Flea and tick infestations can cause clinical disease and have the potential to transmit infectious and zoonotic pathogens.1,2 Abundant safe and effective flea and tick control options should be available at the clinic. Pet owner compliance with treatment recommendations is critical because reduced compliance can lead to treatment failure and persistent infestation.
This study* evaluated duration of coverage of 3 flea and tick treatment products purchased by cat owners in the United States: a 12-week administration product containing fluralaner, a monthly product containing fipronil/(S)-methoprene/pyriproxyfen, and a monthly product containing imidacloprid/pyriproxyfen. All were labeled for flea control; fluralaner and fipronil/(S)-methoprene/pyriproxyfen were also labeled for tick control. The study aimed to evaluate whether the 12-week treatment interval resulted in a different duration of coverage than monthly administration. Transactional records from a commercial database derived from practice management software were obtained and analyzed. The database included the purchasing records of cat owners over a 30-month period from 2017 to 2019 from 671 veterinary clinics; 41,630 cats were represented. Owners purchased a yearly average of 1.5 doses of fluralaner (providing 4.2 months of treatment coverage), 3.6 doses of fipronil/(S)-methoprene/pyriproxyfen, and 2.8 doses of imidacloprid/ pyriproxyfen. The authors concluded that the 12-week administration interval provided 17% or 50% longer annual protection than fipronil/(S)-methoprene/pyriproxyfen and imidacloprid/ pyriproxyfen, respectively.