Efficacy of fluralaner against canine generalized demodicosis

Demodicosis is a parasitic dermatopathy, resulting from the excessive proliferation of Demodex mites. The rateat which this disease is encountered in the pet clinic is high, despite recent advances in the treatment ofthe disease. The aim of this study, which was conducted in Brazil, was to analyze the efficacy of fluralanerin the treatment of demodicosis in dogs. Fifteen dogs with generalized demodicosis that were diagnosedwith Demodex sp. mites from skin scraping were included. All animals were treated with fluralaner at adose of 25 mg/kg, following the manufacturer’s recommendations for the treatment of ectoparasites.The effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated based on clinical improvement of the animals andthe time required to obtain two consecutive negative skin scrapes 30 days apart (parasitological cure).The main clinical signs observed were alopecia (100%; 15/15); erythema (86.7%; 10/15); and hypotrichosis,papule, crusts, hyperpigmentation, and hyperkeratosis (26.7%; 4/15). Of the 15 animals evaluated, two ofthem were excluded for not returning for the second evaluation in 60 days, although they had the firstnegative skin scrape. After 30 days, six (46.2%) from 13 animals that concluded the study presented thefirst negative skin scraping. At the end of the study, all dogs presented parasitological cure and clinicalimprovement, except for three animals. One for developing atopic dermatitis and two that lived in ananimal shelter. In conclusion, a single oral dose of fluralaner is effective in the treatment of generalizeddemodicosis in dogs.