Efficacy of fluralaner against canine generalized demodicosis

Abstract

Demodicosis is a parasitic dermatopathy, resulting from the excessive proliferation of Demodex mites. The rate at which this disease is encountered in the pet clinic is high, despite recent advances in the treatment of the disease. The aim of this study, which was conducted in Brazil, was to analyze the efficacy of fluralaner in the treatment of demodicosis in dogs. Fifteen dogs with generalized demodicosis that were diagnosed with Demodex sp. mites from skin scraping were included. All animals were treated with fluralaner at a dose of 25 mg/kg, following the manufacturer’s recommendations for the treatment of ectoparasites. The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated based on clinical improvement of the animals and the time required to obtain two consecutive negative skin scrapes 30 days apart (parasitological cure). The main clinical signs observed were alopecia (100%; 15/15); erythema (86.7%; 10/15); and hypotrichosis, papule, crusts, hyperpigmentation, and hyperkeratosis (26.7%; 4/15). Of the 15 animals evaluated, two of them were excluded for not returning for the second evaluation in 60 days, although they had the first negative skin scrape. After 30 days, six (46.2%) from 13 animals that concluded the study presented the first negative skin scraping. At the end of the study, all dogs presented parasitological cure and clinical improvement, except for three animals. One for developing atopic dermatitis and two that lived in an animal shelter. In conclusion, a single oral dose of fluralaner is effective in the treatment of generalized demodicosis in dogs.

Keywords

• dogs
• acaricidal
• isoxazolines