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Parasite control

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Fleas

Adult fleas live on affected animals and feed off a blood meal

>90% of fleas found in the UK are the ‘cat flea’ which live on cats and dogs

Nearly 1 in 10 dogs and over 1 in 5 cats suffer from fleas at any one time (Bond et al. 2005)

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Why treat fleas?

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How do dogs and cats pick up fleas?

Fleas jumping from one animal to another while outside the house?

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No!

Once adult fleas start living on a dog or cat they live there permanently and don’t normally jump off

Pets can pick up fleas as they develop outside, eg within long grass (homes, gardens and parks)

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Fleas in the home!!!

Many owners areshocked to learnthat in many cases,fleas are pickedup from within the home, as they don’t realise there is a population of fleas living with them!

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THE CYCLE TAKES 3-4

WEEKS

LARVA

EGGPUPA

ADULT5%

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Eggs

Female fleas produce eggs

(about 0.5mm in length)

Eggs fall off as the animal moves around

How many eggs can 1 female flea lay in a lifetime?

She can lay around 27 eggs per day

and live for 50 days,

so 1350 eggs!

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Larvae

Flea eggs hatch into larvae – caterpillar like appearance, about 2mm wide

They hate bright light so burrow within carpet fibres/cracks and crevices

What do flea larvae eat?They feed off dust and other organic debris

within carpets and soft furnishings

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Pupae

In order to develop into an adult flea, larvae surround themselves with a protective silk cocoon and become pupae

Pupae normally hatch into adult fleas after 8-10 days. However, if left undisturbed, they can lay dormant for up to 12 months

What makes the adult fleas hatch from the

pupae?

•CO2

•Heat•Vibration

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The Adult Flea

Flings itself towards potential host

Within seconds starts to feed

Within 24 hours mates

After around 2 days females start to lay eggs

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Finding Adult Fleas

Adult fleas are tiny (between 1.5 and 4.5mm, females twice as big as males) and very quick, so they can be very difficult to spot!

How can we tell an animal has fleas then?

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Important Points

The adult fleas seen on the pet only represent 5% of the overall flea populationModern heated, softly furnished homes are an ideal environment for fleas to developFleas are a problem all year round, including the winter (when the central heating gets switched on)

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Comprehensive Flea control

Treat all the animals in the household - Fiprospot

AND

Treat the environment

Acclaim

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Fiprospot®

Contains tried and trusted fipronil, the same ingredient as the UK’s best selling flea product

Kills fleas by disrupting their nervous system, causing paralysis and death within 24 hours

Killed on contact before they bite

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How To Use

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The Pipette

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Key Points

Apply to the skin (not the hair) at the back of the neck so the dog or cat can’t lick it off

Do not touch treated area until dry

Apply every 6 weeks in dog and 4 weeks in cat (may last up to 8 weeks and 5 weeks respectively)

Treat all dogs and cats in the house

Avoid bathing or immersion for two days after application

Bathing once weekly for 6 weeks did not adversely affect the products action against fleas

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Key Points

Fiprospot® is not absorbed across the skin

It collects in the oils of the skin and hair follicles and is slowly released over time

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Precautions

Do not use in kittens or puppies under 8 weeks

Do not use in kittens weighing less than 1kg or puppies less than 2kg

Do not use in sick animals

Do not use in rabbits

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Ticks

Live in long grass/ overgrowth

Hotspot areas of problems with ticks

Fiprospot® kills ticks within 48hours

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Acclaim®

Insecticide – permethrinKills adult fleas within 24 hours

Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) – S-methoprene

This stops:•Eggs from developing into larvae•Larvae from developing into pupae

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Pupae

Because pupae are surrounded by a protective cocoon, insecticides are unable to penetrate the cocoon to kill the fleas inside

So how can we kill the pupal stage?

We can trick the pupae into hatchingby vacuuming,

as this provides vibration, heat and CO2

We should aim to vacuum every other day and would expect to

see adult fleas for up to 5 weeks after spraying

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Housedust Mites

Permethrin (as found in ALL environmental sprays including Acclaim) is effective in controlling mites in the environment

Permethrin will only work for 4-8 weeks in the environment so does not have a persistent mite killing effect

Dead house dust mites are just as allergic as live ones so extra environmental control measures are essential

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Comprehensive Flea control

Treat all the animals in the household – Fiprospot

AND

Treat the environment

Acclaim

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Roundworms

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Roundworms

The main roundworm is called Toxacara canis

10% of adult dogs are infected with this worm

Feeds in the intestines

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Roundworms

Puppies are commonly infested in utero as the worms can cross the placenta

Eggs are passed out in the faeces -extremely hardy and last for up to 4 years

Eggs in fresh faeces are not infective – need to sit on the ground for 2-4 weeks in order for larvae within the eggs to become infective

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Clinical Signs

Adult dogs often do not show clinical signs but may include:

Vomiting

Diarrhoea

Pot belly appearance (particularly common in puppies)

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Zoonotic risk

Toxacara canis cannot reproduce in humans but infection can cause problems

Larvae can migrate through the body and cause visual disturbances in rare cases

Children are more susceptible as they are more likely to ingest infective eggs, eg playgrounds, sand pits etc

52 cases reported every year

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Recommendations for treating roundworms

Adult dogs Routinely every 3 months

Pregnant bitchTreat 2 weeks after giving birth and every 2 weeks until weaning

PuppiesTreat at 2 weeks and every 2 weeks until 12 weeks of age

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Tapeworms

The second most common worm found in dogs is the tapeworm Dipylidium caninum

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Dipylidium caninum

Endemic in UK

Commonly spread by fleas

Lives within the intestines and causes diarrhoea – segments can also pass out and cause anal irritation

Does not infect people

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Other intestinal worms

Other worms that are less commonly found include whipworms and hookworms

More common in breeding or racing kennels

Watery diarrhoea/loss of performance

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Cestem®

3 active substancesfebantel

pyrantel

praziquantel

Kills every known intestinal worm commonly found in UK dogs

roundworms

tapeworms

hookworms

whipworms

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Pets passports - tapeworms

Before entering the UK, all pet dogs (including assistance dogs) must be treated for tapeworm (Echinococcus multilocularis). The treatment must be administered by a vet not less than 24 hours and not more than 120 hours (1-5 days) before the dog’s scheduled arrival time in the UK. 

Use a licensed veterinary medicine whose active ingredient is Praziquantel, or an equivalent product.

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Dosing

Cestem small dog - 1 tablet per 10 kg bodyweight as a single dose

Eg JRT 1 tablet

Cestem medium/large dog - 1 tablet to dogs per 18 - 35kg bodyweight as a single dose

Eg Border Collie or

Labrador 1 tablet

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Canine Parasite Control

Treat all the animals in the household with Fiprospot

AND

Treat the environment

AcclaimAND

Worm with

Cestem

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Questions?

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Quiz

Where do animals pick up fleas?

What stages are there to a flea life cycle?

Which stage of the cycle is not killed by our flea products?

How long until the flea dies?

Can Fiprospot be used on puppies and kittens?

Which other parasite will Fiprospot kill?

Inside or outside the home Adult

EggLarvaPupa

PupaePupae

24 hour

s

24 hour

sYes, if over 8 weeks

and 1kg for kittens and 2 kg for puppies

Ticks

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Quiz - worming

Which worms are found in the UK?

Which worm can be spread by fleas?

Which worm is a zoonotic risk?

What 3 ingredients does Cestem contain?

How many tablets of Cestem small dog should a 10kg dog have?

How many tablets of Cestem medium/large dog should a 28kg dog have?

What does Cestem taste of?

RoundwormsTapewormsHookwormsWhipworms

Dipylidium canium

Toxocara canis

FebantelPyrantel

Praziquantel

1

1liver