Efficacy of an adulticide used alone or in combination with an insect growth regulator for flea infestations of dogs housed in simulated home environments

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Abstract
Objective: To determine the effect of an adulticide on flea populations of dogs and to evaluate efficacy of combined use of the adulticide and an insect growth regulator (IGR) in dogs with experimentally induced flea infestations. Animals: 40 adult Beagles. Procedure: Each group of 5 dogs was housed in a separate room. Each dog was infested 3 times with 50 fleas, and fleas were counted beginning on day −21. Groups of dogs and treatments (initiated on day 0) were as follows: 1, adulticide once; 2, adulticide on days 0 and 7; 3, adulticide on days 0, 3, and 7; 4, sham treatment; 5, igr monthly; 6, igr monthly plus adulticide once weekly for 6 weeks; 7, igr monthly plus adulticide twice weekly for 6 weeks; 8, sham treatment. Flea counts were compared between treated and control dogs. Results: By 24 hours after initial treatment, all adult fleas but 1 were dead in treated dogs. In groups 1 and 3, populations increased to 15 to 20 fleas/dog 2 months after treatment, compared with 48 fleas/dog in group 4. After treatment, mean flea counts were significantly lower for groups 1, 2, and 3, relative to group 4. Efficacy of treatment for group 5, relative to group 8, was > 94% after day 84. Efficacy of treatment for groups 6 and 7 was 99% after day 28. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Treatment with adulticide alone or in combination with an igr had better efficacy, compared with sham treatment or igr alone. Administration of adulticide twice weekly was not more efficacious than treatment once weekly, (Am J Vet Res 1999;60:1122–1125)

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