FLUKECARE + Se, Anthelmintic Drench for CATTLE & SHEEP - VIRBAC - oxfendazole 4.53% + triclabendazole 12%, benzimidazoles

Brand: FLUKECARE ® + SE

Company: VIRBAC

FORMULATION: «drench» for oral administration.

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S):

  • Oxfendazole: 45.3 g/L (=4.53%)
  • Triclabendazole: 120 g/L (=12%)
  • Selenium (as sodium selenate): 2.4 g/L (0.24%): no anthelmintic efficacy

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): benzimidazoles

INDICATIONS: CATTLE & SHEEP

PARASITES CONTROLLED (spectrum of activity)

Cattle

Sheep

RECOMMENDED DOSE

  • 1 ml product/10 kg bw, equivalent to: oxfendazole 4.53 mg/kg bw, and triclabendazole 12 mg/kg bw
  • Read the product label for further details on dosing

SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats:
    • oxfendazole >6400 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
    • triclabendazole: >8000 mg/kg (for the a.i.)
  • Estimated hazard class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on oxfendazole safety and/or triclabendazole safety in this site.

Withholding periods (=withdrawal times) in days for meat & milk (country-specific differences may apply: read the product label)

  • Meat: New Zealand:
    • Interval between treatments >28 days: cattle & sheep 28 days
    • Interval between treatments <28 days: cattle & sheep 56 days
  • Milk: New Zealand: Milk intended for sale for human consumption must be discarded during treatment and for not less than 35 days following the last treatment. Not to be used within 28 days of calving or lambing.

WARNING !!!: Never use on humans, dogs or cats

You may be interested in the following articles in this site dealing with the general safety of veterinary products:

RESISTANCE PREVENTION

Risk of resistance? YES, resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms to all benzimidazoles (incl. oxfendazole) in ruminants is a very serious and increasing problem worldwide, particularly in sheep and goats, but also in cattle. The most affected worm species are:

This means that if this product does not achieve the expected efficacy against the mentioned parasites, it can be due to resistance and not to incorrect use, which is usually the most frequent cause of product failure.

Alternative chemical classes/active ingredients to prevent resistance of gastrointestinal roundworms through product rotation:

Risk of resistance of Fasciola hepatica to triclabendazole: YES. Resistance of liver flukes to triclabendazole (and albendazole) in sheep was already discovered in the mid 1990's in Australia. Since then it has been reported in several other countries (e.g. New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Spain, Argentina), also in cattle (e.g. Australia, The Netherlands, Argentina). However, the incidence so far is not that serious as for roundworm resistance to benzimidazoles and other nematicides. Nevertheless, in certain regions products with triclabendazole may not protect livestock adequately against liver flukes.

Alternative chemical classes/active ingredients to prevent resistance of liver flukes through product rotation:

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, which is usually the most frequent cause of product failure.

Alternative products may not be available in all countries, or may not be available as drenches.

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: New zealand
GENERIC BRANDS available? Yes a few ones, perhaps not with the same composition. This product itself contains generic oxfendazole and triclabendazole.

Click here to learn more about GENERIC vs. ORIGINAL drugs.

For an overview on the most used antiparasitic pour-on brands click here.

COMMENTS

FLUKECARE PLUS SE for Cattle & Sheep from VIRBAC is a classic oral drench combining generic oxfendazole (mainly nematicide) with generic triclabendazole (only flukicide). Selenium has no anthelmintic efficacy whatsoever.

Oxfendazole is a veteran benzimidazole introduced in the 1970s (by WELLCOME, SYNTEX). It has a broad-spectrum of activity against roundworms (gastrointestinal and pulmonary) & tapeworms, but is ineffective against flukes. Oxfendazole also kills eggs of roundworms (ovicidal activity). As all benzimidazoles, oxfendazole has no efficacy whatsoever against external parasites (ticks, flies, lice, mites, etc). Among the benzimidazoles oxfendazole is quite comparable with fenbendazole in terms of efficacy and safety. It is moderately used in livestock and horses, rather scarcely in pets, and not at all in agriculture.

Triclabendazole is a narrow-spectrum benzimidazole introduced in the 1970s (by CIBA-GEIGY). It has no efficacy against roundworms or tapeworms. However it was and remains the only flukicide effective against adults as well as all immature stages of liver flukes, which are the most damaging stages due to their destructive migration through the liver tissues. For this reason it has been for decades and still remains the most widely used livestock flukicide worldwide. It is ineffectivy against any external parasites (ticks, flies, lice, mites, etc) of livestock. It is abundantly used in ruminants, but not in other livestock, horses or pets. It is also used in human medicines. It is not used in agriculture.

Because it is effective against all stages of immature flukes, triclabendazole is appropriate for treating acute fascioliasis caused my massive infections with fluke larvae migrating through the liver.

As all benzimidazoles (and many other anthelmintics such as levamisole, monepantel, and tetrahydropyrimidines), oxfendazole and  triclabendazole administered as a drench have no residual effect, i.e. they kill the parasites shortly after administration, but do not significantly protect the animals against re-infestation by infective stages in their environment.

The combination of oxfendazole and triclabendazole makes sense because it extends the spectrum of activity of both active ingredients.

In ruminants, reducing the amount of feed slows down the exit flow of the rumen and prolongs the time during which the active ingredient remains there and is absorbed. Consequently it is advisable to reduce the access of animals to feed (especially to fresh pasture, not to water) 24 hours before administration. For the same reason, it is better to keep the animals away from food for about 6 hours after drenching. However sick or weak animals should not be kept away from food and fasting animals should have access to water.

Thoroughly shaking suspensions before use is crucial for efficacy. If the active ingredient remains in the sediment, a few animals may get most of the active ingredient and will be overdosed, and the large majority will get almost only solvents and will be underdosed.

Click here for general information on good practices for the prevention and control of gastrointestinal worms in livestock.

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.

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