The combination of cat and helminths is familiar not only to veterinarians. Ordinary cat owners also face this. Parasites are distinguished by their diversity, but this cannot be called a joyful circumstance. Fortunately, scientists in the field of veterinary medicine are not asleep and have taken care of creating drugs that can expel “uninvited guests” from the animal’s body. Azinox for cats is one of these drugs, and it is guaranteed to get rid of parasites and not harm the cat’s body.
Release form and effect of the drug
Azinox for cats is a domestically produced medicine. Available in the form of tablets, packaged in three or six pieces in a plastic blister with foil. And the blister with instructions for use attached to it is packaged in an individual box. A pack of three tablets is an excellent option for owners of a small number of cats. Azinox is absolutely harmless to the cat’s body, provided, of course, that the recommended dosage is followed.
This drug against helminths has a cestodocidal effect. The active ingredient in one tablet is praziquantel 50 mg, and the excipients are lactose and starch.
Praziquantel is known for its ability to act on tapeworms parasitizing cats in all phases of their development. This active substance inhibits the activity of fumarate reductase, and also disrupts the permeability of cell membranes and the supply of nerves to organs and tissues. The helminth begins to become paralyzed and then dies.
Praziquantel is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In blood plasma, the maximum concentration is reached after just half an hour or an hour. It is excreted from the cat’s body within 24 hours in urine.
Azinox for cats is well tolerated by animals of different breeds and ages, it is low toxic and, in terms of the degree of impact on the body, it is considered a low-hazard substance.
Description and main properties
Azinox is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug that helps rid the animal of parasites within a short time. Signs of helminth damage are:
- weakness, lethargy, apathy, lack of activity;
- decreased appetite, refusal of treats and favorite food;
- inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyes, the presence of purulent discharge;
- hair loss;
- blood impurities in stool;
- bloating;
- vomit;
- bowel dysfunction;
- decreased general immunity;
- pallor of the mucous membranes;
- muscle weakness, cramps.
The medicine does not have a strong toxic effect and is classified as low-hazard. It is well tolerated by animals and does not have embryotoxic, teratogenic or sensitizing properties.
Indications for use
Azinox for cats can be prescribed both to treat pets against tapeworms and to prevent the appearance of the latter in the cat’s body. But when giving this drug to your pet, it is important to know that it has an active effect only on cestodes, and, for example, roundworms are resistant to Azinox and there will be no benefit from taking the drug. So, for preventive purposes, it is better to give your pet an anthelmintic with a wide area of action.
Azinox is prescribed for:
- Teniosis (damage to small intestine parasites),
- Diphyllobothriasis (a disease that affects the entire gastrointestinal tract),
- Clonorchiasis and fasciolosis (damage to the pancreas, liver and entire biliary system),
- Metagonimiasis (intestinal disorder),
- Echinococcosis (a disease in which parasitic cysts appear in a cat’s lungs and liver),
- Cysticercosis (inflammatory processes of the spinal cord, skin and subcutaneous tissue, visual organ and muscle tissue).
The owner himself will not be able to make a correct diagnosis of his furry pet, and he should not self-medicate. At best, the treatment will not produce any results, and the cat will continue to feel unwell. In the worst case, the cat's condition can only worsen. It is better to trust an experienced veterinarian to diagnose your animal and prescribe treatment.
Appointments
An anthelmintic is given to a kitten to rid it of invasive pathologies, including:
- Tenidosis. A disease caused by pork tapeworm, which affects the small part of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Mesocestoidosis. The causative agent is cestodes that settle in the peritoneum.
- Dipylidiasis. An illness caused by the introduction of cucumber tapeworm into the body.
- Metagonimiasis. Intestinal damage by flatworms.
- Echinococcosis. Zoonotic helminthiasis, dangerous due to the formation of cysts by parasites, the localization of which is the liver, intestines and other internal organs of the animal.
- Diphyllobothriasis. Colonization of the wide tapeworm on all walls of the digestive tract.
Instructions for use Azinox
Azinox is taken once in the morning during the first feeding. You can try to trick the cat and mix a crushed tablet or a diluted powder suspension (depending on how much the animal weighs) along with the cat’s favorite food.
If this option does not work, you will have to give the medicine to your pet forcibly.
The method for calculating the dosage of the drug was described above.
It is important that before taking Azinox, the cat will not have to be put on a starvation diet or fed laxatives to pre-cleanse the intestines.
If frequent infections with cestodias occur in the area where the owner and his pet live, then the same dose of Azinox will have to be given to the animal every month. This will minimize the risk of a cat becoming infected with tapeworms by destroying representatives in different phases of development, except for eggs.
Interaction with other drugs
Veterinarians strongly do not recommend using Azinox together with the following drugs: chloroquine, dexamethasone.
If you take the drugs at the same time, the amount of praziquantel in your body will increase significantly. Therefore, the pet will experience disturbances in the functioning of certain organs (kidneys, nervous system, cardiovascular system).
Worms
Side effects
In most cases, no side effects are observed when taking Azinox for cats. But very rarely, allergic reactions to the main active ingredient of the drug occur, manifested in the form of vomiting, watery diarrhea, lethargy, retardation of movements or rapid heartbeat.
If, after taking Azinox, the cat has one or more of the above signs, it means he has had an allergic reaction to praziquantel. Then you should contact your veterinarian so that he can select another anti-parasite drug that does not contain this component.
Contraindications and side effects
Cats tolerate this drug well. However, its use is contraindicated in the following cases:
- hypersensitivity to substances included in the drug;
- risk of developing an allergic reaction;
- chronic liver failure;
- parasite infection of the eyeball.
The medicine is not used to treat kittens less than three weeks old, since praziquantel has a negative effect on the formation of bone and cartilage tissue and can inhibit the growth of the animal.
The product is used with extreme caution to treat pregnant and lactating cats, since the active substance can cross the placental barrier and enter breast milk, causing a negative effect on the offspring.
Violation of the dosage may lead to side effects. In this case, animals may experience nausea, vomiting, stool disturbances, general weakness, and heart rhythm disturbances. If symptoms persist for two days, you should consult a veterinarian.
Veterinarian review
Cats, unfortunately, are very often affected by cystodes. An animal can become infected when it eats raw fish or meat, or when it catches fleas on itself. Therefore, it is very important to conduct a timely examination of cats and give them antiparasitic drugs. One of the best, in my opinion, is Azinox. This drug is domestically produced. In cats, as a rule, it does not cause any side effects. Just do not confuse it with the drug Azinox Plus, which contains another substance - levomisol. It is dangerous for cats and can cause various signs of an inadequate reaction. Cats can and should only be given Azinox. It is better to give once every three months for preventive purposes. And take very seriously the calculation of the dosage according to the weight of the pet. Then there is no need to be afraid of anything. The cat will tolerate this drug well.
Storage conditions
The medication should be kept in a room with a temperature between 0°C and 25°C. It is necessary to ensure its protection from dampness, sun, food, children and animals. Azinox is stored only in sealed packaging for 3 years from the date of production.
Brief overview of anthelmintics Prazitel + kanikvantel + fenpraz
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How to give deworming tablets for dogs Azinox
Azinox for dogs is dosed in the same way as described above for representatives of domestic cat breeds. Feeding your dog pills is not easy. For small breeds, the suspension is poured from a syringe without a needle. For large individuals, the required amount of tablets, crushed to a powder, is mixed into fresh minced meat or favorite food and offered to the pet. For calm dogs, you can open their mouths and place the tablet on the tongue in the root area. With its mouth closed, the pet's head is raised and its neck is stroked from top to bottom. These manipulations cause the formation of a swallowing reflex. But if you need to feed several tablets, then this method may not work again.
Advantages and disadvantages
The main advantages of using Azinox for cats are the following:
- practically no contraindications;
- high efficiency;
- fast action;
- safety;
- wide spectrum of action;
- possibility of use for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes;
- Another advantage is the availability of medication.
The disadvantages include the fact that the drug does not affect roundworms. If you use the medicine for prevention, additional measures to combat nematodes may be necessary. It has no other significant drawbacks.
How to use
According to the instructions for use, Azinox is given to cats in the morning feeding. The tablets can be hidden in some kind of treat (for example, a piece of meat). To make it easier to disguise the drug, the tablet is first crushed and then mixed with food (canned food, pate, porridge). If the animal refuses food containing the medicine or spits it out, the tablet should be forcefully placed on the root of the tongue.
The dose of the medication is calculated according to a simple principle - 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight. If the cat's weight is less than 5 kg, it becomes difficult to calculate the exact dose, so you should follow simple steps:
- Crush the tablet into powder.
- Prepare the suspension. To do this, shake the resulting powder well in 10 ml of water.
- Next, the prepared solution is used for treatment or prevention, and the dose is calculated according to the following scheme: 1 ml of suspension per 1 kg of weight.
The suspension is forcibly removed from the syringe, from which the needle is first removed. Before deworming, you do not need to follow a starvation diet or cleanse the intestines with laxatives. The medicine is well absorbed into the bloodstream and effectively affects tape parasites, regardless of where they live.
If Azinox tablets are used to treat helminthic infestations in cats, the dose is given once. If the drug is used for prophylaxis, it should be given once a quarter. Try not to violate the application regimen. If deworming is carried out less frequently than once a quarter, this will affect the effectiveness of the anthelmintic. The drug will not be able to provide reliable protection to the animal from parasites.
Veterinary Azinox for humans
Giving Azinox for dogs to people is not advisable. There is the same drug, but with a suitable dose for the human body. Azinox 300 mg tablets are used to treat human parasitoses. The drug is packaged in blisters of 6 pieces. The quantity and frequency of application depends on the type of helminth that caused the disease. The product may cause adverse symptoms in people such as nausea accompanied by vomiting, drowsiness, excessive sweating and allergic reactions.
Table: drug analogues
| Name of the drug | Indications for use | Price |
| Prazitel | Infection with roundworms or tapeworms/for preventive purposes | 70 rubles |
| Prazicide | Infection with roundworms or tapeworms/for preventive purposes | 110 rubles |
| Milbemax | Nematodes, cestodes | 500 rubles |
| Kanikvantel + | Flatworm infestation | 1500 rubles |
Before using any of these analogues, a mandatory consultation with a veterinarian is necessary.
Prazitel packaging
In conclusion, it is worth noting that today Azinox is one of the most popular medications for cats in the fight against helminths. It gained its popularity due to its effectiveness and safety.
