A pet infested with fleas or ticks not only experiences discomfort but also causes anxiety for its owners. To help your pet, you need to act immediately. There are many products available to rid animals of these pests. One such product is Bravecto, a chewable flea and tick tablet.
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What are Bravecto tablets?
Typically, to get rid of fleas and ticks on pets, products that act on the parasites by contact (collars, shampoos, sprays, etc.) are used. However, modern veterinary medicine is constantly evolving, developing new methods to combat skin pests. One such innovation is Bravecto chewable tablets, effective against fleas and ticks on dogs.
Bravecto is available in tablets for oral administration in 5 different sizes for dogs of different weights.
Bravecto tablets were developed by the French company Intervet. The drug is able to protect the dog from all types of ixodid ticks and two types of fleas (cat and dog). Bravecto is specially designed for dogs and takes into account the biological characteristics of these pets.
Composition and description
Dogs really like the look of these tablets. Their round shape, dark color, and distinctive scent are alluring. For dogs, they resemble dry food pellets, so pets eat the tablets with pleasure.
Do not break the tablet when selecting the required dosage for your pet: you must immediately take the drug for your dog's weight category, otherwise this may lead to either a reduction in dosage or an overdose.
The main active ingredient is fluralaner. Additional ingredients include:
- Super Premium Powder Flavoring for Dogs,
- sucrose,
- sodium lauryl sulfate,
- disodium pamoate monohydrate,
- magnesium stearate,
- aspartame,
- glycerol,
- soybean oil,
- polyethylene glycol,
- cornstarch.
The active ingredient in the drug blocks glutamate-dependent and GABA-dependent receptors of fleas and ticks, excites neurons, and disrupts the transmission of nerve impulses, which contributes to paralysis and leads to the death of blood-sucking parasites.
The drug remains active and dangerous to fleas and ticks for 85 days, as fluralaner is excreted from the body very slowly, mainly through urine and feces.
Bravecto tablets are available in five strengths:
- 112.5 mg,
- 250 mg,
- 500 mg,
- 1000 mg,
- 1400 mg.
The tablets are sold individually in opaque blisters packaged in cardboard boxes. Each tablet comes with instructions and a sticker for recording the treatment in the pet's veterinary passport.
Each box of Bravecto contains one tablet.
Benefits of Bravecto tablets
Compared to other drugs, Bravecto tablets have the following advantages:
- The effect of the tablet in the animal’s body begins within two hours after its administration.
- The drug is able to protect all parts of the pet’s body.
- Bravecto provides protection against harmful insects for twelve weeks.
- Fleas begin to die within eight hours of taking the pill.
- Ticks die within 12 hours.
- Re-infection of the animal is excluded.
- Ticks and fleas die before they have time to lay eggs on the dog's skin and fur.
- 99% guaranteed elimination of ticks and 100% guaranteed elimination of fleas.
- Insects do not develop immunity to this drug.
- The tablets are suitable for treating dogs of all breeds.
- An overdose of the drug will not lead to serious consequences for the animal’s health.
- Even future generations of dogs will be protected from fleas and ticks.
- Bravecto can be used for nursing dogs and puppies over eight weeks of age.
- The drug is safe for animals and does not cause gene mutations.
The main disadvantage of the drug is its high price. One package containing a single-use tablet will cost from 1,150 rubles.
Video: Bravecto tablets overview and instructions for use
How to use Bravecto tablets
The drug is intended for oral administration only. The tablet should be given to the dog shortly before eating. The drug can be administered with food or 20 minutes afterward. The tablets are easily absorbed into the bloodstream and begin to act almost immediately. The effect is achieved only if the dose of fluralaner is 25–56 mg per kilogram of the animal's body weight.
It is possible to use Bravecto simultaneously with anthelmintic drugs, insectoacaricidal collars, corticosteroids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
If your dog refuses to take a tablet, place it on the back of its tongue and encourage it to swallow. Make sure it swallows completely. Do not split or crush the tablets!
If necessary, the animal can be given the tablet again no earlier than after 12 weeks.
Video: How to give a dog a pill
Table: Dosage of Bravecto tablets according to animal weight
| Dog size | Dog weight, kg | Required amount of drug, mg |
| Very small dogs | 2–4.5 | 112.5 |
| Small dogs | 4.5–10 | 250 |
| Medium-sized dogs | 10–20 | 500 |
| Large dogs | 20–40 | 1000 |
| Big dogs | 40–56 | 1400 |
| Huge dogs | from 56 | You should consult a veterinarian. |
Storage conditions for the drug Bravecto
The tablets have a shelf life of three years. If the medication has not been used after this period, it should be discarded. Do not use tablets with expired date.
It is essential to wash your hands with soap after direct contact with the tablet.
Bravecto should be stored in a dark, dry place, out of the reach of animals and children. The packaging must be tightly sealed. Do not store the product near food or other feed. The storage temperature should be between 0 and 30°C. OWITH.
Contraindications for use and possible consequences
Most dogs respond well to Bravecto tablets. Contraindications include young dogs (less than eight weeks old) or underweight dogs (less than two kilograms). Unlike flea collars and shampoos, Bravecto tablets can be given even to dogs with problem skin, as the drug is only administered orally and does not affect the skin in any way.
In case of an overdose of Bravecto, the animal experiences a depressed mood and loss of appetite, but the manufacturer promises that these symptoms will go away on their own.
There have been rare cases where dogs have experienced depression, loss of appetite, increased salivation, diarrhea or vomiting after taking the tablet. All these symptoms may indicate an overdose of the drug. To achieve a therapeutic effect, after vomiting or diarrhea has stopped, it is necessary to give the drug to the animal again, but in the correct dosage, or select another remedy if the dog suffers from an intolerance to certain components of Bravecto.
Reviews of the drug
I fed him Bravecto at the end of April and the end of July—he tolerated it well, and there were definitely no fleas or ticks. I constantly monitor him with brushing and bathing. However, the summer before last, he had tick bites—I was still using drops back then. So now he only uses Bravecto, which is a shame it's become more expensive. Last year, I got it for 1200 rubles, and now it's 1500 rubles.
I tried Bravecto on my dogs last year. I have a lot of dogs, and to save money, I bought tablets for the largest dogs and then divided the doses according to their weight. This isn't recommended, but I went for it. The results were impressive: they were free of fleas and ticks for the entire recommended period, there were no allergies, and they felt normal, even normal. The dogs' weights varied from almost 2 kg to 10 kg. All the dogs tolerated the tablet well. This isn't a glowing review of the tablet, but a real-life example.
I've been using Bravecto for two years now to treat my dog with allergies and a collie, which is generally contraindicated for many medications! And in two years, not a single tick or piroplasmosis has occurred, let alone itching, etc. We start treating in February, as soon as the temperature rises above zero, since ticks are active down to -5 degrees Celsius!
I have a small Phalène, a young male. Last year we gave him Bravecto, which was enough for the season. He felt fine, and there were no "critters" on him the entire season. Everything seemed perfect! BUT!!!!! This winter (i.e., six months after starting the pills), he suddenly lost a tooth (and this at a year and eight months!). We had some tests done and were horrified – his liver count was terrible (2-3 times higher than normal), and his kidney and bladder counts were also terrible. Externally, there were no signs of illness at all (perhaps his young body was holding on as best it could). We've been trying to recover for two months now! Whether this is related to Bravecto or not is anyone's guess... But I advise anyone who gives these pills to their pets to have their liver function checked after a while, just in case.
I'm writing a review three months after using Bravecto for the first time. I have four dogs who sleep cuddled together and play together constantly, so using the drops was always stressful—I had to isolate them for 24 hours to prevent them from licking the product. I learned about the tablets from my veterinarian and decided to give it a try. We live outside in the city, and during the warmer months, all the dogs spend all day outside, so we have tons of ticks. In three months, I haven't found a single tick on the dogs, while I've removed two from myself. I haven't had any fleas either. Kudos to the French for such an innovative treatment! Yes, the price of one tablet is not cheap—1,200 rubles for a Yorkie and 1,600 for a Labradors. But considering you only need to administer it once every three months, the price is worth it (for comparison, I used to buy drops for about 400-500 rubles once a month). I was also pleasantly surprised when all the members of the pack happily gobbled up their pills, although it was always a problem to give the older Yorkie medicine.
We decided to buy Bravecto after finding a tick under his flea and tick collar. We changed the collars according to the instructions and applied drops to his withers. But the tick bit where we least expected, and we almost lost our dog. After we started using Bravecto, everything calmed down. Even if the ticks attach, they don't linger; they fall off and die. In terms of money, a pill is quite expensive, somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 rubles. But considering your friend's life is at stake, it's not that much. And if you factor in the cost of collars, drops, and other "protection," and then treatment, it's not that expensive. It's important to weigh your dog, and you should do this every time before buying a pill. After all, the pill is pre-measured. Even though it's a large (huge) pill, the dog eats it happily, without any coercion. Even though the dog is a mongrel, it is a member of the family and it is important to make its life comfortable and protect it from diseases.
I'm a veterinarian with 30 years of experience. Since Bravecto hit the Russian market two years ago, I've been seriously considering whether I'd give it to my dog. It seems convenient—the dog eats it, and then you can walk around free of ticks for three months, and the owners don't have to worry about piroplasmosis. I've personally tasted almost all the veterinary medications my pets (dogs and cats) have ingested, mainly because of the cats' reactions to the chemicals (bitter, sweet, etc.). I was immediately afraid to bite into Bravecto—I thought of dried dichlorvos. Administering insecticides internally is nonsense. Yes, the results can be good—ticks don't live on corpses. The package insert doesn't list antidotes or any side effects on organs (liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, etc.). Why aren't there tick-repellent tablets in human medicine for people at risk of tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease (geologists, tourists)? People are vaccinated, but BRAVECTO is being tested on OUR dogs.
As always, everyone chooses for themselves. Logically, what kind of product would it take to kill ticks that have attached themselves externally when taken internally? The toxicity level... So, the dog's entire body would be soaked in this poison. No matter how convenient it might be, I wouldn't use it on my own dogs.
We've been using Bravecto for two years now. We use drops in early spring and late fall, and during the peak season—April to September—we use Bravecto, two tablets per season. We figure the dog will be free of it within six months, especially since it's a strong poison. Everything's fine; we walk in the forest every day. When he was a puppy, we'd use drops and sprays... and we managed to catch a couple of ticks. It was really scary. But with Bravecto, we've become confident that the dog is protected. And the attacks... Remember how homeopathy is being attacked these days?
Bravecto has been produced in Europe for two years and recently launched in Russia. It's easy to use and provides long-lasting protection against fleas and ticks. Whether you choose to use this new product or stick to your pet's existing methods of pest control is entirely up to you. The key is to take care of your pet's needs to ensure they're healthy and happy.
