New research may lead to more effective ways to control the brown dog tick, a species that can cause major problems for dogs and their owners.

University of Florida scientists say they found that the brown dog tick is resistant to permethrin, a widely used anti-tick chemical. They also found that carbon dioxide seems to be an effective way to lure ticks to bug traps.

Unlike other ticks, the brown dog tick can complete its life cycle indoors. One female brown dog tick can lay up to 5,000 eggs in its lifetime, the researchers said.

The bugs hide in hard-to-reach places. Some dog owners take desperate steps to be free of these ticks. These steps may include giving away their dogs, fumigating their homes, throwing out many possessions, or even moving, the researchers said.

"They're particularly troublesome for people who have cluttered homes, and they drive some homeowners to desperate measures in search of ways to control the tick," Phil Kaufman, an associate professor of veterinary entomology at the University of Florida, Gainesville, said in a university news release. "Eliminating places where ticks live and breed is one of the best practices for tick control."

Because the researchers found that the ticks are resistant to permethrin, pet owners and pest control companies should use the chemical fipronil. This anti-tick chemical should work in most cases, the researchers said.

However, dog owners should watch for loss of effectiveness with fipronil. An indication that fipronil isn't working is seeing ticks that appear to be alive and swelling within the month after treatment, the researchers said.

In addition to using pesticides, the researchers said vacuuming can help control ticks, too.

The finding on carbon dioxide suggests it may be possible to lure ticks from their hiding spots in nooks and crannies throughout the house to one location. This makes it easier to control them, according to Kaufman.

The results were published recently in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Source: University of Florida, news release, May 19, 2015 / Robert Preidt

Foundation For Feline Renal Research, the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation dedicated exclusively to the understanding and treatment of feline kidney disease, is pleased to announce a $20,000.00 grant to the Royal Veterinary College, London, in support of their groundbreaking study "Unravelling The Genetic Basis for Blood Pressure and Kidney Function In the Cat". This important work, which is starting now, will be led by Dr. Rosanne Jepson, BVSc (Dist) MVetMed PhD DipACVIM DipECVIM MRCVS and Dr. Jonathan Elliott, MA, Vet MB, PhD, Cert SAC, Dip ECVPT, MRCVS.

Kidney disease is one of the biggest killers of companion cats; it causes great pain and suffering, and there is no cure. As many as one in three cats will ultimately develop the disease. The goal of this study is to isolate and analyze genes that influence renal disease and hypertension (the two diseases often go hand in hand).

According to Dr. Jepson, "Kidney disease is one of the most common conditions that we see in ageing cats. Some of these cats also develop high blood pressure (hypertension) which can result in damage, particularly to their eyes, and can lead to blindness. We know that, in human medicine, there are genes that are involved in both kidney disease and hypertension. At the Royal Veterinary College we have been studying these conditions for over 20 years. Thanks to the funding provided by Foundation For Feline Renal Research, we are now in a position to use newly developed cutting edge technology to look for gene associations in almost 1000 cats. As far as we know, this will be the first and largest study looking at genes associated with kidney disease and blood pressure in older cats. It's really exciting to be starting new work that we hope will expand our knowledge of both of these important conditions."

This humane study utilizes DNA from blood samples obtained for diagnostic purposes from companion cats during the course of their regularly scheduled veterinary visits. The samples, after being used for the necessary diagnostic purposes, were preserved for use in this study with the consent of the cats' human companions.