selamectin and amitraz

For a number of reasons, several of the more 'traditional' ectoparasiticides in the small animal veterinarian's armoury have been withdrawn over the past few years. New, safer products which are long-acting and easier to apply than the conventional dips, rinses and aerosol sprays of the past have replaced them. However, relatively few such novel acaricidal preparations have become commercially available. Consequently, practitioners and researchers frequently experiment with the drugs they have at their disposal to assess their efficacy against a variety of target acarids when used at different dosages and/or via different routes of administration, compared with those recommended by the manufacturer. This paper reviews the anecdotal and peer-reviewed reports describing the use of modern acaricides in dogs and cats that have recently appeared in the veterinary literature. It should be stressed, however, that no medicine should be prescribed for extra-label use without the informed consent of the owner.

Topics: Administration, Cutaneous; Administration, Oral; Animals; Cat Diseases; Cats; Clinical Trials as Topic; Dog Diseases; Dogs; Insecticides; Ivermectin; Macrolides; Mite Infestations; Mites; Pyrazoles; Scabies; Toluidines

Ectoparasites pose numerous research, health, and management problems for researchers and institutions. Our facility management experience was complicated by recurrence of murine fur mite (Radfordia affinis) infestation after several rounds of single-mode fur mite treatment with dichlorvos in the cage bedding. Subsequently, we successfully eradicated the fur mites using a multidrug therapeutic protocol. Over an 8-wk treatment period, 2 applications of topical selamectin were administered in conjunction with amitraz- and fipronil-treated nestlets changed weekly. Mice tolerated the therapy well with no side effects noted, and to date there has been no recrudescence. To our knowledge, this report is the first to describe combined use of these specific therapeutic agents to control fur mite infestation in laboratory mice.

Topics: Animals; Drug Therapy, Combination; Hair; Insecticides; Ivermectin; Laboratory Animal Science; Mice; Mite Infestations; Mites; Pyrazoles; Rodent Diseases; Toluidines