Fenbendazole powder is a highly effective worming agent for freshwater and saltwater tropical species. Using a pure veterinary grade powder will offer the best results.
It is an FDA-approved medication used to treat and prevent gastrointestinal parasites in pets (commonly known as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and lungworms). Your vet may prescribe it in capsule form or as a compounded medicine.
Efficacy
Fenbendazole is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug that is effective against a wide range of parasitic infections in freshwater and saltwater tropical fish. It is supplied as a powder and can be dissolved in Phosphate Buffer Solution. Sodium dihydrogen phosphate dehydrate, hydrochloric acid and HPLC-grade methanol for LC-MS were obtained from Sigma-Aldrich (Louis, MO), Macron Fine Chemicals (Arnhem, The Netherlands) and acetonitrile was purchased from Fisher Scientific (Pittsburgh, PA). Six samples of fenbendazole powder from two commercial brands with different lot numbers were tested for dissolution by HPLC.
Dosage
Fenbendazole is available in powder or liquid oral suspension forms. The powder form can be tricky to properly portion out and dose for small cats and kittens, so it is usually dispensed by a veterinarian. The liquid oral suspension requires a prescription, and comes in 1 liter bottle sizes that make it impractical to use for a single treatment course.
Fenbendazole powder can be diluted with water to make a solution for dosing. One gram of powder will yield roughly 5 ml of solution. This allows for a larger margin of safety in dosing small animals, such as kittens.
Cydectin Sheep drench (also known as Levasol and Tramsiol) is also an effective option for sheep. It can be used as a drench or orally at 12 mg/kg for the treatment of gastrointestinal nematodes and lungworms. This dosage will require a meat withdrawal of 4 days, and milk withdrawal of 3 days.
Side Effects
Fenbendazole is generally considered a safe drug for animals, and it typically doesn’t cause side effects at labeled dosages. However, hypersensitivity reactions secondary to antigen release by dying parasites may occur, especially in horses treated at high dosages. In these cases, signs of hypersensitivity include salivation, vomiting, diarrhea and shock.
Fenbenzole is also available as a compounded medication. Compounding is when a veterinarian or pharmacist creates a medication on an individual basis to address a specific health need, such as if the animal has difficulty swallowing pills in capsule form or is allergic to one of the ingredients of the FDA-approved version of the medication.
In addition to creating custom medication formulations, veterinary pharmacies and veterinary custom compounding companies are also capable of recommending supplements that enhance the effectiveness of Fenbendazole and reduce or eliminate potential side effects. Working with an integrative healthcare professional is an ideal way to determine what combination of supplements will work best for a given patient and ensure optimal results.fenben powder
