient gastrointestinal effects, including diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite and drooling. Bravecto was found to kill more than 90 percent of fleas and ticks and to be an effective treatment for allergies caused by fleas.