Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Preventing heartworm infection in dogs with moxidectin and other drugs
By Dantas-Torres, Filipe et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2024·Department of Immunology, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Prevention of heartworm infection in dogs using a combination of moxidectin, imidacloprid and praziquantel: evidence from a randomized clinical trial.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Brazil were tested for heartworm infection and given a topical treatment that combined three medications: moxidectin, imidacloprid, and praziquantel. The study found that this treatment was highly effective, preventing heartworm infection in 84.7% of the treated dogs, with all treated dogs remaining free of microfilariae (the baby heartworms). In contrast, several untreated dogs tested positive for heartworm. This suggests that using this combination treatment can significantly lower the risk of heartworm infection in dogs, especially in areas where heartworm is common.
People also search for: dog heartworm prevention treatment · moxidectin for dogs · heartworm symptoms in dogs
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a topical combination of moxidectin 3.5%, imidacloprid 10% and praziquantel 10% for the prevention of Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856) infection in dogs. For this purpose, a randomized and controlled clinical trial was conducted between August 2021 and October 2022, in the municipality of Goiana, state of Pernambuco, north-eastern Brazil, where heartworm is highly prevalent. Of the 213 dogs initially sampled (baseline), 68 (31.9%) were positive for adult antigens (SNAP 4Dx Plus, Idexx) and/or microfilariae (modified Knott's test). On day 0, 140 negative dogs were randomly included in the treatment and control groups, 70 animals each. During the study, 60 dogs (34 treated and 26 untreated) were removed for different reasons. At the end of the study (day 360 ± 2), 36 treated and 44 untreated were sampled and included in the efficacy calculation. The efficacy against the development of adults and microfilariae was 84.7%, with only one treated dog being positive for adult antigens but negative for microfilariae. On the other hand, eight untreated dogs were positive for adult antigens and/or microfilariae, resulting in a significant difference in the number of positives between groups (Chi-square test = 4.706, df = 1, P = 0.0301). Remarkably, the efficacy against the appearance of D. immitis microfilariae was 100% (i.e., all treated dogs negative) and three untreated dogs were positive for microfilariae. The topical combination of moxidectin 3.5%, imidacloprid 10% and praziquantel 10% significantly reduced the risk of D. immitis infection in treated dogs as compared with untreated dogs, in a highly endemic area in north-eastern Brazil.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38212547/