Pheniquantel

Pheniquantel belongs to the pharmacological group of anthelmintics in combination.

The combination of praziquantel and oxfendazole in the formulation provides broad-spectrum anthelmintic activity against both larval and adult (imaginal) stages of roundworms and tapeworms parasitizing dogs, including:

Toxocara spp., Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina, Uncinaria stenocephala, Ancylostoma caninum, Trichuris vulpis, Echinococcus granulosus, Echinococcus multilocularis, Taenia spp., Dipylidium caninum, Diphyllobothrium latum, Multiceps multiceps, and Mesocestoides spp.

Praziquantel is a pyrazinoisoquinoline derivative. Its mechanism of action involves increasing calcium ion influx into parasite cells, resulting in generalized muscle contraction and paralysis of helminths. Additionally, praziquantel disrupts the integrity of the cestode tegument, rendering the parasites vulnerable to the host’s immune system.

Oxfendazole is a benzimidazole derivative with broad-spectrum activity against nematodes and cestodes. It is effective against adult forms, larvae, and eggs of gastrointestinal nematodes, as well as cestodes and Giardia. Its mechanism of action involves disruption of microtubule assembly in helminth intestinal cells and interference with energy metabolism, ultimately leading to parasite death.

Pheniquantel is administered to dogs for both treatment and prevention of:

• Nematode infections: toxocariasis, toxascariasis, uncinariasis, ancylostomiasis, trichuriasis
• Cestode infections: taeniasis, dipylidiasis, echinococcosis, diphyllobothriasis, mesocestoidosis
• Giardiasis
• Mixed nematode – cestode co-infections

Pheniquantel is administered to dogs either mixed with a small amount of feed during feeding or placed directly on the back of the tongue after feeding, at a therapeutic dose of 5-6.8 mg praziquantel and 11.25–15.3 mg oxfendazole per kg of body weight.

For the treatment and prevention of helminth infections, the drug is given once orally at the therapeutic dose.
If needed, a second deworming may be performed 10-14 days later.

For the treatment of giardiasis, the drug is administered at the therapeutic dose once daily for 3 consecutive days.
It is recommended to assess treatment efficacy after completion of the course.

Recommended doses of Pheniquantel based on the animal’s body weight are presented in the table below:

Contraindications and special instructions:
The product is not intended for use in puppies and kittens younger than 4 months, or in pregnant and lactating females.

Concomitant use with piperazine-containing products, levamisole, or cholinesterase-inhibiting agents is not recommended. It should also be avoided in animals with known hypersensitivity (including historical) to any of the drug’s components.

Pheniquantel should not be administered simultaneously with drugs that induce hepatic metabolizing enzymes (CYP450 inducers such as rifampicin, dexamethasone, and antiepileptic drugs) or with drugs that inhibit these enzymes (CYP450 inhibitors such as erythromycin, ketoconazole, and cimetidine).