Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Selamectin treatment for dogs infected with Dirofilaria repens
By Jacsó, Olga et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Hungarica·2010·Department of Parasitology and Zoology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Preliminary findings on the efficacy of selamectin in the treatment of dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria repens.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 Beagle dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria repens, a type of parasite that can cause skin issues, were treated with selamectin, a topical medication commonly used for heartworm prevention. Over several months, the dogs received either monthly or biweekly treatments and were regularly tested for the presence of the parasites in their blood. By the end of the study, 65% of the dogs showed no signs of the parasites, while the others had only a few remaining. This suggests that selamectin could be an effective option for treating this specific parasite infection in dogs.
People also search for: Beagle skin problems treatment · Dirofilaria repens in dogs · selamectin for dog parasites
Abstract
Subcutaneous dirofilariosis caused by Dirofilaria repens is common in dogs and it is an emerging helminthozoonosis in Europe, Asia, Africa and also in Hungary. Macrocyclic lactones are used for preventing the infection; however, their activity against the microfilariae and mature stages of this species is questionable. Selamectin is widely used for the prophylaxis of heartworm (D. immitis) infection. The objective of the present study was to test the microfilaricidal efficacy of the topical formulation of selamectin in dogs naturally infected with D. repens . A total of 78 Beagle dogs were examined for the presence of circulating microfilariae by Knott's test. Twenty-three of the microfilaraemic dogs were divided into four groups and included in the trial. The dogs received monthly or biweekly selamectin treatment and were subjected to monthly blood testing for a period of 252 or 336 days. At the end of the study, 65% of the dogs were not microfilaraemic and the rest had low number of microfilariae in their blood. These results indicate that chronic spot-on selamectin treatment may be a useful tool also in the control of canine subcutaneous dirofilariosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21087910/