Author(s)

Gabriele Petry, Josephus Fourie, Sonja Wolken

Bayer Animal Health GmbH, Leverkusen, Germany.
ClinVet International (Pty) Ltd., Bloemfontain, Republic of South Africa.
Wolkenkonzept, Burgdorf, Germany.

There is an increased need for highly palatable oral dosage forms for dogs and cats, especially in the case of regular or chronic medications. To meet this need of easy application, the original Drontal^® Plus tablet, a broad-spectrum anthelminthic, was optimized using a novel formula. A field study was conducted to evaluate the palatability of this new Drontal^® Plus formula in comparison to a positive control product (Milbemax^® Chewable Tablets) with a well-known high palatability. The study also aimed to get a palatability claim which necessitates the conduct of appropriate studies. 150 privately owned dogs of 38 pure or mixed breeds, six months to twelve years old, and with a weight range of 5 to 50 kg were included. The study was based on a cross-over design, and a standardized acceptance test was used to evaluate and compare the palatability of the two medications. In this study 88% of dogs voluntarily consumed Drontal^® Plus Treat 10 kg, and 86.7% accepted Milbemax^® Chewable Tablets. In the majority of cases (IVP: 98%, CP: 95%) the tablets were taken directly from the owner’s hand. The new Drontal^® Plus tablet showed a high palatability compared to the Milbemax^® Chewable Tablets when used in a household study design with privately owned dogs.

Palatability, Drontal^® Plus Treat 10 kg, Milbemax^® Chewable Tablets, Acceptance Test

Petry, G. , Fourie, J. and Wolken, S. (2014) Comparison of the Palatability of a New Flavoured Drontal^® Plus Tablet (Drontal^® Plus Treat 10 kg) and Milbemax^® Chewable Tablets When Presented to Privately Owned Dogs. Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 4, 163-169. doi: 10.4236/ojvm.2014.48018.