Brand: PANACUR ® SMALL ANIMAL 2.5% oral Suspension

Company: MSD ANIMAL HEALTH


FORMULATION: oral suspension

ACTIVE INGREDIENT(S): FENBENDAZOLE 2.5% w/v  mg/g (=25 mg/mL)

CHEMICAL CLASS of the active ingredient(s): BENZIMIDAZOLE


INDICATIONS: DOGS and CATS


PARASITES CONTROLLED* (spectrum of activity):


RECOMMENDED DOSE*:

UK and other countries:

  • Adult dogs & cats: 4 ml per 1 kg body weight as a single oral dose (= 100 mg fenbendazole/kg body weight). The dose should be added to feed, directly before feeding or administered by mouth directly after feeding.
  • Puppies and kittens under six months of age: 2 ml per kg body weight daily for 3 consecutive days given by mouth directly after feeding to unweaned animals or added to feed for weaned animals, directly before feeding (= 50 mg fenbendazole/kg bodyweight daily for 3 days).
  • Pregnant dogs: 1 ml per 1 kg body weight daily from day 40 of pregnancy continuously to 2 days post-whelping (approximately 25 days) (= 25 mg fenbendazole/kg body weight daily).
  • Pregnant cats: Pregnant cats can be safely treated but only require a single treatment at the routine adult dose rate. Administer 4ml per kg body weight as a single dose.
    (=100mg fenbendazole/kg body weight).
  • For the treatment of clinical worm infestations in adult dogs and cats or Giardia spp infections in dogs, administer 2 ml per kg body weight daily for 3 consecutive days.
    (= 50 mg fenbendazole/kg body weight daily for 3 days)
  • For the control of lungworm Oslerus (Filaroides) osleri in dogs administer 2 ml per kg body weight, daily for 7 consecutive days. (= 50 mg fenbendazole/kg body weight daily for 7 days). A repeat course of treatment may be required in some cases.
  • For the control of lungworm Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in cats administer 2 ml per kg body weight daily for 3 consecutive days. (= 50 mg fenbendazole/kg body weight daily for 3 days).

* Can be slightly different in some countries: read the product label!


SAFETY

  • LD50 (acute oral) in rats: >10000 mg/kg for fenbendazole a.i.
  • Estimated Hazard Class according to the WHO: not applicable for veterinary medicines

Suspected poisoning? Read the articles on fenbendazole safety in this site.

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


MARKETING

Are the active ingredients of this product ORIGINAL* or GENERICS**?

Fenbendazole: 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: UK and other EU countries.
GENERIC BRANDS available? YES, in most countries.

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


COMMENTS

PANACUR is the original brand of a whole series of fenbendazole products introduced by HOECHST in the 1970s for livestock, pets and horses. HOECHST was acquired by INTERVET, now MERCK ANIMAL HEALTH = MSD ANIMAL HEALTH.

Fenbendazole is a veteran benzimidazole introduced in the 1970s (by HOECHST). It is abundantly used in livestock an horses, moderately in pets. It is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic effective against most gastrointestinal worms that infect pets, including roundworms (Toxocara canisToxocara cati, Toxascaris leonina), hookworms (Ancylostoma spp, Uncinaria stenocephala) and whipworms (Trichuris vulpis), but also against lungworms (Aelurostrongylus abstrusus) and certain tapeworms (e.g. Taenia spp).

Fenbendazole and other benzimidazoles (e.g. febantel, albendazole, mebendazole, etc.) and tetrahydropyrimidines (e.g. pyrantel, morantel, etc.) 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 protection 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.