Abstract Background Both Simparica® and Simparica TRIO® chewable tablets are efficacious within 12 h against existing Ixodes scapularis infestations and within 24 h against re-infestations for 1 month. It is therefore expected that treatment with either product prevents Lyme infections due to their efficacy against I. scapularis ticks before the anticipated transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi by infected ticks. Methods In total, four laboratory studies were conducted in which dogs were randomly allocated to two treatment groups of 10 dogs each. On day 0, dogs were either administered a placebo treatment (Pet-Tabs® Palatable Vitamin-Mineral Supplement for Dogs), Simparica TRIO tablets at the minimum dose of 1.2 mg/kg sarolaner, 24 μg/kg moxidectin and 5 mg/kg pyrantel (study 1 and 2) or Simparica at the minimum dose of 2 mg/kg sarolaner (study 3 and 4). On post-treatment day 28, each dog was infested with approximately 50 unfed, wild-caught adult I. scapularis ticks with a high B. burgdorferi infection rate. Blood samples were collected from each prior dog to treatment and on post-treatment days 27, 49, 63, 77, 91 and 104, and qualitatively tested for B. burgdorferi antibodies using the SNAP® 4Dx Plus and Lyme Quant C6® antibody tests. Four skin biopsies from each dog were collected on day 104 from the most common areas of tick attachment and tested by PCR for the quantitative presence of B. burgdorferi. Results In all studies, at least nine out of 10 placebo-treated dogs were infected with B. burgdorferi before the end of the study. In study 1, one Simparica Trio-treated dog tested positive, whereas in the other studies none of the dogs treated with sarolaner tested positive at any time point during the study. Conclusions Both Simparica and Simparica Trio at the minimum label dose prevent the transmission of B. burgdorferi infections as a direct result of killing the I. scapularis vector ticks. Graphical Abstract
Abstract Background The swine industry is under increasing pressure to adopt meaningful animal welfare improvement strategies, yet implementation remains challenging due to competing operational demands and the economic costs associated with many welfare interventions in a pork market that is often volatile. Although good animal welfare is known to enhance productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability, clearer stakeholder understanding of these relationships is needed to support industry decision making for broader adoption of welfare strategies. This pilot study examined how pork industry stakeholders perceive animal welfare and its role in business decisions related to sustainable production by assessing: [1] how producers and swine veterinarians define animal welfare and the metrics they use to monitor it on-farm; [2] stakeholder understanding of how management procedures influence welfare, whether decisions are driven by welfare or productivity concerns, and whether barriers to implementation exist; and [3] stakeholder perceptions of the relationships between welfare and broader sustainability metrics. Results Concept elicitation interviews with open-ended questions were conducted to capture firsthand stakeholder experiences with on-farm welfare management. Ten participants were interviewed; four experienced swine managers and six veterinarians, including seven from Canada and three from the United States. Interviews elicited detailed descriptions of participants’ definitions of animal welfare, the management practices they implemented and the motivations behind management decisions, welfare and productivity indicators used, perceived impacts of management practices on staff well-being, and views on the interconnections between welfare, production performance, and overall business sustainability. Producers generally did not provide a clear definition of animal welfare, but referenced welfare indicators they use to assess welfare; these being primarily visible, physical measures related to economically relevant performance metrics. Respondents acknowledged the value of good welfare for profitability and staff well-being, however, welfare considerations typically remained secondary to economic priorities, and practices involving upfront costs were rarely adopted unless mandated. Conclusions This study highlights that although animal welfare is widely recognized as important to sustainable pork production, its role is not yet fully understood or embedded within the workplace culture or business models of pork production systems.
Haemaphysalis longicornis (Asian longhorned tick) is an invasive species now established in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic USA. It feeds on mammalian wildlife, livestock, birds, cats, dogs, and humans. Simparica® and Simparica Trio® contain sarolaner, a drug in the isoxazoline class, with activity against fleas, ticks, and mites. Two laboratory studies were conducted using 30 dogs each, randomized into three groups (n = 10/group): placebo (Pet Tabs®), Simparica Trio (minimum dose: 1.2 mg/kg sarolaner, 24 µg/kg moxidectin, 5 mg/kg pyrantel, as pamoate salt), and Simparica (minimum dose: 2.0 mg/kg sarolaner). Treatments were administered once orally on Day 0 according to the approved commercial dosing directions. Each dog was infested with 50 (± 5) unfed viable adult female H. longicornis on Days -2, 7, 14, 21, 30, 37, 49, and 63, and ticks were counted with removal and categorization at 48 h after treatment and each subsequent infestation. Ectoparasitic efficacy was calculated on the basis of the reduction in arithmetic mean of live and dead tick counts in each of the treated groups versus the untreated control group for every time point post infestation. Adequate challenge was demonstrated in both studies on the basis of live tick counts at each time point. For all sarolaner-treated groups, mean live counts were significantly (P ≤ 0.0005) lower than those for the placebo at all time points. For Simparica, in Study 1, the percentage reductions were 100
