SYMPOSIUM
IMPORTANT ISSUES IN 2004
A key part of this symposium concerned prevention as a major element of companion- animal care. The new millennium brought a critical mass of pet-loving Americans bringing a major change in the expectations of pet owners. Pets have moved from the backyard to the bedroom and are more frequently considered a part of the family.
Some of the issues:
Pet Owners and Compliance
To enhance client compliance the veterinarians are shifting some of the responsibility to the clinic. To do this they are evaluating current client lists and identifying active clients to target areas of concern. And then by developing trained staff the hope is to make it easier to follow recommendations. Millions of dog and cat owners are not in compliance with basic recommendations, due in part to a lack of understanding. This step in increasing compliance is aided by better staff preparation in the move towards client centered vet care, which puts emphasis on the responsibility for compliance with the health care team.
Are we vaccinating individual pets too often with too many vaccines? The general consensus is “yes.” Among the most important issues in companion–animal care are the proposed changes in vaccination protocols. In 2000 the American Association of Feline Practice published a report recommending that adult cats be vaccinated every three years rather than annually against panleukopenia virus and feline herpesvirus-1 and calicivirus. Then in 2003 the American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Task Force recommended three year booster intervals for adult dogs for distemper,parvovirus,adenovirus-2, and parainfluenza virus. However, there are other issues surrounding vaccination protocols. There are questions that require answers from individual clients. For example, what is the risk of exposure considering the pet’s environment, or its age? What about new vaccines? What is the difference between genetically engineered vaccines and killed or modified-live vaccine?
Many researchers agree that current standards fail to consider the true duration of immunity. They argue that the immune response probably persists for several years. A growing body of data support administering core vaccines at three year or longer intervals in adult dogs and cats.
Avoiding exposure and using acaricides to kill fleas, ticks and other vectors as a means of prevention are among the most important components of companion- animal care.
Infections with vector-borne pathogens are increasingly recognizable in companion-animals as well as in people. Through testing several research laboratories have documented concurrent infections in dogs with more than one Ehrlichia species (or coinfection) which certainly influences the clinical course.
In most home environments flea eggs take 2 –7 days to develop into larvae. Larvae take 8-14 days to pupate and fleas from egg to adult merge 8-13 days later. Typically, development from egg to adult takes 21-35 days but can be prolonged for several weeks. In theory then, residual monthly products should be adequate. However, flea survival and reproduction can still survive if:
1.) the insecticide residual is less than 100% effective.
2.) the insecticide levels diminish and the kill speed slows.
3.) pet owners misapply products or don’t apply them often enough.
4.) the insecticide levels diminish when pets bathe or swim.
5.) fleas with a variable genetic susceptibility remain alive.
Using a combination of adulticides and an ovicide may provide an effective long-term solution to the problem.
Ticks
While great advances have been made in flea control,the technology in tick control remains more difficult because :
1.) there are mutiple tick species.
2.) they have prolonged life cycles.
3.) they have higher reproductive ability.
4.) they have numerous wildlife hosts.
5.) they have multiple tick life stages.
Many, many studies are ongoing that evaluate the efficacy of various acaricides. They have different study designs that make comparing the results difficult. Regardless of these difficulties the data suggest three compounds demonstrated the greatest antitick activity;
1.) impregnated collars (amitraqz).
2.) spray and spot formulations (Fipronil).
3.) spray and spot formulations (permethrin-imidacloprid combinatiuons).
The data also indicate that one needs to start flea and tick control before the actual season to provide the best protection.
June Guido Chairman Health and Genetic
References: Protecting Your Patients, Protecting You Practice: Important Issues for 2004 Merial