How Long Does Nexgard Last

How Long Does Nexgard Last

Every pet owner wants a healthy and happy life for their pet. Taking them into your home means that they are a part of the family now. Just in the case of every other pet, dogs require the same love, affection, and attention. These furry creatures improve our lifestyle as well. So, it is our responsibility to provide them with the best of health.

Dogs spend a lot of time outside. It increases the chances of ticks, fleas, and other biting bugs attaching themselves to the pooch’s body that results in itching, scratching, and other skin diseases.

There are many tick and flea treatments available in the market that helps in providing a healthy lifestyle for dogs. The amount of over-the-counter treatment has increased over the past 20 years.

One such medication is Nexgard oral flea treatment. There are a large number of pet owners who use this medicine for their pooch. As dogs spend most of the time outside, fleas and ticks are a common problem. If left untreated, it can become a serious problem for dogs and their owners. Ticks feed upon the blood of the dogs by embedding their tiny sharp teeth in their skin.

Therefore, oral medicines like Nexgard have come into the market, so that your furry friend can get rid of this problem.

 What is Nexgard?

Nexgard is a medical treatment specifically designed for dogs. It is produced by Merial, which is now a part of a global pharmaceutical company called Boehringer Ingelheim. This company has put its efforts into improving the animal’s health.

Nexgard is the very first chewable tick and flea pill for dogs. It is one of the most effective treatments for your canine friend to get rid of these biting bugs. It also treats demodectic and sarcoptic mange which is a skin infestation caused by two different types of mites.

The active ingredient in Nexgard is afoxolaner which is a proven and powerful treatment for biting bugs in dogs.

 How Does Nexgard Work?

The main ingredient afoxolaner acts as an ectoparasiticide. It means that it kills parasites that live on the outer body of the dogs such as fleas, ticks, and mites. The active ingredient travels through the bloodstream and inhibits the central nervous system of the arthropods, i.e. the biting bugs.

These fleas must attach to the body of the dog and commence feeding so that the drug can show its effect. Afoxolaner blocks the normal movement of the ions or the chloride particles to and fro of the nerve cells, especially those linked with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that acts as a neurotransmitter and helps to transmit the message from the brain to different parts of the body and vice versa. This causes the nervous system to stop functioning, leading to paralysis and death of the arthropods.

It is common to see some fleas and ticks over your pooch’s body after taking the medicine, especially if there is a flea infestation at your home. Fleas will attach themselves to the dog’s body and continue to lay eggs. Afoxolaner prevents these fleas from reproducing as they are killed as soon as they suck blood from the dog’s body.

 How To Use Nexgard?

Nexgard is chewable tablets designed exclusively for dogs. It has a tasty beef flavor that dogs love to chew upon. It is available in 4 different strengths according to the size of the dog.

It is advised that you give Nexgard once a month at a minimum dosage of 1.14 mg/lb. Nexgard can be given with or without food and you should make sure that your pup consumes it at one go. There are many areas across the country where fleas are common all year around. Hence, treatment should be continuous throughout the year.

Even though ticks and fleas are common in dogs, still everybody wants a healthy life for their pet. Looking for such medications and topical treatments that will keep your canine friend away from these biting bugs is one big task. Nexgard in this regard has taken care of your dog’s needs and suggests that to minimize flea infestation you should administer the dosage monthly within the household.

 How Long Does Nexgard Last?

Nexgard kills fleas within 8 hours and ticks within 48 hours as soon as it is exposed to the active ingredient afoxolaner. After this medication, its action will last for 4 to 5 weeks against fleas and 8 weeks for ticks.

As afore-mentioned treatment should be repeated every month for fleas and ticks. The same interval is for demodectic mange until the mange is successfully treated.

 Side Effects Of Nexgard

If you give these chewable tablets according to the prescription, there are very few chances that your dog will have any adverse effects from the active ingredient. These effects can occur due to a pre-existing health condition as well. However, there are minimal chances of the following side effects:

 Vomiting:

There are minimal chances that your dog will vomit after eating this tablet. Your pup will find the beefy taste quite wholesome.

Dogs are very picky eaters. If they show tantrums while eating try giving them their regular diet, in this way they will most likely not know what else is in their food. Adding medicines with a digestive upset can cause vomiting too.

Diarrhea:

Just like vomiting is caused due to digestive upsets, diarrhea can also be one of the symptoms. Watery stool and frequent pooping is a sign that the medication hasn’t suited your dog. Having an overactive immune system can create these adverse effects on their health.

 Dry Or Flaky Skin:

Some dogs can be hypersensitive towards the afoxolaner which can cause skin irritation on dogs who have sensitive skin. If your pup is having dry or flaky skin, they may experience hair loss, itching, and scaling.

Dogs get allergies just like humans. Other than food and environmental allergies, they can be allergic to some ingredients which medicines contain. While dry skin may look like a normal symptom to you, there can be a wide range of underlying problems as well.

In skin conditions, your vet will take a closer look to determine if your pooch needs a skin test to be sure of inflammation or soreness which might be a result of Nexgard.

 Lethargy:

Your dog might not feel as active as before if they are experiencing any issue with digesting the tablet or it didn’t suit them. Your furry friend may be uninterested in playing, going for long walks, or participating in activities they normally enjoy. Lethargy can also occur due to vomiting or diarrhea as it results in excess water loss from the body.

Anorexia:

It means your dog will have a decreased appetite. While hunger is physically driven, appetite is mentally determined. There are two types of anorexia; true-anorexia and pseudo- anorexia. Both of them are related to loss of appetite and talking about NexGard, any type of anorexia can occur.

 How Long Do Nexgard Side Effects Last?

Till now you know how long does regard last but you must be thinking how long does it take for the side effects to go away?

Since this chewable tablet is to be given monthly, it may take at least a month for the symptoms to fully dissipate.

If you have recently added Nexgard to their diet and they show the aforementioned symptoms, you should stop giving the flea preventive medication and consult the vet. Do take the medication package with you so that it helps the vet to determine the underlying cause of the adverse reaction. If your dog has a history of seizures or neurological problems like epilepsy, the vet will not prescribe this treatment as it is not suitable for such dogs.

While the symptoms may look normal to us but for dogs, they aren’t, if it is left untreated it can cause liver problems as well. If your pup has dry or flaky skin, there are a few topical medications to ease irritation and itching on the dog’s skin. If the condition is crucial they may wash the stomach to take the drug out of their digestive system.

Conclusion

Nexgard is an FDA approved drug which is found effective for flea and tick treatment. The active ingredient afoxolaner does its job pretty well. While the drug lasting time varies on the type of infestation, it is one of the best chewable tablets for dogs.

There aren’t many cases of the side effects, still, if your dog is experiencing some of the health problems, don’t take it lightly and contact a vet immediately as you don’t want your pet to go through severe pain.

We hope you liked the article and let us know if you have any queries regarding the health of your furry friend.

Happy winter, Fellas!

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