Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How well US cat owners follow flea and tick medicine schedules
By Lavan, Robert et al.·Published in Parasites & vectors·2020·Center for Observational and Real-World Evidence, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Adherence to veterinary recommendations for ectoparasiticides purchased by cat owners in the USA.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Cat owners often worry about keeping their pets safe from fleas and ticks. A study found that using a flea and tick treatment called fluralaner, which is given every 12 weeks, provides longer protection—up to 50% more coverage—compared to monthly treatments. On average, cat owners using fluralaner purchased enough for about 4.2 months of protection each year, while those using monthly options only got about 2.8 to 3.6 months. This means that switching to fluralaner could help ensure your cat is better protected from these pests throughout the year.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Safe and effective flea and tick treatment options for cats are important in companion animal practice because of feline ectoparasite infestation prevalence and the potential for parasitic disease transmission. Retrospective cat owner purchasing transactions at United States of America (USA) veterinary clinics were obtained for three topical feline flea and tick ectoparasiticides. One medication, fluralaner, had a 12-week redosing interval, while two other medications (fipronil/s-methoprene/pyriproxyfen; imidacloprid/pyriproxyfen) were approved for monthly redosing. The annual number of doses purchased by cat owners was determined for each of the three medications and then compared between medications. The objective was to evaluate whether 12-week retreatment intervals resulted in a different duration of coverage compared to monthly treatments for ectoparasiticide products. METHODS: Study results were obtained by analyzing the transactional records from a commercial database derived from veterinary practice management software. The study database consisted of cat owner purchasing records from January 2017 through June 2019 from 671 veterinary practices representing 41,630 cats. RESULTS: Cat owners purchased an average of 1.5 doses of fluralaner per year which, based on a 12-week redosing interval, provides 4.2 months of treatment coverage. Cat owners who used monthly flea and tick medications respectively purchased 3.6 months (fipronil/s-methoprene/pyriproxyfen combination) and 2.8 months (imidacloprid/pyriproxyfen) annually of each of the two medications. Average yearly cat owner purchases of fluralaner provide a significantly longer duration of coverage than for cat owners purchasing fipronil/s-methoprene/pyriproxyfen (17% more) or imidacloprid/pyriproxyfen (50% more). CONCLUSIONS: Cat owners who obtained a flea and tick treatment with a 12-week redosing interval (fluralaner) protected their cats for up to 17% or 50% longer duration each year, respectively, compared to the duration of protection obtained by cat owners who used a medication re-dosed monthly. Cat owners should increase their duration of flea and tick coverage to come closer to achieving veterinary recommendations.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33129346/