Brand: TIXAFLY ® Cattle Dip & Spray
Company: COOPERS
FORMULATION: liquid concentrate for dipping and spraying animals
- Deltamethrin: 2.5% = 25 g/L
- Ethion: 12.5% = 125 g/L
CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s):
- Deltamethrin: Synthetic pyrethroid
- Ethion: Organophosphate
INDICATIONS: CATTLE
PARASITES CONTROLLED (spectrum of activity)
- Cattle (beef & dairy):
- Cattle Ticks (Rhipicephalus = Boophilus microplus) and Bush Ticks = New Zealand Ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis)
- Buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans exigua)
- Lice (Linognathus vituli, Damalinia bovis, Haematopinus eurysternus)
RECOMMENDED DOSE & USE INSTRUCTIONS
Charging
- Accurately measure the capacity of the dipping tank and spray race sump, preferable using a water meter and permanently mark a dip stick and/or the side of the dipping tank to show 400 litres changing in volume.
- Charge at the rate of 1 liter product to 500 litres of water (1:500), equivalent to deltamethrin 50 ppm* = mg/L and ethion 250 ppm* = mg/L.
* ppm = parts per million = mg/L
Replenishment / Topping up
- Plunge Dips. Replenish after every fall of 400 litres of dip wash by adding 1 litre product and 400 litres water. Topping up can be carried out at any convenient level using this replenishment rate.
- Spray Races. Constant replenishment systems should be used. For every fall of 400 litres add 250 mL product and 1'' litres of water.
- Hand Spraying. A convenient measure is to add 400 mL of product to a 200 litre drum pf water for hand spraying. Apply approx. 10 litres of wash per beast to ensure coverage. Animals should be held in a crush and strict attention paid to applying the eash to all parts of the animal's body. Wet to run off.
Routine Ectoparasite Control (NSW, NT, WA & QLD only):
For routine control of specific types of parasites on cattle apply at the following intervals:
- Cattle Ticks (Rhipicephalus = Boophilus microplus): Intervals of 21 days
- Bush Ticks = New Zealand Ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis): Intervals of 7 - 10 days
- Buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans exigua): Intervals of 21 days
Read the complete product label carefully and ensure thorough accomplishment of all the use instructions.
SAFETY
- LD50 (acute oral) in rats:
- Ethion a.i. (tech.) 47 mg/kg (according to MSDS)
- Alpha Cypermethrin a.i. >79-475 mg/kg
- Ethion a.i. (tech.) 47 mg/kg (according to MSDS)
- LD50 (acute dermal):
- Rabbit: Ethion a.i. 915 mg/kg (according to MSDS)
- Rat: Cypermethrin a.i. >2000 mg/kg
- Estimated hazard class according to the WHO: II, moderately hazardous
Suspected poisoning? Read the article on deltamethrin safety in this site.
Withholding periods (=withdrawal times) in days for meat & milk (country-specific differences may apply: read the product label)
- Meat: Australia NIL (0 days). ESI 21 days
- Milk for human consumption: Australia NOT TO BE USED on lactating dairy cattle.
WARNING !!!: Never use on humans or cats. Synthetic pyrethroids are toxic to cats!
All synthetic pyrethroids (e.g. cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, permethrin, etc.) are extremely toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. Do not contaminate dams, streams or waterways with product or used containers. Store original container, tightly closed in a safe place under lock and key. All organophosphates (incl. chlorfenvinphos) are highly toxic to birds.
You may be interested in the following articles in this site dealing with the general safety of veterinary products:
- Safety for humans
- Safety for domestic animals
- Safety for the environment
- Hazard classifications of pesticides
RESISTANCE PREVENTION
Risk of resistance? YES, resistance of cattle ticks (Rhipicephalus = Boophilus microplus) and buffalo flies (Haematobia irritans exigua) to synthetic pyrethroids is widespread in AUS and elsewhere and can be very high. Resistance of both parasites to organophosphates has also been reported in Australia but is usually less high and frequent than to synthetic pyrethroids. Multi-resistant cattle ticks, i.e. simultaneously resistant to both organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids have been also reported in Australia and elsewhere.
This means that if this product does not achieve the expected efficacy against the mentioned parasites, it may be due to resistance and not to incorrect use, although this is usually the most frequent cause of product failure.
Alternative chemical classes/active ingredients to prevent resistance of external parasites through product rotation:
- Amidines: mainly amitraz. Only againts ticks. Ticks have also developed resistance to amitraz in many countries, including Australia.
- Insect growth regulators: fluazuron. Only against ticks.
- Macrocyclic lactones (e.g. doramectin, eprinomectin, ivermectin, moxidectin, etc.) mainly as pour-ons. Injectables and all drenches are ineffective against buffalo flies. Some long acting injectables are also effective against cattle ticks.
These alternative products may not be available in all countries, or may not be available for dipping or spraying, or may not be effective against all the concerned parasites.
Learn more about resistance and how it develops.
MARKETING
Are the active ingredients of this product ORIGINAL* or GENERICS**?
- GENERICS
*Meaning that they are still patent protected and generics are not yet available
**Meaning that they have lost patent protection and may be acquired from manufacturers of generic active ingredients other than the holder of the original patent.
COUNTRIES where this brand/product is marketed: Australia
GENERIC BRANDS available? YES, with comparable mixtures of synthetic pyrethroids + organophosphates. This brand is marketed by COOPERS in Australia.
Click here to learn more about GENERIC vs. ORIGINAL drugs.
For an overview on the most used antiparasitic spray, dip & dust BRANDS click here.
COMMENTS
This product is one of the numerous liquid insecticides for spraying animals for the control of ticks and flies. Worldwide there are hundreds if not thousands of such products. Besides deltamethrin, numerous other synthetic pyrethroids are used worldwide in such products, e.g. cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, flumethrin, fenvalerate, permethrin, etc. They all have a similar spectrum of activity and a comparable safety profile. Mixtures of synthetic pyrethroids and organophosphates such as the one in this brand are less frequent.
Deltamethrin is a last-generation synthetic pyrethroid introduced by Roussel-Uclaf (BUTOX) in the late 1970s. It has a broad-spectrum of activity against insects, ticks and mites. During the last decades of the last century it has been very much used against agricultural, domestic and veterinary pests. Nowadays usage has declined because numerous pests (e.g. cattle ticks, horn & buffalo flies, houseflies, sheep body lice, fleas, mosquitoes, cockroaches, etc.) have developed resistance to most synthetic pyrethroids (incl. deltamethrin).
Ethion is a veteran broad-spectrum organophosphate introduced in the 1950s by FMC. It has been moderately used worldwide in agriculture, public hygiene and veterinary insecticides. Nowadays veterinary usage is rather scarce.
Insecticide concentrates for spraying and dipping such as this product often represent the cheapest option for insect control on animals. However the active ingredients used in such products are mostly rather old (introduced in the 1950s to 1970s) and many pests have developed resistance to them. More modern and often more effective active ingredients for the control of external parasites are often not available as concentrates but only as ready-to-use pour-ons and injectables. They are often more effective, more convenient and with a longer protection period than the concentrates, but are also more expensive and often not approved for the control of as many pests as the concentrates.
All synthetic pyrethroids and organophosphates are veteran pesticides developed in the 1950s-1970s and are basically contact insecticides. This means that when the parasite comes in contact with it (e.g. during the blood meal, after landing on a treated host, etc), the active ingredient that impregnates the host's hair coat penetrates through the cuticle (i.e. the "skin" of insects and other arthropods) into its organism and disturbs essential biological processes in the parasite's body, in this case its nervous system.
After topical administration to livestock or other mammals, both organophosphates and synthetic pyrethroids do not have a systemic mode of action, i.e. they are not transmitted to the parasite through the blood or the host. Topically administered synthetic pyrethroids are very poorly absorbed through the skin of the hosts, and what is absorbed is quickly broken down and/or excreted. Consequently the concentration reached in the blood is too low to kill blood-sucking parasites. But this is why they are considered rather safe for mammals, both humans and livestock (cats are an exception: pyrethroids are toxic to them!) and why they leave rather low residues.
For best results it is very important to ensure a complete coverage of the animals' hair coat (depending on hair coat adult cattle may need 3 to up to 10 liters product for complete wetting). This is best achieved after dipping the animals. Best alternative to dipping are spray races. Efficacy after hand spraying is often poor due to the fact that using these methods some parts of the body may not be properly treated (e.g. inside the ears, below the tail, the udders, etc.), which allows a significant number of parasites to survive, reproduce and perpetuate the infestations. To learn more about correctly dipping or spraying cattle and other livestock read the corresponding articles on dipping and spraying livestock in this site.
It is useful to know that the active ingredient of many synthetic pyrethroids consist in a mixture of various optical isomers, typically those called "cis", and those called "trans", which have different efficacy and toxicity. Deltamethrin is an exception to this because it consists of a single isomer.
DISCLAIMER
This article IS NOT A PRODUCT LABEL. It offers complementary information that may be useful to veterinary professionals and users that are not familiar with veterinary antiparasitics.
Information offered in this article has been extracted from publications issued by manufacturers, government agencies (e.g. EMEA, FDA, USDA, etc.) or in the scientific literature. No guarantee is given on its accuracy, integrity, sufficiency, actuality and opportunity, and any liability is denied. Read the site's DISCLAIMER.
In case of doubt contact the manufacturer or a veterinary professional.