By: Jessie L. Rayburn, CVT
The doctors and staff at Neffsville are always striving to provide the best in high quality, veterinary medicine for your animal companion. As we endeavor to achieve this objective, we often find new methods, or products, to help us reach our goal. We are happy to announce a new flea and tick preventative we will offer to our canine patients, 6 months of age or older. Simparica (sarolaner) is a chewable, once a month preventative that can provide continuous protection against fleas, ticks, and tick borne pathogens.
How does Simparica work? With a highly palatable liver flavor, your dog ingests this once a month chewable to begin flea and tick protection. The active ingredient Sarolaner, binds to plasma proteins and travels throughout the blood stream, until it reaches tissue fluid just below the skin. Simparica resides there, waiting to spring into action. This preventative kills fleas within 3 hours and ticks within 8; this is faster than the 12 hour kill time from its competitors. Another convenient feature is the efficacy. For those of us that don’t always remember to give our preventatives on day 30, Simparica’s effects will last until day 35 without tapering off, providing continuous protection. This allows owners a 5 day margin of error should they forget to give their preventatives on time. Due to Simparica’s calculated dosing range, we are able to provide the least amount of drug while maintaining continuous coverage for our pets.
Most owners are aware of Lyme disease and the threat it can pose. However, not everyone knows how the disease is transmitted. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Ixodes scapularis (the Deer Tick) is the vector, or carrier, for this bacteria. When an infected tick bites an unprotected pet, they can transmit this disease into the pet’s bloodstream. An infected tick can begin transmitting Lyme disease within 24-48 hours after attachment. In studies, Simparica was 98.8% effective in killing ticks before the transmission could occur. Protection against infected ticks is important for your canine companion, as well as other family members within the house. Lyme disease is zoonotic meaning it can be transferred between animals and humans. Once a tick gains entrance to your home, everyone is susceptible to an infected tick’s bite.
A common misconception is that flea and tick coverage is only essential during the summer or warm months. According to the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), year round coverage with a broad spectrum preventative is highly recommended. In regards to ticks, the CAPC notes some species of ticks will continue to be active well into the winter months. “Year-round tick control”, coupled with the Lyme vaccine and regular testing, is the best course of action (www.petsandparasites.org). Simparica is able to offer a preventative which meets this criteria. Not only does it protect against fleas but also offers protection against 5 different types of ticks. Some of its competitors only offer protection against 4. Lyme disease is not the only tick born pathogen that can be contracted during a tick infestation. There are other diseases that can be transmitted via a tick bite such as Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and Ehrlichiosis (www.cdc.gov). Yet another reason to be vigilant and provide year round coverage. To learn what ticks are prevalent in our area, or areas you plan on vacationing with your furry family member, visit tickencounter.org. For the month of November, the deer tick is active in our region, even though it is starting to get colder. This site is also a great source of information for tick identification, tick removal, and prevention techniques.
It only takes one infected tick to transmit a bacterial strain; it only takes a few pregnant fleas to lay their eggs and start forming a flea population. In some situations, once a flea infestation takes root, it can take months to completely eradicate these parasitical invaders. Neffsville is excited to be able to offer flea and tick protection for you and your dog, via Simparica. Please give us a call or send us an e-mail with any questions you may have about our new product; we look forward to hearing from you!
