Retrospective Study of the use of Moxidectin in the Treatment of Canine Demodicosis at the Veterinary Hospital of Sao Paulo State University - UNESP - Jaboticabal Campus - Brazil
*Marlos Goncalves Sousa, Daniel Guimaraes Gerardi, Andrea Cristina Higa, Pedro Paulo Vissoto de Paiva Diniz, Mirela Tinucci Costa, Aparecido Antonio Camacho
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of moxidectin in the treatment of Canine Demodicosis, performing a retrospective study of its use at the diagnosed cases at the Veterinary Hospital of Sao Paulo State University - UNESP - Jaboticabal Campus.
MATERIALS
Since January 2000, Moxidectin has been widely used to treat Canine Demodicosis at the Veterinary Hospital of UNESP - Jaboticabal Campus. Since then until March 2002, 57 cases of this disease were diagnosed, of whom 51 were treated with Moxidectin, using a dose of 0,5 to 1,0 mg/kg each 3 days, per oral, for at least 30 days.
RESULTS
Among the 51 animals that received this medication, 41,17% showed improvement, as well as regression of skin lesions, following repilation, within 1 month of treatment. The remaining 56,84% showed improvement within 2 months of treatment. Out of all cases where Moxidectin was used, we only observed 3 cases of side effects, which were all related to neurotoxicosis of the drug, which included motor incoordination, muscle shakings and proprioception deficits. All side effects manifested a few time after the ingestion of the drug and disappeared after it was discontinued. It is important to remember that among the cases where side effects occurred, the 1,0 mg/kg dose was being used, and in one of them, decreasing it to 0,5 mg/kg was enough to abolish those adverse effects.
CONCLUSION
According to our experience in using Moxidectin to treat Canine Demodicosis, it is possible to conclude that it is a efficient drug to treat that disease, since it shows a quick response, has an easy administration way, and moreover, showed few incidence of side effects.