Brand: VELOXA ®

Company: BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM (MERIAL)


FORMULATION: «tablets» for oral administration; may be chewable, flavored, coated, etc, depending on the country

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S):

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s):


INDICATIONS: DOGS

PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity):


RECOMMENDED DOSE*:

UK and other countries: 15 mg/kg bodyweight febantel, 5 mg/kg pyrantel (as embonate) and 5 mg/kg praziquantel. 

  • Small tablets for small and medium dogs* with 150 mg febantel, 50 mg pyrantel and 50 mg praziquantel
  • Large tablets XL for large dogs * with 525 mg febantel, 175 mg pyrantel and 175 mg praziquantel
  • Dogs 2.5 to 5 kg bw: ½ small tablet (equivalent to 30.0 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 10.0 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 10.0 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs >5 to 10 kg bw: 1 small tablet (equivalent to 30.0 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 10.0 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 10.0 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs >10 to 15 kg bw: small tablets (equivalent to 22.5 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 7.5 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 7.5 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs >15 to 20 kg bw: 2 small tablets (equivalent to 20.0 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 6.7 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 6.7 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs >20 to 25 kg bw: small tablets (equivalent to 18.75 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 6.25 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 6.25 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs 17.5 kg bw: ½ large tablet (equivalent to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs >17.5 to 35 kg bw: 1 large tablet (equivalent to 30.0 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 10 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 10 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs >35 to 52.5 kg bw: large tablets (equivalent to 22.5 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 7.5 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 7.5 to 5.0 mg/kg praziquantel)
  • Dogs 52.5 to 70 kg bw: 2 large tablets (equivalent to 20.0 to 15.0 mg/kg febantel, 6.7 to 5.0 mg/kg pyrantel and 6.7 to 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. 1760 mg/kg for febantel; >5000 mg/kg for pyrantel; 2840 mg/kg for praziquantel
  • Estimated Hazard Class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on febantel safety, pyrantel safety and/or praziquantel safety in this site.

Never use on cats tablets approved only for use on dogs, and vice-versa. Never use on small dogs tablets approved for large dogs. Learn more about tablets and their safety.

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


RESISTANCE PREVENTION

Risk of resistance development? NO

There are reports on resistance of Ancylostoma spp to pyrantel in dogs and horses, but so far it does not seem to be widespread, and the simultaneous administration of a benzimidazole (febantel) with a different mechanism of action than pyrantel should ensure efficacy against potentially pyrantel-resistant worms.

There are no reports on resistance of roundworms to febantel, nor of tapeworms to praziquantel.

Learn more about resistance and how it develops.


MARKETING

Are the active ingredients of this product ORIGINAL* or 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 product is marketed: UK, Ireland and other EU countries
GENERIC BRANDS available? YES, in many countries.

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


COMMENTS

VELOXA is a generic all-round dewormer for dogs, containing febantel, pyrantel, and praziquantel, effective against roundworms and tapeworms. It is a generic version of DRONTAL from BAYER (now ELANCO).

Febantel is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic belonging to the chemical class of the benzimidazoles that was introduced in the 1970s (by BAYER). In fact it is a pro-benzimidazole (a so-called pro-drug) that becomes a benzimidazole only once ingested by the host. It is transformed into fenbendazole in the stomach and the intestine of the host, shortly after ingestion. Febantel is effective against numerous roundworms (e.g. Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina), hookworms (e.g. Ancylostoma caninum, A. braziliense, Uncinaria stenocephala), and whipworms (Trichuris vulpis). Febantel is moderately used in livestock, but not in agriculture.

Pyrantel is a narrow-spectrum anthelmintic belonging to the chemical class of the tetrahydropyrimidines that was introduced in the 1960s (by PFIZER → ZOETIS). It  is effective against roundworms and a few tapeworms (depending on the dose) in the gut, but not against those in other organs (e.g. the lungs, the skin, etc). It adds efficacy against important dog worms such as the roundworms Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina, the hookworms Ancylostoma caninum and Uncinaria stenocephala. It is used a lot in pets and horses but rarely in livestock. It is not used in agriculture.

Praziquantel is a veteran isoquinoline anthelmintic introduced in the 1970s (by BAYER). It is still the most effective and most vastly used parasiticide against tapeworms, but without any efficacy against roundworms, fleas or ticks. Praziquantel adds efficacy against tapeworms (Dipylidium caninumTaenia pisiformis, Echinococcus granulosusEchinococcus multilocularis) but has no efficacy whatsoever against roundworms, hookworms or whipworms. It is the anthelmintic most vastly used against tapeworms on pets. There are hundreds of antiparasitic brands for pets containing praziquantel. It is not used in agriculture.

Pyrantel, praziquantel, all the benzimidazoles (e.g. febantel, albendazole, mebendazole, etc.), piperazine, and other anthelmintics have no residual effect, i.e. they act against the worms during a few hours after administration but are quickly metabolized and excreted. For this reason treatment must often be repeated for certain indications. This is in contrast with wormers containing macrocyclic lactones (e.g. milbemycin oxime, selamectin) that ensure efficacy against numerous roundworms during weeks after a single treatment.

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.