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Summary of some commercial products aiding in the control of tick paralysis
Environmental awareness. Sydney Water is trying to raise community awareness about Pet insecticides to help reduce the pesticide contamination of sewage and stormwater (e.g. with chlorpyrifos, diazinon etc which are found in some pet and garden products). These and many other pesticides are toxic to the marine environment and are being detected at the sewer outfalls. When washing pets we should try to prevent pesticides entering either the rainwater or sewer water systems. This means not washing with pesticides in basins, bath tubs and over street drains- a small patch on the lawn is perhaps best (see 'Pets and Pests Community Information' by Sydney Water).
| product name | active
ingredient(s) & mode of action |
how to use against paralysis tick | claimed tick protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frontline
spray, S5 (Merial Aust Ltd) 250 mL or 100 mL |
fipronil 0.29 % w/v topical; binds to oils on skin and hair and in sebaceous glands; if a tick attaches to a fipronil-treated animal, it will be killed 24-48 hours later |
sprayed over entire body at 6 mL/kg, especially the head, chest and front legs. Most dogs will tolerate direct spraying of the face as they naturally blink to avoid eye contact. Use rubber gloves to rub the spray around the head, neck and front legs. | up to 3 weeks for paralysis ticks, up to 4 weeks for brown dog ticks; can be used every 3 weeks on cats; note that Frontline will not kill ticks immediately after contact- pyrethroids are best used to quickly kill any attached ticks |
| Frontline
Top Spot, S5 (Merial Aust) |
fipronil 10% w/v topical (as above) |
squeezed onto top of neck for paralysis tick protection one may safely use one higher size vial than that used for flea protection (Merial representative, pers com) currently comes in 4 sizes- small, medium, large and extra large |
up to 2 weeks for paralysis tick in dogs;
in cats Top Spot for cats may help
reduce the risk but is not as reliable as the spray NB: can be toxic in rabbits (esp. dwarf) |
| Permoxin
Insecticidal Concentrate (Dermcare-Vet) 200 mL or 1 Litre |
permethrin (human grade); need to dilute
10 mL of concentrate in 400 mL of either water or
methylated spirits topical; binds to hair (not to oils) |
for continuous prevention- use as a
rinse or soaking spray once weekly; must treat deep down
into the coat for periodic prevention- apply as spray before entering paralysis tick area, then again another spray when have left area for attached ticks- active ingredient causes paralysis of tick mouthparts and hence further toxin excretion; apply as a rinse to dog if ticks are discovered |
up to 1 week protection; good when
frequent bathing is required NB: toxic in cats |
| Fidos
Fre-Itch Rinse Concentrate (Mavlab) 125 mL, 500 mL and 5 Litres |
pyrethrins 10 g/L, piperonyl butoxide 18
g/L, N-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide (MGK 264) 30 g/L topical, rapid action but not a long residual effect (3 days); piperonyl butoxide and MGK 264 synergise with pyrethrin insecticidal action as well as being mild repellants |
dilute in water 1 mL per 100 mL water; can apply as dip, rinse, sponge-on or spray-on; for continuous tick prevention use every 3 days; do not rinse off; towel dry puppies and kittens | suitable for dogs, puppies, cats, kittens and cage birds |
| Bay-O-Pet
Kiltix (Bayer) |
flumethrin 22.5 g/kg propoxur 100 g/kg (an anticholinesterase) topical; distributed on coat as a fine powder, this being assisted by body movement |
neck collar; collar resists the effects of water but it is recommended that the collar is removed during swimming and bathing; frequent wetting may shorten the effective life of the collar | up to 6 weeks protection for paralysis
ticks; usually effective within 24 hours, possibly longer
in thick double coats NB: toxic in cats. Anecdotal reports from the Nth Coast Veterinarians suggest reasonable efficacy. |
| Bay-O-Pet
Asuntol, S6 (Bayer) |
coumaphos 50 g/L (an anticholinesterase) topical rinse |
dilute 5 mL in 1 liter water; saturae coat and skin with the diluted wash and allow to dry in the coat; wear rubber gloves and face shield and avoid inhaling vapours; have atropine tablets on hand in case of poisoning. | for paralysis tick weekly treatment is
necessary ensuring thorough treatment of the head, neck
and face area NB: toxic in cats |
| Exetick (Schering-Plough) spot treament 6 tubes per wallet |
permethrin topical; "spot" type treatment of concentrate applied to back of neck +/- rump |
topical appliaction; 1 tube for dogs < 15 kg and 2 tubes for dogs > 15 kg; ok to use after shampoo bathing but dry first | up to 2 weeks; safe for puppies,
pregnant and lactating bitches NB: toxic in cats |
| Deltaderm
Demadex- Acaricidal Wash, S6 (Deltaderm) |
amitraz 50 mg/mL; dilute 5mL per litre
of water topical, but has some systemic absorption |
sponged on; not uncommon to see a transient sedative effect within 2-6 hours lasting 12-24 hours, and which may include listlessness, ataxia, anorexia; animals should not be stressed for at least 24 hours after treatment; dog should be > 4 mths of age; not recommended for Chihuahuas or cats | up to 1 week protection; NB: toxic in cats |
| Proban
Tablets of Oral Liquid, S6 (Boehringer Ingelheim) tablets 50's or 100's liquid 30 mL |
cythioate (an anticholinesterase) 30 mg
tablets, 15 mg/mL liquid systemic (taken up by tick from blood stream) |
liquid- 1 mL/5kg every 2nd day; tablet-
1 tablet/10kg every 2nd day (every 48 hrs); may not be
tolerated in a small number of cases; do not use in sick,
lactating and or pregnant animals or those recovering
from surgery or receiving another organophosphate cats: "off label" use- 1/4 tablet/5kg every 2nd day |
gives continuous protection; will also control ticks located in unusual locations such as inside body orifices (mouth, ears, anus, vulva etc); infestation with multiple ticks can lead to very high levels of toxins, which can cause paralysis between doses of Proban, therefore daily searching is still recommended; can be used all year round; start using 1 week before risk period to 1 week after risk period; not registered for this purpose in cats but has been used "off-label" in high risk situations. |
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