Target Species
Dogs.
Indications for use
For the treatment of tick and flea infestations in dogs.
This veterinary medicinal product is a systemic insecticide and acaricide that provides:
- immediate and persistent flea (Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides canis) killing activity for 12 weeks, and
- immediate and persistent tick (Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Dermacentor reticulatus) killing activity for 12 weeks.
Fleas and ticks must attach to the host and commence feeding in order to be exposed to the active substance.
The veterinary medicinal product can be used as part of a treatment strategy for the control of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD).
For the treatment of demodicosis caused by Demodex canis.
For the treatment of sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis) infestation.
Contraindications
Do not use in cases of hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
Special warnings for each target species
Parasites need to start feeding on the host to become exposed to fluralaner; therefore the risk of the transmission of parasite borne diseases cannot be excluded.
Unnecessary use of antiparasitics or use deviating from the instructions given in the SPC may increase the resistance selection pressure and lead to reduced efficacy. The decision to use the veterinary medicinal product should be based on confirmation of the parasitic species and burden, or of the risk of infestation based on its epidemiological features, for each individual animal.
The possibility that other animals in the same household can be a source of re-infection with parasites should be considered, and these should be treated as necessary with an appropriate veterinary medicinal product.
Special Precautions for use
Care should be taken to avoid contact with the eyes of the animal.
Do not use directly on skin lesions.
Do not wash or allow the dog to become immersed in water or swim in water courses within 3 days after treatment.
In the absence of available data, this veterinary medicinal product should not be used on puppies less than 8 weeks old and /or dogs weighing less than 2 kg.
The veterinary medicinal product should not be administered at intervals shorter than 8 weeks as the safety at shorter intervals has not been tested.
This veterinary medicinal product is for topical use and should not be administered orally.
Operator warnings
Contact with the veterinary medicinal product should be avoided and disposable protective gloves obtained with this veterinary medicinal product at the point of sale must be worn when handling the veterinary medicinal product for the following reasons:
Hypersensitivity reactions have been reported in a small number of people, which can potentially be serious.
Persons with a hypersensitivity to fluralaner or to any of the excipients should avoid any exposure to the veterinary medicinal product.
The veterinary medicinal product binds to skin and may also bind to surfaces after spillage of the veterinary medicinal product. Skin rashes, tingling or numbness have been reported in a small number of individuals after skin contact.
If skin contact does occur, wash the affected area immediately with soap and water. In some cases, soap and water are not sufficient to remove the veterinary medicinal product spilled on the fingers.
Contact with the veterinary medicinal product may also occur when handling the treated animal.
Make sure that your animal’s application site is no longer noticeable before resuming contact with the site of application. This includes cuddling the animal and sharing a bed with the animal. It takes up to 48 hours for the application site to become dry but it will be noticeable for longer.
If skin reactions occur, consult a physician and show them the veterinary medicinal product packaging.
People with a sensitive skin or known allergy in general e.g. to other veterinary medicinal products of this type should handle the veterinary medicinal product as well as treated animals with caution.
This veterinary medicinal product can cause eye irritation. In case of contact with the eyes, immediately rinse thoroughly with water.
This veterinary medicinal product is harmful after ingestion. Keep the veterinary medicinal product in the original packaging until use, in order to prevent children from getting direct access to the veterinary medicinal product. A used pipette should immediately be disposed of. In case of accidental ingestion, seek medical advice and show the package leaflet or the label to the physician.
The veterinary medicinal product is highly flammable. Keep away from heat, sparks, open flame or other sources of ignition. In case of spillage onto, for example table or floor surfaces, remove excess veterinary medicinal product using paper tissue and clean the area with detergent.
Adverse Reactions
Dogs:
Common (1 to 10 animals / 100 animals treated): | Skin reactions at the application site (Erythema, Alopecia) # |
Very rare (<1 animal / 10,000 animals treated, including isolated reports): | Lethargy, Anorexia Emesis Muscle tremor, Ataxia, Convulsion |
# mild and transient
Reporting adverse events is important. It allows continuous safety monitoring of a veterinary medicinal product. Reports should be sent, preferably via a veterinarian, to either the marketing authorisation holder or its local representative or the national competent authority via the national reporting system. See also the last section of the package leaflet for respective contact details.
Use during pregnancy or lactation
The safety of the veterinary medicinal product in breeding, pregnant and lactating dogs has been demonstrated. Can be used in breeding, pregnant and lactating dogs.
Interactions
None known.
Fluralaner is highly bound to plasma proteins and might compete with other highly bound active substances such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the coumarin derivative warfarin. Incubation of fluralaner in the presence of carprofen or warfarin in dog plasma at maximum expected plasma concentrations did not reduce the protein binding of fluralaner, carprofen or warfarin.
During laboratory and clinical field testing, no interactions between the veterinary medicinal product and routinely used veterinary medicinal products were observed.
Amounts to be administered and administration route
For spot-on use.
The veterinary medicinal product should be administered in accordance with the following table (corresponding to a dose of 25 - 56 mg fluralaner/kg body weight):
For dogs above 56 kg body weight, use a combination of two pipettes that most closely matches the body weight.
Underdosing could result in ineffective use and may favour resistance development.
Method of administration to dogs:
Step 1: Immediately before use, open the sachet and remove the pipette. Put on gloves. The pipette should be held by the base or by the upper rigid portion below the cap in an upright position (tip up) for opening it. The cap should be rotated clockwise or counter clockwise one full turn. The cap will stay on the pipette; it is not possible to remove it. The pipette is open and ready for application when the breaking of the seal is felt.
Step 2: The dog should be standing or lying with its back horizontal during application. Place the pipette tip vertically against the skin between the shoulder blades of the dog.
Step 3: Squeeze the pipette gently and apply the entire contents directly to the dog's skin in one (when volume is small) or several spots along the dog's dorsalline from the shoulder to the base of the tail. Avoid the application of more than 1 ml of solution at any oen spot as it could cause some of the solution to run or drip off the dog.
Treatment schedule:
For infestations with fleas and ticks, the need for and frequency of re-treatment(s) should be based on professional advice and should take into account the local epidemiological situation and the animal’s lifestyle.
For optimal control of tick and flea infestation, the veterinary medicinal product should be administered at intervals of 12 weeks.
For the treatment of Demodex canis mite infestations, a single dose of the veterinary medicinal product should be applied. As demodicosis is a multi-factorial disease, it is advisable to also treat any underlying disease appropriately.
For the treatment of sarcoptic mange infestations (Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis), a single dose of the veterinary medicinal product should be applied. The need for and frequency of re-treatment should be in accordance with the advice of the prescribing veterinarian.
Overdose
No adverse reactions were observed following topical administration to puppies aged 8 – 9 weeks and weighing 2.0 – 3.7 kg treated with overdoses of up to 5 times the maximum recommended dose (56 mg, 168 mg and 280 mg fluralaner/kg body weight) on three occasions at shorter intervals than recommended (8-week intervals).
There were no findings on reproductive performance and no findings of concern on offspring viability when fluralaner was administered orally to Beagle dogs at overdoses of up to 3 times the maximum recommended dose (up to 168 mg/kg body weight of fluralaner).
Fluralaner was well tolerated in Collies with a deficient multidrug-resistance-protein 1 (MDR1 -/-) following single oral administration at 3 times the maximum recommended dose (168 mg/kg body weight). No treatment-related clinical signs were observed.
Withdrawal periods
Not applicable.