Margaret Anne Fisher, BVetMed, CBiol,
MIBiol, MRCVSa
Efficacy of Imidacloprid
on Ferrets Experimentally
Infested with the Cat Flea,
Ctenocephalides felis
Introduction: Using Imidacloprid
in Other Species
Fleas are a well-recognized cause of nuisance and disease in a
wide variety of mammals and birds. Although there is a wide range
of authorized products available for the prophylaxis, treatment, and
control of fleas on cats and dogs, there is often a lack of treatments
and/or indications for other host species. Therefore control of fleas
in other species is more problematic, requiring qualified guesses
about likely success and safety of any proposed treatment.
There are few medicines with indications for ferrets, despite the
popularity of keeping ferrets in the U.S., U.K., and other parts of
Europe. Therapy for fleas on ferrets could seem unnecessary as there
is no species of “ferret flea,” although it is recognized that ferrets
may occasionally become infested with fleas from their prey. How-
ever, since ferrets are kept as household pets, the ubiquitous cat flea,
Ctenocephalides felis felis, has adopted the ferret as an additional host
species.
Flea infestation in ferrets can produce the disease entities nor-
mally associated with flea infestation in dogs and cats. For example,
flea-infested ferrets may develop signs of hypersensitivity that
include the development of lesions similar to those found in cats:
papulocrustous dermatitis and self-inflicted alopecia.1 It is unknown
how satisfactory a ferret host is for a cat flea, though it is clear from
the studies described here that individual cat fleas can survive well
on ferrets.
There does not appear to be much guidance in the literature
about treating ferrets with fleas. A letter to The Veterinary Record2
reported the successful treatment of 50 ferrets with diazinon 20%
w/v (Droplix; Virbac) at dose rates of 0.1 ml for ferrets weighing
between 600 to 1500 g and 0.15 ml for ferrets over 1500 g. Unfor-
tunately, this treatment is no longer available. Textbooks tend to
recommend treatment for ferrets, any in-contact ferrets, and their
environment the same as for cats.1
Following studies showing successful control of fleas in cats and
dogs, Fox speculated that topical imidacloprid might be useful for
Suppl Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet Vol. 23, No. 4(A), 2001
Dennis E. Jacobs, BVMS, PhD, FRCVS,
FRCPathb
Melanie J. Hutchinson, BSc, HND(Agric)b
a
John W. McCall, MS, PhDc
Independent Consultant in Veterinary Parasitology,
b
Melvern, Worcester, UK
The Royal Veterinary College (University of
London), North Mymms, UK
c
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of
Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
controlling fleas on ferrets in the second edition of his book Biology
and Diseases of the Ferret.3
Studies Investigating the Use of
Topical Imidacloprid in Ferrets
Two studies have recently been conducted to examine the safety
and efficacy of imidacloprid 10% against the cat flea, C. felis, on
European ferrets, Mustela putorius furo. In the first (U.K.) study, imi-
dacloprid was applied at a dose rate of 10 mg/kg bodyweight, while
in the second (U.S.) trial, one 0.4 ml pipette was applied to each
animal.
Methods
U.K. Study
This study was conducted by Prof. Dennis Jacobs and Mel
Hutchinson at the Royal Veterinary College, London. Twelve fer-
rets (six males and six females) were allocated to two groups on the
basis of their Day –7 flea counts and sex. Treatment was randomly
allocated per group:
Group 1—Untreated control
Group 2—Treated with imidacloprid
Each ferret was infested with 60 unfed adult C. felis on the day
before allocation and the day before treatment, followed by once
weekly infestations of 60 adult fleas from Day 7 to Day 28. Flea
counts were performed prior to allocation, then 8 and 24 hours post-
treatment. Subsequent counts were carried out 24 hours after each
weekly infestation. Fleas removed by combing were not returned to
the ferret except after the +8 hour combing on Day 0 (Figure 1A).
On Day 0, the ferrets were weighed, and then those in Group 2
each were treated with imidacloprid spot-on 10% w/v in the com-
mercial formulation Advantage® 40 for cats. The dose rate of 10
mg/kg (0.1 ml/kg) was precisely measured using a micropipette and
applied directly onto the skin at the base of the skull.
Second International Flea Control Symposium
 Day –7 –6 –1 0 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29
Ferrets infected with fleas + + + + + +
Fleas counted ❍ ● (+8 hours ❍ ❍ ❍ ❍ ❍
posttreatment)
Treatment X
❍ Fleas counted and removed.
● Fleas counted and replaced.

Figure 1A

Day –4 –3 0 6 7 13 14 20 21 27 28
Ferrets infected with fleas + + + + +
Fleas counted ❍ ❍ ❍ ❍ ❍
Treatment X
❍ Fleas counted and removed.

Figure 1B
Figure 1—Study sequence. (A) U.K. study, (B) U.S. study.

Throughout the study the ferrets were kept in individual cages
on wood shavings. They were fed canned cat food and a dry diet,
with constant access to water.
Treated ferrets were observed for the first hour after treatment
and at subsequent feeding times for signs of any visible side effects.
The application site was observed each time flea counts were per-
formed. At the end of the study all ferrets were retreated with imi-
dacloprid to ensure that no fleas remained.
U.S. Study
The second study was carried out by John W. McCall at TRS
Labs, Inc., Athens, Georgia, USA. In this trial a total of 16 ferrets
were used: 10 intact males and 6 neutered females. The ferrets were
ranked by weight within sex then allocated to two groups, consist-
ing of 8 animals each:
Group 1—Untreated control group
Group 2—Treated with imidacloprid
On Day 0, a single pipette of the commercial formulation Advan-
tage® 40 for cats containing 0.4 ml imidacloprid 10% was applied to
the ferrets of Group 2 onto the skin at the base of the skull.
Each of the 16 ferrets was infested with 50 adult fleas on Days –4,
6, 13, 20, and 27. The fleas were applied below the lateral midline
of the body. Comb counts were conducted on Days –3, 7, 14, 21, and
28 and all fleas removed were discarded (Figure 1B).
All individuals collecting data were blinded to treatment. The
ferrets were observed prior to treatment and at 0.5, 2, 4, 8, and 24
hours after treatment, and then at least once a day for the remain-
der of the study.
Each animal was identified with a unique ear tag and housed
individually in a mosquito-proof cage. All ferrets were handled sim-
ilarly and with due regard for their welfare. Throughout the study
the ferrets were fed with Teklad Cat Diet ad libitum and had access
to water ad libitum as well.
In both the U.S. and U.K. study, efficacy of treatment at each
time point was calculated by comparing the geometric mean flea
counts of the treated and control groups. Efficacy was calculated at
each assessment point using the formula:
(C – T)
% Efficacy = × 100
C
where T = Geometric mean flea count in the treated group and C
= Geometric mean flea count in the control group.
Results
In both studies, no abnormalities were observed after treatment
and all ferrets remained normal throughout.
Recovery of live fleas from the untreated ferrets was remarkable
as compared to recovery in cats, for example. In the U.K. study,
between 77% and 92% of fleas were counted on each occasion and
in the U.S. study between 87.8% and 100% of fleas were accounted
for.
Bodyweights of treated male ferret ranged from 0.85 to 1.1 kg
(U.S.) and 1.41 to 1.61 kg (U.K.). The smaller female ferrets
weighed between 0.6 to 0.7 kg (U.S.) and 0.79 to 1.05 kg (U.K.).
Therefore, in the U.K. study, actual dose rates administered were 10
mg/kg body weight but in the U.S. study the dose rate ranged from
36.4 to 47.05 mg/kg for males and 57.1 to 66.6 mg/kg for females.
Percentage efficacies calculated from the geometric counts are

TNAVC, January 2001 Suppl Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet Vol. 23, No. 4(A), 2001
 100
80
% Efficacy
60
40
20
0
0 1 8 15 22 29
(+8 hours)
Day Posttreatment
Figure 2A
Figure 2—(A) Efficacy of imidacloprid (dose rate of 10 mg/kg spot-on Advantage® per ferret) against C. felis fleas (U.K. study). (B) Effica-
cy of imidacloprid (dose rate of one 0.4 ml 10% Advantage® pipette per ferret) against C. felis fleas (U.S. study).
shown in Figure 2. Efficacy against a flea infestation present at the
time of treatment, assessed in the U.K. study, was >95% by 8 hours
and 100% by 24 hours after treatment. One week after treatment
efficacy against a challenge infestation applied 24 hours previously
remained >90% in both studies. However, thereafter efficacy
declined, most rapidly in the U.K. study where on Day 15 efficacy
was 55%. At the end of the study, 4 weeks posttreatment, residual
efficacy in the U.S. study was 72%.
Discussion
Recovery of fleas at 24 hours after infestation in control ferrets
was reasonably consistent and remarkably high, much higher than
that normally achieved in cats, where, for example, about 50%
recovery after 24 hours may be achieved.4 In cats, the number of
fleas retained has been demonstrated to be related to grooming
activity, with those better at grooming removing a larger proportion
of their flea population.5 Flea longevity was markedly prolonged on
cats where grooming activity was prevented.6 Marshall suggested
that large populations of ectoparasites were related to decreased
grooming behavior; thus it may be that ferrets groom less or less
effectively than cats.7
The studies demonstrated that imidacloprid was well tolerated
when administered at a dose rate of 10 mg/kg or one 0.4 ml pipette per
animal. A dose rate was highly effective at killing an established flea
burden and retained good activity for a period of 1 week after treat-
ment, when good efficacy is defined as 90% or more. At one 0.4 ml
pipette per animal, the duration of good efficacy was extended up to 3
Suppl Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet Vol. 23, No. 4(A), 2001
100
80
% Efficacy
60
40
20
0
7 14 21 28
Day Posttreatment
Figure 2B
weeks after treatment. Duration of activity therefore appears to be dose
related, with increased dose rate extending the useful activity.
One application may be sufficient to obtain control of a flea prob-
lem, possibly administered in conjunction with environmental con-
trol. These studies provide a valuable addition to the information
available to those interested in ectoparasite treatments for ferrets.
Conclusion
Topical imidacloprid (Advantage®), administered at a dose rate
of 10 mg/kg or one 0.4 ml 10% pipette per ferret, was well tolerated
in a total of 20 ferrets that received a total of 26 doses. The treat-
ment was effective in removing an established flea population and
excellent efficacy was maintained against subsequent flea challenge
for 1 week after application at 10 mg/kg and 3 weeks after treatment
with one 0.4 ml pipette of 10% w/v imidacloprid.
References
1. Scott DW, Miller WH, Griffin CE: Muller and Kirk’s Small Animal Der-
matology, ed. 5. Philadelphia, WB Saunders, 1995.
2. Oxenham M: Flea control in ferrets. Vet Rec 138:372, 1996.
3. Fox JG: Biology and Diseases of the Ferret, ed. 5. Baltimore, Williams and
Wilkins, 1998.
4. Jacobs DE et al: Duration of the activity of imidacloprid, a novel adulti-
cide for flea control, against Ctenocephalides felis on cats. Vet Rec 140:259-
260, 1997.
5. Hinkle NC et al: Host grooming efficacy for regulation of cat flea
(Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) populations. J Med Entomol 35:266-269, 1998.
6. Dryden MW: Host association, on-host longevity and egg production of
Ctenocephalides felis felis. Vet Parasitol 34:117-122, 1989.
7. Marshall AG: The Ecology of Ectoparasitic Insects. London, Academic
Press, 1981.
Second International Flea Control Symposium