Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Water immersion of dogs close to the time of topical fluralaner treatment does not reduce efficacy against a subsequent experimental challenge with Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato).
- Journal:
- Parasites & vectors
- Year:
- 2017
- Authors:
- Dongus, Heide et al.
- Affiliation:
- MSD Animal Health · Germany
Plain-English summary
This study looked at whether bathing dogs right before or after applying a topical flea and tick treatment called fluralaner (Bravecto) would make it less effective. They tested 40 dogs, some of which were bathed in warm water either an hour before, 12 hours after, or 24 hours after the treatment, while one group did not get bathed at all. After a week, all the dogs were exposed to ticks, and the results showed that the treatment worked just as well regardless of when the dogs were bathed. In fact, the effectiveness was very high, with no significant difference in tick control among the different bathing times. So, you can feel reassured that bathing your dog around the time of fluralaner application won't affect how well it works.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Fluralaner is a novel systemic ectoparasiticide for dogs and cats providing immediate and persistent flea- and tick-control after a single topical dose. Prescribing directions recommend waiting 72 h following topical administration before immersing dogs in water. The objective of this study was to determine whether water immersion immediately prior to treatment or earlier than 72 h post-treatment reduced subsequent treatment efficacy. METHODS: Forty (n = 40) dogs were blocked on tick carrying capacity into 5 experimental groups and all but one of the groups (untreated control) were treated topically with fluralaner (Bravecto® Spot-On Solution, Merck Animal Health, Madison, NJ, USA) at the commercial dose. Three of the four remaining groups were immersed in 38-40 °C water for a 5 min bath - either 1 h before treatment; 12 h after treatment; or 24 h after treatment. Seven days after treatment all dogs were challenged with 50 Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato) ticks and after 24 h attached ticks were counted and removed. RESULTS: Efficacies (compared to the untreated control group) were: 99.3% for no water immersion; 99.6% for immersion 1 h before treatment; 99.3% for immersion 12 h after treatment; and, 100% for immersion 24 h after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Water immersion of dogs around the time of topical fluralaner administration did not reduce subsequent systemic acaricidal efficacy.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28946900/