EFFICACY OF THE COMBINATION OF FEBANTEL P LUS PYRANTEL EMBONATE AGAINST NEMATODES - A MULTICENTER FIELD-STUDY ON PUPPIES AND YOUNG-DOGS

A multicentre field study was performed at 17 different locations in G ermany to test a combination preparation with the active ingredients f ebantel (15 mg/ml) and pyrantel embonate (14.4 mg/ml) - marketed in Ge rmany under the trade name Welpan (Bayer Vital) - for efficacy and tol erability against Toxocara canis, Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria steno cephala and/or Trichuris vulpis. The success of the treatment was comp ared with that of the active ingredient pyrantel embonate on its own. 420 puppies and young dogs of various breeds and with ages of up to on e year were entered in the study following positive coprological testi ng for at least one type of nematode. 212 dogs were randomly allocated to treatment group I (febantel + pyrantel embonate)(1)) and 208 anima ls to treatment group II (pyrantel embonate). Both preparations were p rovided in the form of suspensions and were administered orally at a d osage of 1 ml/kg body weight (day )). The nematode eggs were counted b efore treatment (day 7-0) and once after treatment (day 5-12) using th e modified McMaster-method. Cases where Trichuris vulpis was detected before treatment underwent a second follow-up examination on days 14, 15 or 16. Infection with Toxocara canis was diagnosed in 88.1 %, infec tion with hookworms in 35 % and infection with Trichuris vulpis in 3.3 % of the cases. 74.7 % of the animals were infected with only one typ e of nematode, 24.1 % with two and 1.2 % with all three nematode types . Following one single treatment with the combination of febantel + py rantel embonate, a 97.2 % reduction of the Toxocara canis eggs was obs erved, while treatment with pyrantel embonate only reduced the egg cou nt by 83.7 %. The reduction in hookworm eggs following treatment with the combination product was 96.8 %, but only 65.2 % after treatment wi th the single substance. The reduction of Trichuris vulpis eggs was 85 .4 % following treatment with febantel + pyrantel embonate (group I: 8 animals) and 13.9 % after treatment with pyrantel embonate (group II: 6 animals); however, the low number of subject animals must be taken into account. The reduction in egg counts of Toxocara canis, hookworm and Trichuris vulpis was statistically significantly (p < 0.01) higher following treatment of the dogs with the combination of febantel + py rantel embonate than after treatment with pyrantel embonate alone. Bot h preparations were well tolerated by the puppies and young dogs.