Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Afoxolaner oral treatment clears sarcoptic mange mites in dogs
By Beugnet, Frédéric et al.·Published in Parasite (Paris, France)·2016·Merial S.A.S., France·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of afoxolaner in a clinical field study in dogs naturally infested with Sarcoptes scabiei.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of mixed-breed dogs suffering from sarcoptic mange, which causes intense itching and skin lesions, were treated with a medication called afoxolaner (NexGard). These dogs were confirmed to have mites through skin scrapings before the study began. After receiving the treatment, the dogs showed a significant reduction in mite counts and improvement in their skin condition, with most recovering their fur and no longer experiencing itching. The treatment was effective, with no mites found on the treated dogs after 28 and 56 days.
People also search for: dog itching treatment · sarcoptic mange in dogs · NexGard for dog mites · dog skin lesions treatment
Abstract
The acaricidal efficacy of afoxolaner (NexGard(®), Merial) was evaluated against Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis in a field efficacy study, when administered orally at a minimum dose of 2.5 mg/kg to dogs naturally infested with the mites. Twenty mixed-breed dogs of either sex (6 males and 14 females), aged over 6 months and weighing 4-18 kg, were studied in this randomised controlled field efficacy trial. Dogs, naturally infested with Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis confirmed by skin scrapings collected prior to allocation, were randomly divided into two equal groups. Dogs in Group 1 were not treated. Dogs in Group 2 were treated on Days 0 and 28. On Days 0 (pre-treatment), 28 (pre-treatment) and 56, five skin scrapings of similar size were taken from different sites with lesions suggestive of sarcoptic mange. The extent of lesions was also recorded on Days 0, 28 and 56, and photographs were taken. Dogs treated orally with afoxolaner had significantly (p < 0.001) lower mite counts than untreated control animals at Days 28 and 56 with no mites recovered from treated dogs at these times (100% efficacy based on mite counts). In addition, dogs treated with NexGard had significantly (p < 0.05) better lesion resolution at Day 56 than Day 0; no treated dog showed pruritus compared to 7/10 dogs in the control group, 1/9 treated dogs had crusts compared to 5/10 controls and 8/9 dogs recovered 90% of hairs on lesions compared to 0/10 control dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27317462/