Nexgard is one of the most trusted flea and tick treatments currently dominating the market. The product is manufactured by Merial( Now a part of Boehringer Ingelheim), the same company who created the most prominent Spot –on Frontline Plus to eliminate fleas and ticks. Nexgard was launched in 2013 after it was corroborated safe to use on dogs.
Since its launch the monthly treatment containing Afoxolaner as IGR, the member of the isoxazoline family, proved to be very effective by killing 100% of fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) in 24 hours and ticks (the American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), the black-legged (Deer) tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) within 48 hours . As a result, dog parents around the country started opting for this treatment over other brands. Because the chew had (and still has) highly palatable beef flavor, pooches also accepted the chew readily which relieved the dog parents from the hassles of administering the treatment.
After the Nexgard made its arrival in the IGR market successful, there was a misconception or misunderstanding that rose among the pooch parents that Nexgard also prevents heartworms.
Let’s Clear The Misconception
After the successful launch of Nexgard, Boehringer Ingelheim, then Merial launched an advanced version of Nexgard and named it Nexgard Spectra to level up the competition. Apart from eliminating fleas and ticks, Nexgard Spectra also prevents heartworm infection very efficaciously and treats and controls hookworm, roundworm, whipworm, and lungworm infestations in dogs and puppies.
So, as you must have figured out by now that the similarity of the names of both the products must be the crucial befuddling factor for the pet parents. People might have thought that the Nexgard is Nexgard spectra with an added active ingredient milbemycin oxime which is not the case. Nexgard and Nexgard spectra are two different products, Boehringer Ingelheim didn’t want to force their new heartworm preventive on dog parents because that could have backfired and people who only wanted to buy flea and tick preventive and were loyal to other brands for their heartworm and intestinal worm control programs, would start buying some other flea and tick preventive.
Hence, Nexgard spectra and Nexgard are two different products with one being only for the treatment of fleas and ticks and the other being able to treat fleas, ticks, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, lungworms and prevent heartworms.
What Are Heartworms?
Heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) is the notorious parasite that gets into your dog’s body in their larvae stage through a mosquito bite. These tiny but dangerous parasites consume the nutrients in the blood, thrive and live in blood vessels, increase in size and reach dog’s heart leading to severe health issues.
Mature males are 4-6 inches long and female worms can be 10-12 inches long. Adult female heartworms produce their offspring called microfilariae in the blood.
Mosquitoes while they bite your pooch to feed on the blood, they also suck up the heartworm offspring. These offspring live in the mosquito’s body for 2-3 weeks and become infective. Now when that particular mosquito carrying heartworm microfilariae bites the other healthy dog, these infectious microfilariae are transmitted.
Mosquitoes are the intermediate host and dogs are called as the definitive hosts where the worms grow, eat and reproduce.
The larvae once injected into the body of your pooch takes 6-7 months to mature into an adult worm and cause health problems. The average time heartworms live in your dog’s body is around 7 years and the average number of heartworms that infest heart is 15 .It can fluctuate between 10-250 worms. The number of worms infecting your dog’s heart is called worm burden
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Active ingredients
Nexgard Spectra contains Afoxolaner and Milbemycin oxime as the active ingredients.
Afoxolaner is an insecticide and acaricide. A member of the isoxazoline family, afoxolaner is the reason that fleas and ticks will disappear from your pooch’s body in 24-48 hours after you feed a chew of Nexgard Spectra.
The molecular structure of afoxolaner
Courtesy- PubChem
Milbemycin oxime is one kind of anthelmintic from milbemycin family that effectively terminates microfilaria, thus preventing heartworm infestations. It is also responsible to deal with hookworm, roundworm, whipworms, and lungworm infections. Surprisingly, in recent studies, it has also been tested that monthly administration of Milbemycin Oxime prevents Angiostrongylus vasorum aka French heartworm.
The molecular structure of Milbemycin Oxime
Courtesy- PubChem
How Does Nexgard Spectra Work?
Nexgard Spectra chew, once consumed by your furry pal, the active ingredients are absorbed by the body. Afoxolaner gets into the blood of your pooch and reaches the skin tissues and fluids. So, as soon as the fleas and ticks bite to feed on the blood, the insecticide kills these parasites by over-stimulating the nervous system that leads to hyperexcitation and eventually death.
On the other hand, Milbemycin Oxime kills the infectious microfilariae in the bloodstream that are transmitted through a mosquito bite hence preventing heartworm infection.
The anthelmintic, also one of the macrocyclic lactones, behaves as an agonist of the GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neurotransmitter in the nerve cells and also sticks to glutamate-gated chloride channels in nerve and muscle cells of invertebrates.
By doing so, It chokes the mediation of neuronal signals of the parasites, leaving them paralyzed and excreted out of the body, or they die of starvation. The drug also affects the breeding of many parasites by reducing the tendency to lay eggs or causing an abnormal formation of the ovum.
Therefore, because of this characteristic milbemycin Oxime is able to terminate the lives of existing nematodes in your pooch.
How To Administer Nexgard Spectra?
Since it is a beef flavored chewable, it is very easy to administer. You can just directly give it or you can also mix it with the food. If you are serving the chew with food make sure that your furry pal consumes the entire food.
Below is the dosage table you should refer to choose the dosage amount according to your fido’s weight.
Consulting your vet before administering the product is important. You can start with the treatment irrespective of the month and date of the year.
How Safe Is Nexgard Spectra?
Nexgard spectra was tested safe to use in various breeds of dogs including Collie breeds. There were no major side effects observed. However, in rare cases, Nexgard spectra can induce vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, loss of appetite, itching and in some rare cases seizures. Most of the adverse reactions are self-limiting and are for a short duration of time.
In case if your dog has a history of seizures, tremors or ataxia, it would be better to consult your vet before administering the chew. Also, the use of Nexgard Spectra is not yet evaluated in breeding and lactating males and females. Hence, a vet consultation is suggested.
So, by now you must have understood the Nexgard Spectra as a heartworm preventive. It is an effective and the most recommended heartworm preventive, flea, tick and intestinal worm treatment for your furry pal. Just one chew treats everything.
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