Critical tests and clinical trials on oxibendazole in horses with special reference to removal of Parascaris equorum.

The research article focuses on the successful use of oxibendazole to treat horses, particularly foals, infected with the parasite Parascaris equorum. The study finds that oxibendazole is highly effective in eliminating the parasite without any observed side effects.

Oxibendazole Dosage and Testing

• The research involves a total of 10 critical tests in foals and 2 clinical trials in 20 foals (16 of them treated, while 4 were not treated).
• The administered dosage of oxibendazole was 10 mg/kg of body weight.
• The main focus of the study was to determine the effectiveness of oxibendazole against the parasite Parascaris equorum.

Results of Oxibendazole Treatment

• Oxibendazole demonstrated a uniform efficacy (100%) against Parascaris equorum.
• The critical-test foals, each infected with between 22 and 236 ascarids, were all successfully treated with oxibendazole.
• Reductions of ascarid egg counts in fecal samples of foals were also 100% when treated with oxibendazole given as a drench. This means that post-treatment, no ascarid eggs could be found in the foals’ feces.
• Ascarid eggs did not reappear in fecal samples until the 8th week after treatment, indicating that the treatment had a lasting effect.

Additional Findings

• A paste formulation of oxibendazole, also at 10 mg/kg, eliminated ascarid eggs from the feces of 12 suckling foals.
• Strongyle EPG (Eggs Per Gram), a common equine parasite, were notably reduced by oxibendazole in both the critical-test foals and the foals treated in the clinical trials.
• Data based on egg and larval counts on both test groups indicated oxibendazole was also effective against another parasite, Strongyloides westeri.
• No adverse effects from the treatment with oxibendazole were observed, suggesting that the drug is safe for use in foals with these parasites.