TITLE:
Comparison of Preference Demonstrated by Dogs When Offered Two Commercially Available Oral Ectoparasiticide Products Containing either Afoxolaner (NexGard®/Frontpro®) or Lotilaner (Credelio®/AdTabTM)
AUTHORS:
Eric Tielemans, William R. Everett
KEYWORDS:
Afoxolaner, Lotilaner, Consumption, Preference, Ectoparasiticide
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.16 No.10,
October
16,
2026
ABSTRACT: Fleas and ticks infest dogs worldwide and represent major veterinary and public health issues. Their control requires repeated use of ectoparasiticide products during periods of exposure. Lack of compliance to recommended treatment regimen is a prime reason for lack of efficacy, especially when treatments need to be administered repeatedly. Isoxazoline formulations are commercially available in several palatable oral products for dogs, providing convenient and efficient solutions to control fleas, ticks and other ectoparasites. Repeated oral administrations need to be an easy experience for both the dog and its owner, to maintain compliance. It is therefore valuable for dog owners and veterinarians to know whether some products are preferred by dogs in comparison to others. The present study investigated dogs’ preference between an afoxolaner chewable tablet (NexGard®/Frontpro®, Boehringer Ingelheim) and a lotilaner chewable tablet (Credelio®/AdTabTM, Elanco). Once a day, for four consecutive days, one hundred dogs were offered the opportunity to smell both products and then choose and eat one product. This allowed a calculation of consumption rates (number of tablets voluntarily consumed) and preference rates (number of dogs expressing a preference for one product versus the other). Over the four days, 354 tablets were voluntarily consumed (88.5%). A total amount of 221 (62.4%) NexGard tablets and 133 (37.6%) Credelio tablets were consumed, making a 1.67 to 1 overall consumption ratio in favor of NexGard (p