Thanks for replying
My vet is experienced with rabbits and certain that the two ingredients are safe for rabbits --
individually. Medirabbit does not say that Drontal is safe for rabbits -- it only says that the
individual drugs in it are safe for rabbits at the doses specified for each, which is 5-10 mg/kg. My concern is with combining them in this particular drug, which my vet has never used in a rabbit. Which is why I was hoping someone here had experience with it.
My specific concerns are:
1. Every reference to the pyrantel pamoate says not to give it to sick or debilitated animals (mine has been in stasis, has lost weight, and is mildly anemic). The praziquantel (ingredient in Droncit, which is what my vet didn't have on hand) has no such warnings.
2. The dose for the praziquantel and pyrantel pamoate are both 5-10 mg/kg according to my vet's formulary and Medirabbit (and this is the same dose as for cats, I looked it up). However, Drontal Feline says the following: "Each tablet contains 18.2 mg praziquantel and 72.6 mg pyrantel base as pyrantel pamoate." I'm confused as to why it has 4 times the suggested dosage of the pyrantel pamoate, and concerned since that is the one with the warnings and the one I don't actually need (see #1).
3. I ran across this comment elsewhere on RabbitsOnline, with reference to tapeworms: "
Droncit might work.. but don't do drontal." Since there was no elaboration, I'm wondering why PixieStixxxx advised against it. (post came from
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f14/uvic-rabbit-rescue-operation-54631/index4.html#post761813)
4. If one drug will do the trick (which the praziquantel/Droncit would), how much additional risk would I be adding by throwing in an extra toxin? If minimal risk, okay; if more than that, not okay. Which is why I asked about experiences/side effects.
Yes, vets have a lot of training, and my vet consults with specialists just to make sure she's got the best approach (which some of my previous vets wouldn't). But vets are human, sometimes busy and tired, and sometimes make mistakes or don't look at things closely enough. Therefore, I always check and double-check, even with a rabbit-experienced vet! There were times in my 18 years with rabbits that I didn't, and my rabbits suffered for it. Luckily, my current vet knows that a dedicated rabbit website (or even owner) may know a thing or two that she hasn't encountered, and is eager to learn.
Seeing my concerns here in black and white, and the lack of any experience with the Drontal here, I've decided not to use it. I have since learned that the praziquantel is now available over-the-counter, so I'll ask my vet about doing that instead, since this was all due to not having that on hand!