ExoticRx · exoticrx.com/drugs/praziquantel
US brand names:Droncit
Praziquantel is dosed at 8–10 mg/kg PO once, repeat in 14 days in ball pythons, per Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary, 6th Ed — Antiparasitic Agents Used in Reptiles, p.230: 'Praziquantel 8-10 mg/kg PO, SC, IM, repeat in 14 days' (Most species/cestodes, trematodes). Superscripts 243, 396 = Klaphake E, Gibbons PM, Sladky KK, et al. Reptiles. In: Carpenter JW, ed. Exotic Animal Formulary, 5th ed. Elsevier; 2018:81-166 / Rockwell K, Mitchell MM. Antiparasitic therapy. In: Divers SJ, ed. — Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary 6th ed, Table 4.4 (Antiparasitic Agents Used in Reptiles). The copy held is an ebook conversion with no printed page numbers, so the table — not the page — is the citable location. — SOURCE EDITION: Carpenter's Exotic Animal Formulary — ISBN 9780323833929, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9780323833929. Verify against current literature before clinical use.
Increases cell membrane permeability to calcium in susceptible helminths, causing spastic paralysis, detachment, and disintegration.
May cause transient GI upset, drooling (especially in cats). Safe in pregnant animals. Effective primarily against cestodes (tapeworms) and trematodes (flukes).
Each ExoticRx dose rule is graded by the strength of its primary evidence — see the editorial process.
A dog/cat sample is shown here. Cited dosing for all 42 species — reptiles, birds, pocket pets, livestock, and equine — is free on the per-species pages above. Pro adds the weight-based calculator for every species.
| Species | Route | Dose | Frequency | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog (Domestic) | IM | 5 mg/kg | once | Strong | Droncit Injectable and Tablets [Package Insert]. Shawnee Mission, KS: Bayer Animal Health; 2003. — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.1081 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.1053, Praziquantel/Praziquantel Combination Products monograph spanning p.1053-1056; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, verified to name the drug in its body text. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, https://openlibrary.org/isbn/9781394172207 |
| Dog (Domestic) | PO | 5–10 mg/kg | once | Strong | Conboy G. Cestodes of dogs and cats in North America. Vet Clin North Am Small Animal Pract. 2009;39(6):1075-1090, vi. doi:10.1016/j.cvsm.2009.06.005 — Verified against Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, 10th Ed, p.1082 (2026-08-01). — Plumb's 10th ed (held) printed p.1053, Praziquantel/Praziquantel Combination Products monograph spanning p.1053-1056; page located 2026-08-05 from the book's own running heads, verified to name the drug in its body text. — SOURCE EDITION: Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook — ISBN 9781394172207, |
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