No abstract

Twelve healthy dogs were included in this laboratory efficacy study. Six dogs were randomly allocated based on body weight to an untreated control group and six to an afoxolaner (NexGard®) treated group. In the treatment group, afoxolaner was administered orally on Day 0 in accordance with label instructions. On Days 1, 14 and 28, each dog was exposed to 60 unfed female and 10 male Phlebotomus perniciosus sandflies for 1 h. At the end of each exposure period, sandflies were counted and assessed for viability and feeding status. There was no statistical difference in mortality (0.0–5.4%), nor in feeding proportion (61.6–78%) between the control and the treated groups at all 1-h post-exposure assessments. After collection, live fed and unfed sandflies were kept for viability assessments at 48 and 72 h post-exposure. In the untreated control group, the average percentages of live, fed, female sandflies after exposure, on Days 1, 14 and 28, ranged from 51% to 74% at 48 h and from 46% to 57% at 72 h, demonstrating model robustness over the 28 days of the study. Significantly fewer live fed sandflies were recorded for the afoxolaner treated group (p < 0.01). The insecticidal efficacy was 100%, 95.9% and 75.2% at 48 h post Days 1, 14 and 28 exposures, respectively, and 100%, 100% and 86.3% at 72 h post Days 1, 14, and 28 exposures, respectively. A single administration of oral afoxolaner (NexGard®) to dogs significantly killed P. perniciosus sandflies 48 and 72 h after blood feeding for 1 month.

Simple SummaryAnimals reduce their activity, feeding behaviour, social interactions and self-grooming behaviours when sick (‘sickness behaviours’). However, the effect of sickness on early maternal behaviours directed toward offspring is less understood, especially in farm animals. This experiment assessed the impact of sickness on the first day after giving birth on the lying and grooming behaviour of dairy cows and their calves. The behaviours of sick and healthy cows and their calves were recorded for 24 hours after calving. Behaviours included the lying behaviour of the cow and calf, and maternal grooming of the calf. We found that health status did not affect the majority of the behaviours measured after calving. We suggest that a cow’s motivation to groom and be near their calf may be stronger than her motivation to express sickness behaviours immediately after giving birth.AbstractBehaviour is commonly used to detect sickness in animals, but the impact of sickness on lying and maternal behaviours around parturition is not well understood. The objective was to assess the effects of sickness on the lying and grooming behaviours of dairy cows in the first 24 h after giving birth. Cows were categorized as ‘sick’ (n = 8) if they had at least one rectal temperature ≥39.1 °C and one clinical sign of illness (mastitis, pneumonia or an unknown infection) within 24 h of calving. These cows were match-paired for parity with cows that had no rectal temperature ≥39.1 °C and no clinical signs of illness up to 3 d after calving (n = 8; ‘not sick’). The duration and latency of cow behaviours (standing, lying, lying bouts, lying close to calf, and grooming of the calf) and calf behaviours (standing and lying) were recorded for 24 h post-partum. We found no differences in the behaviour of sick and not sick cows and their calves post-calving, except that sick cows took longer to lie down near their calf after calving compared to those without illness. Cows may be more motivated to groom and spend time with their calf than to express sickness behaviours immediately after giving birth.