Properly preventing parasites in our beloved canine friends can become costly, especially when you have multiple dogs. Elanco™ has created a beef-flavored chew called Trifexis™ that reduces some sticker shock by combining medications to prevent multiple types of parasitic infestations. You may be wondering if you can save money by cutting a large Trifexis chew in half to split between your smaller dogs.

Many people try to save money on their pets' parasite protection by purchasing larger doses and splitting them up between their smaller animals. In some situations, this may be acceptable; however, Trifexis chews cannot be split into multiple doses due to the composition of the ingredients. 

Continue reading to learn more about Trifexis and how to prevent and treat parasitic infestations in your four-legged family members. 

More About Trifexis and How it Works

Trifexis is a tasty beef-flavored chew that your dog will love to take because they think it is a treat! Simply give one chew to your dog once a month as a preventative. This will help keep your faithful friend healthy and prevent them from bringing nasty parasites into your home. 

The active ingredients in Trifexis are Spinosad and Milbemycin oxime. When these two medications are combined, they create a great defense against internal and external parasites. 

Trifexis may be given to puppies that are at least eight weeks old and weigh at least five pounds. Trifexis is made for dogs only. Elanco offers other products for your feline friends. Visit their website for more information. 

The great thing about Trifexis is that it begins to work within 30 minutes of ingestion and takes full effect within four hours before the flea can lay any more eggs. Don't freak out if you start to see traces of worms in your dog's stool; this means the Trifexis is working. 

Trifexis does not kill existing flea eggs, but it will kill the fleas when they hatch and prevent more eggs from being laid. 

More on Why You Cannot Cut Trifexis in Half

Let's get back to the original question in the title of this article. Can you cut a Trifexis chew in half? The answer is no. This is because the active ingredients in this medication are not equally distributed throughout the treat. Therefore you won't know if you are giving your dog the correct dose. 

If you decide to take the largest treat and cut it in half for two smaller dogs, one half may contain more medication than the other half. In one way, you could potentially overdose one of the dogs, and on the other hand, you may even be giving them too small of a dose, which will also render it ineffective. 

Either way, by cutting Trifexis in half, you will end up with more frustrations from the risk of parasites and most likely end up spending more money on treatment than if you had just purchased the correct dosage in the first place. The moral of the story is, don't cut corners when it comes to protecting your pets and family from parasites

Dosage and Administration 

Trifexis comes in five easy-to-administer doses. 

Simply choose the weight range that is appropriate for your dog(s) and watch as they devour them with joy. 

You may wonder what you should do if your dog weighs over 120 pounds. Besides considering a diet, you will need to use more than one chew to make up the weight difference. 

For example, if your dog weighs 155 pounds, you would use one of the largest tablets in addition to one designed for a dog that weighs 20.1 – 40 pounds to make up the weight difference. 

Administer Trifexis on a Full Stomach

Always remember that dogs are people too, and as with humans, dogs can become queasy from taking certain medications. It is recommended that you give Trifexis to your dog with food or right after they have eaten. The reason for this is to prevent them from vomiting the pill up before it has time to absorb into their bodies. 

For situations when a dog does vomit after ingesting Trifexis, you should consult your veterinarian about whether or not you need to administer another dose. Typically if they have the chew in their system for two hours, you do not have to give another dose. If they vomit within the first hour, however, you will most likely need to give another. 

Trifexis works by being absorbed through the digestive system. This is the other reason it is important to give this medication with food. As the food digests, it also helps absorb the medication into the bloodstream. If you give Trifexis on an empty stomach, it will still work but may not be as effective because it won't be absorbed as much as it should be. 

Test for Heartworms Before Administering Trifexis

As with any heartworm preventative, it is necessary to have a negative blood test before giving your dog Trifexis. If your dog is positive for heartworms, you will need to discuss possible treatments with your veterinarian. 

Heartworm treatment can be very costly, and the result is not always guaranteed. Giving your dog a heartworm preventative while it is positive for heartworms can cause sudden death. Heartworm preventatives do not kill the adult heartworm.

Giving a heartworm-positive dog a preventative will not cure them; preventatives will only kill the microfilariae (immature heartworms) to prevent them from maturing into adults, but if you have a positive test, a preventative will be moot. 

Not so fun fact about fleas: Flea eggs can survive in an environment for six months to over a year in the ideal situation. Have you ever rented an apartment that has been vacant for a while and suddenly has a flea infestation? 

Most likely, the previous tenants had animals with fleas. They laid eggs, and when the people moved out, the eggs remained dormant until the next unsuspecting victim moved in. 

The vibrations from vacuuming can cause the eggs to hatch, and that is why so many people have problems when moving into homes that have been vacant for a while. 

Having a Routine is Key to Proper Prevention

Life can get busy, especially when you have multiple people and pets. Who has time to remember if the dog has had its monthly flea prevention? The best way to maintain proper parasite prevention is to keep it on the calendar every month on a specific day.

It does not matter which day you choose; once you pick a day, stick to that same day every month. This will keep you in the habit and ensure that your dog is properly protected from the nasty parasites that try to make them their home. 

Don't Wash Your Money Down the Drain

Another great perk of giving your dogs Trifexis as a monthly preventative is that you no longer need to use those messy, oily topical parasite preventatives. If your dog is groomed frequently, the shampoo will reduce the efficacy of the medicine you applied, which will put your pet at risk for contracting parasites and waste your money because you are literally washing it down the drain. 

Cutting Corners Costs Consumers

If you cannot afford the vet, don't get the pet! We all love our furry companions, but owning a pet comes with great responsibility. 

Ensuring that your pets are properly cared for can be costly, but cutting corners to save money can be deadly. Avoid saving money by cutting Trifexis in half and find other ways to save your hard-earned cash while caring for your furry family members. 

Sources:

(https://cherryhillanimalclinic.com/files/2017/04/Heartworm_Prevention.300140645.pdf), 

(https://pet.elanco.com/us/en/trifexis),