Veterinary Medicine - November 2007 - (Page L14)

FLEA BITE FACTS Q&A onto the skin. In general, the popular topical products have been shown to remain effective with swimming or rain exposure. The other consideration is the requirement for time separation between bathing and the application of topical products. Blagburn: Systemic products can reduce the concerns about the effects that water immersion and topical skin disease therapies may have on efficacy and residual activity of topical flea control products. Ihrke: A water-resistant product is highly desirable as many of our allergic dogs in northern California like to swim. Labrador retrievers are a common allergic breed here. A timed-release systemic product would offer the substantial benefit of replenishing the skin with the insecticide after swimming or bathing, thus obviating the need for reapplication of a topical product. Griffin: The ability to administer an effective agent infrequently, such as once monthly, is of main importance. Then it depends on the pet and owner’s preference. I find some clients prefer topical and some prefer oral administration; this is an individual variation. Ihrke: Convenience is in the eyes of the beholder. While many or most owners might find an easily administered and safe systemic product more convenient, other owners may prefer topical treatment. Personally, I would prefer a systemically administered product for my own dogs if it had an excellent safety and efficacy profile. I ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS I EFFECTIVENESS WITH TOPICAL THERAPEUTIC PRODUCTS Blagburn: Also, pet owners occasionally question veterinarians about environmental exposure to topical products, particularly when the household includes very small children. Although topical flea control products are safe, even around small children, some pet owners remain cautious about their use. Ihrke: Certainly, a growing percentage of our clients would feel more comfortable environmentally with a systemic product. This would be especially true for owners who are pregnant or have crawling infants in the household. Dryden: Pet owners come with a variety of preconceived opinions concerning risks to themselves and the environment from insecticides. While it is understood that topically active compounds have been approved by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the risk from exposure to people or the environment is minimal to nonexistent, Ihrke: A systemically administered product would offer the major advantage of concomitant topical therapy not diminishing the efficacy of adjunctive flea control. I DOSING CONVENIENCE DeManuelle: The advantage of topical products is safety, prevention of flea infestation, and ease of application, which increases owner compliance. Systemic flea control is safe and unaffected by topical therapy, fairly easy to administer for owners who are comfortable with giving oral medications, and has a rapid kill time. However, it can create a problem for owners who have difficulty administering oral medications. 14

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Veterinary Medicine - November 2007

Veterinary Medicine - November 2007 Contents Leading Off The Veterinary Medicine Interview: Dr. Lila Miller Clinical Exposures Idea Exchange A Challenging Case: Uveitis and Secondary Glaucoma in a Cat Is it Immune-Mediated Neutropenia? Pimobendan Treatment in Dogs with Congestive Heart Failure CE Form Product Preview Advertiser Index Marketplace/Classifieds Mind Over Miller Special Supplement by Lilly: Flea Bite Facts Q&A

Veterinary Medicine - November 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.