T R A I N I N G M AT T E R S FEBRUARY 2016

disease in humans – known aszoonotic diseases.

Control of parasites is crucialin maintaining healthy petsand for protecting publichealth. Environmental andhygiene measures, such ashandwashing, disposal of dogfaeces and checking for ticks, aswell as parasiticides are centralto maintaining this control.

External parasites Fleas and ticks are the mostcommon external parasites(ectoparasites) that affect catsand dogs in the UK. • FleasFleas cause discomfort to theanimal, can result in allergicdermatitis and can alsotransmit tapeworm infection.

Signs of flea infestationmight not be obvious in a non-allergic animal. Cats and dogsmost often become infested

with newly-emergedfleas from the

environment,but they can alsopick up fleasfrom closecontact withother infested

animals. Combing the pet’s furis the best way of detectingfleas and, if an animal has aninfestation, an insecticide canbe used to kill the fleas.Treatment may need to berepeated until the problem iscontrolled. It is also importantto treat other pets living in thesame house.

Adult fleas on the animalare only part of the problem,so it is also crucial to eliminatefleas that are in their immaturestages from the home. Regularuse of insecticides on theanimal will contribute to thereduction of immature fleas,but environmental measuresare also needed, includingvacuuming carpets, washingthe animal’s bedding and usingproducts designed to kill fleasthat are in their developmentalstages.

A lack of understanding of the need to attend to theenvironment may underlie petowners’ frustration about theapparent lack of effect of fleatreatments used on pets.Monthly flea prophylaxis(treatment) is recommended for most cats and dogs.

help pharmacy teamsunderstand the products theysell, be aware of the full rangeof parasiticide productsavailable on the market and beable to advise customers abouttheir use in cats and dogs.

Cats and dogs aresusceptible to infection with

internal and externalparasites. These can causediscomfort and disease inthe animal, they mayinterfere with the human-

animal bond and some canbe transmitted to and cause

With many communitypharmacies now stocking alimited range of parasiticides,the aim of this module is to

Management of parasites incompanion animals is crucial tothe health of pets, animal-human relationships and for the protection of public health.There are over 100products available for treating andpreventingparasiticinfections incats and dogs,which canmake this aconfusing area for pet owners.

www.tmmagazine.co.uk

Contributing author: Andrea Tarr, pharmacist and founder of Veterinary Prescriber.

C P D M O D U L E

Welcome to our CPD module series for community pharmacytechnicians. Written in conjunction with the PharmacyMagazine CPD series, it will mirror the magazine’s programmethroughout the year. The series has been designed for you touse as part of your continuing professional development.Reflection exercises have been included to help start you offin the CPD learning cycle.

CURRENT THINKING ON... PARASITICIDES FOR

CATS AND DOGSMODULE NUMBER: 65

AIM: To provide an overview of the common parasiticdiseases that affect cats and dogs and the parasiticideproducts used in the management of parasites.

OBJECTIVES:After completing thismodule, pharmacytechnicians will:● Be awareof the commonparasite diseasesaffecting catsand dogs● Understandthe treatmentsfor fleas, ticksand different typesof worm.

CPDSUPPORT

REFLECT

EVA

LUAT

E

ACT

PLAN

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• TicksTicks can carry diseases that canbe transmitted to animals andhumans. In the UK, the mainexample is Lyme disease(borreliosis). A dog or humanmight contract Lyme diseaseafter being bitten by a tick thatis carrying the bacteria. Tickinfestation is usually seasonal,peaking between March andJune and again betweenAugust and November.

Ticks are usually picked upafter walking in locations withhigh grass and livestock ordeer. They can attach anywhereon the body, but prefer non-hairy and thin-skinned sites,such as on the face and ears,between the toes and in thearmpits and perianal areas.

Female ticks attach to largeanimals (including deer, dogsand humans) in order to take ablood meal before laying eggs.When fully engorged withblood, the size of a tick canincrease to around 1cm inlength and can be seen easily.

Ticks should be removed assoon as possible to avoid thepotential transmission of anydisease. Purpose-made toolsare available for tick removal.These grip the head of the tickwithout squashing the body, asthis could potentiallyencourage the release of moresaliva or stomach contentsfrom the tick. Alternatively,pointed tweezers or a singleloop of cotton can be used tograsp the tick as close aspossible to the skin, and thenpull outwards and upwardswithout twisting.

A product that kills and/orrepels ticks is recommended foranimals on which a tick haspreviously been found and fordogs that are taken for walksin areas with tall grass and deeror livestock. The risk of tickattachment and transmission of infection can be reduced byavoiding or limiting access toareas with known high tickdensity or at times of the yearwhen ticks are most active, andby inspecting animals daily andimmediately removing ticks.

Internal parasites The internal parasites(endoparasites) that commonlyaffect cats and dogs in the UKare roundworm, tapewormand lungworm.

• RoundwormPuppies can be heavily infectedby roundworm before birth orvia lactation, which can lead toserious illness. Thereforepuppies are normally treated

with a de-wormer (known asan anthelmintic) at two weeksof age, and this is repeateduntil they are six months old.

Kittens are not infectedbefore birth and so are usuallywormed from three weeks ofage until they are six months.

Roundworm infection canoccur in older dogs and cats,but is not usually associatedwith obvious signs, so it isdifficult to know if they areinfected without regularexamination of the faeces.

It is usually recommendedto continue regular – at leastfour times a year – de-wormingin adult cats and dogs. More

frequent worming (monthly) isrecommended for animals thatlive in households in whichthere are people who might be particularly susceptible todisease if infected, such asyoung children or people withimmunosuppression.

• TapewormDogs are at risk of infectionwith tapeworm if they have a raw meat diet, hunt, orotherwise have access to rawoffal and carcasses. Othertapeworms that infect dogs arespread by fleas and biting lice.

• LungwormLungworm infects the lungsand heart in dogs and cancause serious disease. Dogs canacquire the infection throughingestion of slugs, snails, frogsand other amphibians. Drugsfor treating and preventing

lungworm are only available on veterinary prescription.

Assessing the need forparasiticides The risk of infection to theanimal and the need forparasiticide therapy depends on various factors, includingthe age of the animal, itslifestyle (e.g. access to offal ormolluscs) and location (whichdetermines which parasites areendemic), and whether theanimal lives with susceptiblehumans (such as youngchildren or people withimmunosuppression). Animalstherefore require parasiticide

therapy that is tailored to theirneeds.

In general, cats and dogs inthe UK need routine cover forfleas and roundworm. Also,depending on the animal’slifestyle, it may need cover for ticks, tapeworm and/orlungworm. Broader parasitecover is needed for animalstravelling outside the UK.

Parasiticide products• Flea and tick productsMost flea and tick products(ectoparasiticides) contain oneor more ingredients that haveinsecticide (flea-killing) and/or

acaricide (tick-killing) effects.Most products, apart fromshampoos and powders andcertain tablets, remain on or in the body of the animal forseveral weeks and can killparasites newly acquired by the host. This means they canprevent infestation over aperiod of time, usually onemonth. Frontline, a brandcommonly stocked inpharmacies, contains fipronil,which kills fleas and ticks. It isavailable as a spot-on (topical)formulation and its effects lastfor up to four weeks.

• EndoparasiticidesWorming products (known asendoparasiticides) contain oneor more drugs that kill specifictypes of worm. Drontal tablets,a brand commonly stocked inpharmacies, contain pyranteland praziquantel, and are usedto treat roundworm andtapeworm.

OTC productformulations There are several ways of usingparasiticides: as impregnatedcollars, spot-ons, shampoos andsprays, and as oralformulations. • Impregnated collars – theactive ingredients are slowlyand continuously released inlow concentrations, spreadingfrom the site of contact overthe entire skin surface.

Impregnated collars have aneffect that lasts severalmonths.• Spot-on solutions – areapplied to the skin on one tofour spots on the back of theneck of the animal. Theproduct distributes across theskin and hair of the animalover the following days. Theyare convenient and easy to usebut their effect can be reducedby bathing and swimming.• Shampoos and sprays –products that are availableOTC are used for one-offtreatment and have no lastingeffect. • Oral formulations – flea andtick and worming products areavailable OTC as tablets. A fewroundworm products areavailable as granules, paste,syrup and suspension.

What if flea productsdon’t seem to work?A flea infestation can bedifficult to control. Manypeople assume the products donot work due to resistance offleas to the product. However,there is no strong evidence of a resistance problem.

Lack of effect is most likelyto be due to incorrect use of the product and a lack ofunderstanding of the need tobreak the flea reproductioncycle (i.e. the need to treat theenvironment).

It takes time andperseverance and possiblyseveral treatments to eliminatean established flea infestation.If a customer complains that aproduct is not working, it isworth checking the following:• Was the product usedcorrectly, according to theinstructions?• Has the animal beenshampooed or does it swim? • Has the environment beencleaned? (There can be areasthat are not so obvious, such as garden sheds)• Were all animals in thehouse treated?

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C P D M O D U L E

reflectionexercise

With your pharmacist, discuss the role of pharmacy teamin giving advice on animal medicines.

“Management of parasites in

companion animals is important

to the health of the pets, to the

animal-human relationship and in

protecting public health”

www.tmmagazine.co.uk

Go to www.tmmagazine.co.uk to answer the CPD questions. When you pass, you’ll be able to download a certificate to showcase your learning.You can also add this to your online, personalised learning log.

Tick infestation in animalsis usually seasonal

tech matters CPD p28-29.LN_G.qxd_fever 16/02/2016 16:30 Page 29