October 2008
Edited
by:
Dennis Scott BVSc MACVSc
Ethical
Agents Ltd 54 Hobill Ave Wiri PO Box 97-110
SAMC
Ph 09-262-1388
Fax 09-262-1411 Freephone
0800 800-624
email eage@xtra.co.nz website
www.ethicalagents.co.nz
Inside this issue:
NEW fipronil spray in the flea market.
Why mix IGRs with a contact killer?
Do we really have to treat fleas all year round?
Comparing sprays and spot-ons, efficacy may be an issue.
There are always certain dogma, in both the pharmacological and, especially, the therapeutic field that are well held but not necessarily true.
A great example is the idea, which was almost an article of faith for several decades, that penicillin and streptomycin exhibited synergy when used in combination.
Recent work has shown that, while it is almost impossible to prove a negative, this tenet about penicillin and streptomycin synergy is no longer held.
Other mind sets are harder to shift, such as one NSAID can fit
every occasion; rationalizing inventories should always be the job of the clinician not the accountant.
Some beliefs are quite simply the result of heavy marketing, sometimes with some good scientific backing and sometimes the backing information is not enthusiastically endorsed by all in the academic world.
An example would be ACE inhibitors for chronic renal failure; there is some data there but the jury is out for many as is the case for peri-operative use of NSAIDs. The trial work has been done but not accepted by many clinicians and academics
This is of course a good thing; we, as veterinarians, are taught to question and if we didn’t many would still be firing horses or blowing up cows udders.
This newsletter thus challenges some recent ideas that are being promoted heavily as articles of faith in the treatment of fleas.
High class generics making treatment more affordable is the name of the game. Price alone however is not always the best reason to change but a good generic that has value added makes for a top product.
A special spray that is easy to use, even inverted, and does not leak, lifts Fiprovet Spray above being a simple generic.
Well done Troy!
