The efficacy of sarolaner (Simparica™, Zoetis) was evaluated against Demodex spp. in dogs with generalized demodicosis and against Otodectes cynotis (otodectic mange) in dogs with induced infestations. In the first study, 16 dogs with clinical signs of generalized demodicosis and positive for Demodex spp. mites were randomly assigned to treatment with either sarolaner (2mg/kg) orally on Days 0, 30 and 60, or topical imidacloprid (10mg/kg) plus moxidectin (2.5mg/kg) solution every 7 days from Day 0 to Day 81. For sarolaner-treated dogs, pretreatment mite counts were reduced by 97.1% at 14days and 99.8% by 29 days after the first dose, with no live mites detected thereafter. Weekly imidacloprid plus moxidectin resulted in 84.4 and 95.6% reduction at these two time points, respectively, with no mites detected from Day 74 on. All dogs in both groups showed marked improvement in the clinical signs of demodicosis. In the second study, 32 dogs with induced infestations of O. cynotis were randomly assigned (eight per group) to oral sarolaner (2mg/kg) as a single treatment on Day 0 or as a two dose regime (Days 0 and 30), or a placebo group for each of the dose regimes. Sarolaner administered at 2mg/kg as a single oral dose resulted in a 98.2% reduction at Day 30 and two doses of sarolaner, administered one month apart, resulted in a 99.5% reduction in ear mites at Day 60 compared to placebo controls. There were no treatment related adverse events in either study. In these studies, sarolaner at an oral dose of 2mg/kg was highly effective in reducing the live mite counts associated with a natural infestation of Demodex spp. and an induced infestation of O. cynotis. In addition, the Demodex-infested dogs showed a marked improvement in the clinical signs of generalized demodicosis.

Background The efficacy of an extended-release injectable moxidectin (0.5 mg/kg) suspension (ProHeart® 12) (PH 12) in preventing the development of Dirofilaria immitis in dogs for 12 months was investigated in laboratory and field studies in the USA. Methods In each of two laboratory studies, 20 dogs ≥ 12 months of age were randomly allocated to receive a subcutaneous injection of saline or PH 12 on Day 0 and were then inoculated with 50 D. immitis third-stage larvae (L 3 ) on Day 365. All dogs were necropsied ~ 5 months post-inoculation for adult worm counts. The field efficacy study included dogs ≥ 10 months of age from 19 veterinary clinics in the USA treated with either 20 monthly doses of Heartgard® Plus (HG Plus) (296 dogs) or two doses of PH 12 (297 dogs) on Days 0 and 365. Efficacy was determined on Days 365, 480 and 605 using adult HW antigen and microfilaria testing to assess adult HW infection. Results PH 12 was 100% effective in preventing HW disease in all three of these studies. In the laboratory studies, no PH 12-treated dogs had any adult HWs, whereas all control dogs in both studies had adult HWs [geometric mean, 30.2 (range, 22–37) for Study 1 and 32.6 (22–44) for Study 2]. In the field study, all dogs treated with PH 12 tested negative for adult HW infection on all test days (Days, 365, 480 and 605), whereas four dogs receiving HG Plus (positive control) tested positive for HWs during the study (three dogs on Day 365 and one dog on Day 480). All four dogs treated with HG Plus that subsequently tested positive for HWs during the field study were from the lower Mississippi River Valley region, where HW resistance to macrocyclic lactone preventives has been confirmed to occur. PH 12 was significantly better than HG Plus in preventing heartworm disease in the field study ( P = 0.0367). PH 12 was well-tolerated in both laboratory and field studies. Conclusions A single dose of ProHeart® 12 was 100% effective in preventing heartworm disease in dogs for a full year in both laboratory and field studies.