SENTINEL SPECTRUM (MILBEMYCIN OXIME/LUFENURON/PRAZIQUANTEL)

Sentinel Spectrum Description

Sentinel Spectrum is a once-a-month oral treatment for preventing and protecting your dog from six different types of parasites, including fleas and tapeworms. If your dog has never been given any treatment for parasites before, have a veterinarian test for heartworm prior to receiving a prescription for Sentinel Spectrum. Some owners choose to only give Sentinel Spectrum during the mosquito season which is usually June through August, depending on where you reside as some climates can remain much warmer for longer periods. Many owners prefer to keep their dog on Sentinel Spectrum year round.

How Sentinel Spectrum Works on Parasites

The three active ingredients of Sentinel Spectrum are Milbemycin Oxime, Lufenuron and Praziquantel. When fed to your dog as directed, the first ingredient, Milbemycin Oxime, works to prevent heartworms, control adult hookworms, and to control and remove whipworms and roundworms by disrupting their nervous system. With the help of the second drug, Praziquantel, muscle paralysis occurs and the worms lose their hold on blood vessel walls and enter the dog’s digestive tract and are expelled in the feces.

Lufenuron is the third drug and it is stored in the dog’s body fat so when a female flea takes a blood meal, she ingests it and it is transferred through her blood to the growing eggs. It also causes the inhibition of “chitin” so larval fleas are not able to grow a hard outer shell for protection and its organs are exposed to the air. Soon after shedding its older and smaller shell, it will die from dehydration.

Conditions Treated by Sentinel Spectrum

If your dog has fleas, your house will have fleas. Favorite sleeping spots on carpets or flooring, the pet bed, seats in your vehicle, everywhere your dog has been is a potential spot for flea eggs to drop off and wait for ideal conditions before hatching. The warmer and more humid the environment is, the quicker fleas hatch. They emerge as flea larvae that are blind and prefer to stay in the dark.

If they survive this stage, then the larvae spin a cocoon where the flea pupae stay until environmental conditions are favorable. This can be months and even years, in some cases. Sunlight, vibrations from walking nearby, body heat, and a rise in carbon dioxide levels make the perfect setting for the flea to emerge and start the cycle again.

Before Feeding Sentinel Spectrum to Your Dog

Ask your veterinarian if Sentinel Spectrum is safe to give a dog that is, or may be, pregnant or is nursing a litter of pups. Discuss other medical conditions or allergies with your vet that your pet may have and list any Rx and OTC medication you current give to your dog, including herbal remedies and vitamin supplements. Your vet can then determine if Sentinel Spectrum is safe to give to your dog.

Sentinel Spectrum Precautions

If you are giving Sentinel Spectrum to a puppy, remember to monitor his/her weight as the amount of the active ingredients increase as weight increases and you will have to change the pack size you are using. Keep Sentinel Spectrum out of children’s reach and follow directions to make sure the dosage is right. If your dog shows signs of panting, staggering, drooling, or vomiting, call your veterinarian immediately as this may be an allergic reaction.

Possible Side Effects of Sentinel Spectrum

• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Increased salivation