Search

Background: The isoxazoline fluralaner is effective for prevention of Babesia canis transmission from infected Dermacentor reticulatus ticks to dogs for 84 days in a controlled environment. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of fluralaner chewable tablets for sustained prevention of B. canis infection of dogs in endemic areas under natural conditions. Methods: In Europe, privately owned, clinically healthy pet dogs were enrolled and randomized either to receive fluralaner at 25–56 mg/kg (Bravecto® chewable tablets) on days 0 and 84, or to remain untreated during the D. reticulatus season. Blood samples were collected to evaluate B. canis exposure: on days 0 and 21 (exposure before day 0), during the study and at the end of the tick season (dogs suspected of having become infected after day 0). Efficacy was determined by the percentage reduction in B. canis transmission risk based on the difference in B. canis-positive tests in fluralaner-treated dogs compared with untreated dogs. In addition, ticks collected at monthly intervals throughout the study were identified to species level and females tested for B. canis DNA. Results: A total of 152 dogs were enrolled in the study, although nine dogs were excluded because they tested positive for B. canis DNA or antibodies within 21 days after enrollment. During the study period, no fluralaner-treated dog became positive for B. canis, resulting in calculated efficacy of 100%. However, babesiosis infection was diagnosed in five untreated control dogs (Fisher's exact test, left-sided, P = 0.0312). Tick analyses revealed that one sample collected in Hungary was infected with B. canis. Conclusion: Oral administration of Bravecto chewable tablets at the recommended dosage to dogs completely prevented B. canis transmission under field conditions in an endemic area for 12 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Afoxolaner (AFX) plus milbemycin oxime (MO) combination chewable tablets (NexGard Spectra®, Merial) were evaluated for safety and efficacy against naturally acquired nematode infections in domestic dogs in a multi-centre, positive control, blinded field study using a randomized block design based on the order of presentation for allocation. In total, 408 dogs confirmed positive for naturally acquired infections of intestinal nematodes by pre-treatment faecal examination were studied in ten countries in Europe (Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia). Pre-treatment faecal examination revealed Toxocara, Toxascaris, hookworm, Trichuris and/or Capillaria nematode infections in 134, 30, 223, 155 and 14 dogs, respectively. Dogs were allocated to one of two treatment groups in a ratio of 1, AFX + MO chewables (≥2.5 mg AFX + ≥0.5 mg MO per kg body weight, according to dose bands; 207 dogs), and 1, MO plus praziquantel (PRZ) chewables (Milbemax®, Novartis; ≥0.5 mg MO + ≥5 mg PRZ per kg body weight, according to the manufacturer's instructions; 201 dogs) and treated once. For evaluation of efficacy based on reduction of faecal nematode egg counts, two faecal samples, one collected prior to treatment and one collected 9 to 21 days after treatment, were examined using modified McMaster techniques. For evaluation of systemic safety, dogs were examined by a veterinarian before treatment administration and at study end, and dog owners observed the health status of their dogs until the end of the study and reported any abnormal observation. For dogs treated with AFX + MO chewables, the efficacy was 99.7, 99.7, 97.2, 99.7 and 99.7 % for Toxocara, Toxascaris, hookworm, Trichuris and Capillaria, respectively; and the efficacy was 99.5, 99.4, 94.3, 99.9 and 98.0 %, respectively, for the MO + PRZ-treated dogs ( p ≤ 0.002 for all nematodes and both treatments). For Toxocara, hookworm and Trichuris, non-inferiority analysis demonstrated that the efficacy of AFX + MO chewable tablets was equal to or better than that of MO + PRZ. In spite that both treatments were ≥98 % efficacious against Toxascaris and Capillaria, a hypothesis of non-inferiority for both genera could not be established due to the low number of dogs infected with these parasites. No treatment-related adverse experiences were observed throughout the study. For both treatments, all dogs were given a systemic safety score of 'excellent' apart from one dog in each treatment group which received a score of 'acceptable'. AFX + MO combination chewables were shown to be safe and demonstrated a high level of efficacy when administered once to dogs infected with a broad range of parasitic nematodes under field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to describe the clinicopathological findings in dogs naturally infected with Babesia. During the period of February 2011-February 2012 twenty-nine cases of Babesia Canis were diagnosed in the clinic of Small Animal at the Veterinary Faculty of Tirana. The animal was considered infected when pear shaped babesia was observed inside infected erythrocytes in Wright-Giemsa stained blood smears. The animal stay for one week in our clinic and during this period we evaluated the canine babesiosis cases by means of clinical history, physical examination, hematological and biochemical tests. Based in the clinical sing of babesia the animal was divided in two groups with uncomplicated and complicate babesia. The duration of clinical signs ranged from 1 to 5 days prior to the arrival at the clinic and all the animals were positive with B. c. canis infections. The main clinical signs were dehydration and anemia in (79%), apathy (74%), anorexia or decrease appetite (70%) and fever (68%). The anemia was present in the dogs and classified severe (13%) as mild (45%), and moderate (52%) of all the cases. In conclusion, the main clinicopathological findings were a mild to moderate hemolytic anemia and mild to severe thrombocytopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine babesiosis caused by tick-borne organisms of the genus Babesia, is one of the most significant disease worldwide. The aims of this study were to determine the hematological changes in six dogs naturally infected with Babesia canis. The hematological evaluation included Hemoglobin (Hb), Red Blood Cell (RBC), Platelet, Packet Cell Volume (PCV), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) and Reticulocyte counts. They were estimated using an autonomic hematologic analyzer. The animal had hypocytic hypochromic anemia and 20% of the cases had a packed cell volume (PCV) less of 24%. All the animal had thrombocytopenia and platelets counts was lower than 50×103 cell/ μl The results of this study show that Babesia infection in dogs caused anemia and thrombocytopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]