Combined Flea and Tick Treatments

A Brief Overview Of Ticks & Fleas

Ticks and fleas are two of the most common external parasites that can affect dogs. They can cause a great deal of irritation and discomfort for your pet, and may also lead to other health problems if left untreated.

Fleas are small, wingless insects that feed on the blood of their host animal. They are most commonly found on the dog’s back, around their neck and on their tail. Ticks are also small insects, but they are not wingless. They attach themselves to the dog’s skin and feed on their blood. They can be found anywhere on the body but are most commonly found around the ears, eyes and muzzle.

Prescription Flea, Tick & Worm Treatment

Combined flea, tick and worm treatments need to be prescribed by your vet and are usually a monthly treatment. At the moment there are no spot-on treatments available that will treat fleas, ticks and worms.

You can, however, buy a number of products that will kill fleas and ticks on your dog. Worming treatments are available as pastes, chews or tablets which you can give your dog every 3 months.

Lotilaner Treatment

For example, orally administered tablets containing lotilaner (a veterinary drug used to control fleas and ticks in dogs) during feeding time, at less than half of the recommended dose range, have demonstrated 100% efficacy against adult fleas for up to 30 days. [1]

Lotilaner has been proven to protect dogs’ from external parasites in a simple and convenient way to easily fit around the different lifestyles of owners and their pets.

Additionally, laboratory tests show that dogs treated with lotilaner result in the rapid death of existing tick infestations of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Brown dog tick), Ixodes hexagonus (Hedgehog tick), Dermacentor reticulatus (Ornate cow tick) within eight hours of treatment.

Laboratory tests also show that at the minimum dosage lotilaner can target and kill the Ixodes ricinus (Caster bean tick), a species of hard-bodied tick that survives in all temperatures across Europe, within as little as two to four hours after treatment. [2]

The effectiveness of lotianer against two of the most common flea species, Ctenocephalides canus and Ctenocephalides felis showed the immediate killing of existing infestations within six hours, with new infestations being exterminated in under four hours post-treatment.

Lotilaner has been shown to successfully break the life-cycle of fleas by killing them before they can lay eggs. It minimizes the dog’s exposure to fleas by reducing the time of the flea’s feeding cycle, preventing the transfer of pathogens from flea to host and killing it before it can lay eggs. [1]

The effectiveness of the treatment has shown to not only sustain its potency throughout the 30 day half-life period after only a single treatment, but to also increase in efficacy from 89.9% at 4 hours, 99.2% at 6 hours, 99.9% at 8 hours, and 100% at 12 hours post-treatment. [3]

At each weekly assessment over the 30-day half-life, lotilaner’s efficacy at 12 hours remained greater than 99% through to day 35. No adverse treatment-related events were recorded during this time. [3]

Milbemycin For Endoparasites

For the treatment of endoparasites, milbemycin oxime can help to prevent deadly diseases such as lungworm and heartworm from spreading. Studies have shown that milbemycin oxime can be used in combination with flea control drugs to control infections of hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm. [4]

It is well worth mentioning that some products which contain milbemycin oxime also contain afoxolaner, another chemical compound similar to lotilaner.

Afoxolaner For Pet Parasites

This alternative ectoparasiticide compound, afoxolaner, also works to kill parasites living on or in the skin or fur of animals, including fleas and ticks. Once a flea or tick commences feeding on the dog’s blood they become exposed to afoxolaner and subsequently die before they can lay eggs. [5]

While there is no difference in palatability between products containing lotilaner and afoxolaner, there was a small distinction made in the efficacy of the two, with lotilaner groups successfully killing 99.3, 99.9 and 100% of ectoparasites on days 30, 60 and 90, respectively, and for afoxolaner 98.3, 99.8 and 99.8%. [6]

Best Tick & Flea Treatments

It is important to remember that 100% of dogs readily accept products containing lotilaner or milbemycin oxime and afoxolaner. There were no statistically significant differences found between groups.

For lotilaner, 82.3% of dogs freely accepted the treatment from an empty bowl or hand, while only 17.7% were given it in food or dosed by hand.

As for treatments containing milbemycin oxime and afoxolaner, 80.8% of dogs freely chose from an empty bowl or by hand while 19.2% were given in food or dosed by hand.

The most suitable treatment for you and your pet will come down to preferences, habits and lifestyles. If you think your pet is suffering from an infection of fleas, ticks, or worms (or all three) it is important to consult your vet and obtain the required prescription for your product before ordering online or in-store. Your vet will discuss with you the different habits and lifestyles which affect the preferences of parasitic products.

References

[1] Young, L., Karadzovska, D., Wiseman, S. et al. Efficacy of lotilaner (Credelio™) against the adult cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis and flea eggs following oral administration to dogs. Parasites Vectors 13, 25 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-019-3873-1

[2] Cavalleri, D., Murphy, M., Seewald, W. et al. A randomised, blinded, controlled field study to assess the efficacy and safety of lotilaner tablets (Credelio™) in controlling fleas in client-owned dogs in European countries. Parasites Vectors 10, 526 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2479-8

[3] Cavalleri, D., Murphy, M., Seewald, W. et al. Assessment of the speed of flea kill of lotilaner (Credelio™) throughout the month following oral administration to dogs. Parasites Vectors 10, 529 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-017-2466-0

[4] Mark G. Papich DVM, MS, DACVCP, in Papich Handbook of Veterinary Drugs (Fifth Edition), 2021 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/milbemycin-oxime

[5] European Medicines Agency, Science Medicines Health, Nexguard Spectra (afoxolaner/milbemycin oxime), An overview of Nexguard Spectra and why it is authorised in the EU 2019 https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/overview/nexgard-spectra-epar-medicine-overview_en.pdf

[6] Karadzovska D, Chappell K, Coble S, Murphy M, Cavalleri D, Wiseman S, Drake J, Nanchen S. A randomized, controlled field study to assess the efficacy and safety of lotilaner flavoured chewable tablets (Credelio™) in eliminating fleas in client-owned dogs in the USA. Parasit Vectors. 2017 Nov 1;10(1):528. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2469-x. PMID: 29089063;