Efficacy and Safety of Natural Essential Oils Mixture on Tick Infestation in Dogs

| In this study essential oils mixture (Lacecca® ) was used for treatment (control) and prevention of ticks infestation in dogs (0.25 ml/kg b.wt) orally followed by water for 3 successive days followed by 4 weeks observation period. In infested oral treated dogs, ticks and skin affections (irritation and inflammation) were decreased and disappeared gradually by treatment. Alive tick number was decreased to 75% at 6 hours from the 1st dose to reach 99.42 % at 6 hours from the 3rd dose and 100% starting from 12 hours from the 3rd dose up to 28 days. Complete disappearance of ticks from tested dogs bodies at 7, 14 and 21 days after treatment. Oral dosing of essential oils mixture (Lacecca® ) resulted in protection (100%) of dogs against ticks infestation, complete safety and no adverse effect on control and preventive group. Ticks infestation showed adverse effects on hematological values, decrease in Hb% (12.40±0.55), PCV % (37.13±1.47), TEC 106 /ml 5.29±0.03 and increase in total leucocytic count (TLC 103 /ml) 22.64±2.88 in infested dogs than in normal dogs. Infested treated group showed decrease in glucose (77.60±7.64mg/dl) and albumin (2.20±0.01g/l). Increase of total protein (7.79±0.03g/l), ALT (64.10±2.23 IU/l), AST (73.20±5.13IU/l) and ALP (140.10±2.07 IU/l00) levels than in normal dogs. Treatment with essential oils mixture improved health condition of tick infested dogs where all blood values and biochemical parameters returned to normal values. Preventive treatment with Lacecca® showed no bad changes in hematological values and biochemical parameters and it is safe in healthy and preventive group. The obtained results proved that essential oils mixture is safe, has no adverse effects and has high efficacy in both control (treatment) and prevention of tick infestation in dogs. Therefore, this study pointed out that essential oils mixture is a very promising safe and acaricidal agent for control and prevention of tick infestation in dogs