Bravecto vs Simparica Trio: Which Flea and Tick Preventive Is Right for Your Dog?

Bravecto and Simparica Trio are two of the most-prescribed flea and tick preventives in Canada. They protect against similar parasites, but the way they work, and what they cover, is very different. If your vet has offered you a choice, or you're weighing what to refill next, here's a straight comparison.

Quick comparison

• Bravecto (fluralaner): One chew every 12 weeks. Covers fleas and ticks.
• Simparica Trio (sarolaner + moxidectin + pyrantel): One chew every month. Covers fleas, ticks, heartworm, roundworm and hookworm.

How long does each one last?

Bravecto's biggest selling point is duration. A single chew protects your dog against fleas and most tick species for 12 weeks. That's four doses a year, hard to forget, easy to schedule around seasons.

Simparica Trio is a monthly chew. That means 12 doses a year and a bit more discipline, but the monthly cadence pairs well with year-round heartworm prevention.

What parasites does each one cover?

Bravecto targets fleas and ticks only. It kills fleas within hours and covers the common tick species Alberta dogs run into, American dog tick, black-legged (deer) tick, brown dog tick, and lone star tick.

Simparica Trio covers fleas and ticks like Bravecto, but adds heartworm prevention plus roundworm and hookworm treatment. If your dog isn't already on a heartworm preventive, Trio replaces two products with one.

Effectiveness

Both are highly effective. In field studies, Bravecto and the sarolaner in Simparica Trio each kill more than 99% of fleas within 24-48 hours and maintain that kill rate through the full dosing interval. The practical difference is what you're covering, Trio just protects against more things.

Safety profile

Both belong to the isoxazoline drug class. Health Canada and the FDA have flagged that isoxazolines (fluralaner, sarolaner, afoxolaner, lotilaner) can rarely trigger neurologic side effects, muscle tremors, ataxia, or seizures, even in dogs with no prior history. The risk is small, but if your dog has a seizure disorder, talk to your vet before starting either product.

Aside from that class-wide note, both are considered well tolerated. The most common reactions are mild, vomiting, decreased appetite, or lethargy in the days after a dose.

Which one is easier to give?

Both are flavored chews most dogs take like a treat. Bravecto's advantage is frequency: four doses a year is genuinely easier to remember than twelve. Simparica Trio's advantage is that it consolidates flea, tick, heartworm, and intestinal-worm coverage into one chew, so you're not juggling multiple products.

Price in Calgary and Alberta

Vet clinic pricing on both products carries a significant markup. Through VetFaster's licensed Alberta pharmacy partners, Canadian-sourced Bravecto and Simparica Trio typically land 30-50% below clinic prices, with delivery to your door in Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Edmonton and across Alberta. Your vet writes the prescription, we fill it.

Which should you choose?

• Choose Bravecto if your dog is already on a separate heartworm preventive and you want the simplest flea/tick schedule, four doses a year.
• Choose Simparica Trio if you want one monthly chew that handles fleas, ticks, heartworm, and intestinal worms together.

How to order either one through VetFaster

1. Ask your vet for a prescription for Bravecto or Simparica Trio.
2. Have the clinic fax it to VetFaster at 1-587-415-6728, or send us a photo.
3. We fill it through a licensed Alberta pharmacy and deliver to your home, usually within 72 hours.

Both products are safe, effective, and vet-recommended. The right one comes down to how you want to manage the schedule and whether you also need heartworm coverage in the same chew.