Brand: PROFENDER ®
FORMULATION: «tablets» for oral administration; may be chewable, flavored, coated, etc, depending on the country
CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s):
- Milbemycin oxime: DEPSIPETIDE
- Praziquantel: ISOQUINOLINE
INDICATIONS: DOGS
PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity):
- Roundworms (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina), hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala), whipworms (Trichuris vulpis), tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum, Taenia spp, Echinococcus multilocularis, Echinococcus granulosus).
* Can be slightly different in some countries: read the product label!
RECOMMENDED DOSE*:
EU and other countries: min. 0.5 mg/kg emodepside and 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel
Available in tablets of different sizes:
- Tablets for small dogs: 3 mg emodepside and 15 mg praziquantel
- Tablets for medium dogs: 10 mg emodepside and 50 mg praziquantel
- Tablets for large dogs: 30 mg emodepside and 150 mg praziquantel
Recommended dosage table:
- Dogs 1.0 to 1.5 kg ≈ 2.2 to 3.3 lbs. bw: ½ tablet with 3 mg emodepside and 15 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.5 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 7.5 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >1.5 to 3.0 kg ≈ >3.3 to 6.6 lbs. bw: 1 tablet with 3 mg emodepside and 15 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 2.0 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 10.0 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >3.0 to 4.5 kg ≈ >6.6 to 9.9 lbs. bw: 1½ tablet with 3 mg emodepside and 15 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.5 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 7.5 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >4.5 to 6.0 kg ≈ >9.9 to 13.2 lbs. bw: 2 tablets, each with 3 mg emodepside and 15 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.3 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 6.7 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >6.0 to 10.0 kg ≈ >13.2 to 22.2 lbs. bw: 1 tablet with 10 mg emodepside and 50 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.7 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 8.3 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >10.0 to 15.0 kg ≈ >22.2 to 33 lbs. bw: 1½ tablet with 10 mg emodepside and 50 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.5 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 7.5 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >15.0 to 20.0 kg ≈ >33 to 44 lbs. bw: 2 tablets with 10 mg emodepside and 50 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.3 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 6.7 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >20.0 to 30.0 kg ≈ >44 to 66 lbs. bw: 1 tablet with 30 mg emodepside and 150 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.5 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 7.5 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >30.0 to 45.0 kg ≈ >66 to 99 lbs. bw: 1½ tablet with 30 mg emodepside and 150 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.5 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 7.5 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
- Dogs >45.0 to 60.0 kg ≈ >99 to 132 lbs. bw: 2 tablets with 30 mg emodepside and 150 mg praziquantel (equivalent to 1.3 - 1.0 mg/kg emodepside and 6.7 - 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
* Can be slightly different in some countries: read the product label!
SAFETY
- LD50 (acute oral) in rats: n.a. for the tablets. 500 to 1000 mg/kg for emodepside a.i., and 2000 - 3000 mg/kg for praziquantel a.i.
- Estimated Hazard Class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines
Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on emodepside safety and/or on praziquantel safety in this site.
Never use on cats tablets approved only for use on dogs, and vice-versa. Never use on cats or small dogs tablets approved for large dogs. Learn more about tablets and their safety.
WARNING! Dogs of some breeds do not tolerate emodepside and other drugs (e.g. macrocyclic lactones like ivermectin, milbemycin oxime, moxidectin, selamectin) that can cross the blood-brain barrier. They can suffer more or less serious adverse effects if treated at dose rates slightly higher than the recommended ones. Consequently dosing must be as accurate as possible. This is the case for Collies and related breeds, which have a mutation in the MDR-1 gene that affects the blood-brain barrier and makes it more permeable to such compounds than in dogs without this mutation. Besides Collies, other dog breeds have shown similar problems, although the MDR-1 mutation has not been confirmed in all of them. The breeds more affected by this mutation are (% frequency): Collie (70%), Long-haired Whippet (65%), Australian Shepherd (50%, also mini), McNab (30%), Silken Windhound (30%), English Shepherd (15%), Shetland Sheepdog (15%), English Shepherd (15%), German Shepherd (10%), Herding Breed Cross (10%). Other less affected breeds are: Old English Sheepdog, Border Collie, Berger Blanc Suisse, Bobtail, Wäller. The only way to be sure that a dog breed is affected by this mutation or not, is to test for it. As more dogs are tested it is likely that the mutation is discovered in other breeds, or that the frequencies change.
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 development? NO
There are no reports of resistance or tolerance of roundworms, hookworms or whipworms to emodepside.
There are no reports on resistance of pet tapeworms to praziquantel.
Learn more about resistance and how it develops.
MARKETING
Are the active ingredients of this product ORIGINAL* or GENERICS**?
- Emodepside: GENERIC (introduced in the 1990s)
- Praziquantel: GENERIC (introduced in the 1970s)
*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 product is marketed: EU, Australia, Canada and other countries.
GENERIC BRANDS available? NO
Click here to learn more about GENERIC vs. ORIGINAL drugs.
COMMENTS
PROFENDER is one of BAYER's original wormers for dogs in the form of tablets containing emodepside and praziquantel.
Emodepside is a broad-spectrum nematicide belonging to the chemical class of the depsipeptides introduced in the 1990s (by BAYER). It is used only on pets, not in livestock or agriculture. It is effective against the most important parasitic worms of dogs, such as roundworms (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina), hookworms (Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala) and whipworms (Trichuris vulpis). Emodepside is not effective against tapeworms.
Praziquantel is a veteran isoquinoline anthelmintic introduced in the 1970s (by BAYER). It adds efficacy against tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum, Taenia spp, Echinococcus multilocularis, Mesocestoides spp) but has no efficacy whatsoever against roundworms, hookworms or whipworms. It is the anthelmintic most vastly used on pets against tapeworms.
PROFENDER is also available for cats in the form of a spot-on for topical administration.
For an overview and a list of the most popular pet wormers click here.
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.