Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat flea infestations in newborn dairy calves
By Tsoi, Fei Man Bernice et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2020·Sydney School of Veterinary Science, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ctenocephalides felis (cat flea) infestation in neonatal dairy calves managed with deltamethrin pour-on in Australia.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of neonatal dairy calves in Australia, aged 0-4 weeks, were suffering from a severe flea infestation, showing signs of discomfort and dullness. To help relieve their suffering, a pour-on treatment called deltamethrin was applied, which is typically used for lice and flies in cattle. After treatment, the calves showed significant improvement in their well-being, and the number of fleas on them decreased dramatically. This suggests that deltamethrin is an effective option for managing flea infestations in calves, even though there are no specific flea products registered for cattle in Australia.
People also search for: calf flea treatment · neonatal calf care · deltamethrin for fleas in cattle · why is my calf dull and quiet · flea infestation in calves
Abstract
Ctenocephalides felis infestations outbreak is documented as a welfare and production limiting disease in neonatal calves in eastern New South Wales, Australia. Due to the calves' discomfort, the first objective was to relieve the calves from the large burden of fleas. The affected neonatal 0-4 week old calves showed dull and quiet demeanour, with the geometric mean of body condition score (BCS) 2.67 (2-4) and geometric mean burden 41.51 (15-75) of fleas collected over 3 min. Deltamethrin pour-on (Arrest Easy-Dose, Virbac Animal Health, Australia) registered for treatment of lice and flies on cattle in Australia was evaluated for control effect of the cat flea (C. felis) on cattle. The fleas were identified morphologically as being C. felis which was confirmed by sequencing cytochrome c oxidase I gene (cox1). We report successful improvement of welfare and reduction of flea counts post application of pour-on deltamethrin on the property. In the absence of registered flea product for cattle in Australia, deltamethrin pour-on product is a suitable option, because of its registration for control of lice and flies on cattle.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32044501/