# Praziquantel: veterinary dose and monograph

> Praziquantel is a veterinary antiparasitic. Cestocide of choice for tapeworms. Indications include canine Dipylidium caninum, Taenia pisiformis, Echinococcus granulosus, Mesocestoides; feline Dipylidium caninum, Taenia taeniaeformis; spirometra, Diphyllobothrium. This monograph lists 20 reference doses for dogs, cats, horses, goats, sheep and birds and 9 more species, each with route, frequency and source, plus meat and milk withdrawal periods for food animals.

Source: https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/praziquantel · Last reviewed: 2026-10-01

## At a glance

- **Drug class:** Antiparasitic
- **Also known as:** Droncit, Drontal, Quest Plus, Equimax
- **Species with doses:** Dogs, Cats, Horses, Goats, Sheep, Birds, Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Reptiles, Camelids, Chinchillas, Hamsters, Rats, Mice and Gerbils
- **General dose range:** 5–10 mg/kg PO once — check the species tables for the indication
- **Routes:** PO
- **Last reviewed:** 1 October 2026

## Indications

- Canine Dipylidium caninum, Taenia pisiformis, Echinococcus granulosus, Mesocestoides
- Feline Dipylidium caninum, Taenia taeniaeformis
- Spirometra, Diphyllobothrium
- Paragonimus kellicotti (lung fluke)
- Liver flukes (Platynosomum, Opisthorchiidae — cats)
- Equine cestodes (combined with moxidectin/ivermectin)
- Sheep/goat Moniezia spp.
- Avian tapeworms

## Praziquantel dose by species

Doses are per administration unless stated. mg/kg doses scale with body weight; per-animal, per-quarter and infusion-rate doses are shown as the reference writes them.

### Dogs

*Praziquantel doses for dogs*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Taenia / Echinococcus / Dipylidium / Mesocestoides | 5 mg/kg | PO | once | — |
| Diphyllobothrium / Spirometra | 7.5 mg/kg | PO | q24h | 2 days |
| Paragonimus kellicotti | 23–25 mg/kg | PO | q8h | 3 days |
| Liver flukes (Platynosomum / Opisthorchiidae) | 20–40 mg/kg | PO | q24h | 3–10 days |

- Taenia / Echinococcus / Dipylidium / Mesocestoides: Plumb’s p.993 (Conboy 2009): 5 mg/kg PO or SC; Echinococcus granulosus 10 mg/kg (Sherding). Papich 5e: dogs >6.8 kg 5 mg/kg PO once; <6.8 kg 7.5 mg/kg PO. Label tablet bands: 34 mg tablet ½ (<5 lb) up to 5 tablets (>60 lb).
- Diphyllobothrium / Spirometra: Plumb’s p.993 (Roberson 1988): 7.5 mg/kg PO once daily for 2 days. Papich 5e gives a higher regimen for Spirometra/Diphyllobothrium — 25 mg/kg PO once daily for 2 consecutive days.
- Paragonimus kellicotti: Papich 5e: 23 mg/kg PO q8h for 3 days. Plumb’s p.993 (Reinemeyer; Hawkins): 23–25 mg/kg PO q8h for 3 days.
- Liver flukes (Platynosomum / Opisthorchiidae): Plumb’s p.993 (Taboada 1999): 20–40 mg/kg PO once daily for 3–10 days.

### Cats

*Praziquantel doses for cats*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Taenia / Dipylidium | 5 mg/kg | PO | once | — |
| Spirometra mansonoides | 30–35 mg/kg | PO | once | — |
| Paragonimus kellicotti | 23–25 mg/kg | PO | q8h | 3 days |

- Taenia / Dipylidium: Plumb’s p.993 (Conboy): Taenia, Echinococcus, Dipylidium, Mesocestoides 5 mg/kg PO or SC. Papich 5e / label: per-cat doses — <1.8 kg 11.4 mg; 2.3–5 kg 23 mg PO; >5 kg 34.5 mg PO.
- Spirometra mansonoides: Plumb’s p.993 (Bowman 2006): 30–35 mg/kg PO. Papich 5e: Spirometra/Diphyllobothrium 25 mg/kg PO once daily for 2 consecutive days.
- Paragonimus kellicotti: Plumb’s p.993 (Reinemeyer; Hawkins): 23–25 mg/kg PO q8h for 3 days.

### Horses

*Praziquantel doses for horses*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Anoplocephala perfoliata (tapeworm) | 1.5–2.5 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Anoplocephala perfoliata (tapeworm): Papich 5th ed p.796: horses 1.5–2.5 mg/kg PO. Usually given as a fixed combination with a macrocyclic lactone — ivermectin/praziquantel paste delivers ~1 mg/kg praziquantel with ivermectin 200 µg/kg; moxidectin/praziquantel gel delivers ~2.5 mg/kg. CORRECTION (2026-08-26 audit): this row previously read 5 mg/kg citing "Plumb's p.994 (Fowler 1989)" — that Plumb's line is the LLAMAS entry, not horses, so the camelid dose had been copied onto the equine row.

### Goats

*Praziquantel doses for goats*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration | Withdrawal |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Moniezia / Stilesia / Avitellina | 10–15 mg/kg | PO | once | — | Withdrawal NOT established — treat as extra-label |

- Moniezia / Stilesia / Avitellina: Plumb's p.994 (Roberson 1988): 10–15 mg/kg for all species of Moniezia, Stilesia or Avitellina. Extra-label — observe FARAD withdrawal.

### Sheep

*Praziquantel doses for sheep*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration | Withdrawal |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Moniezia / Stilesia / Avitellina | 10–15 mg/kg | PO | once | — | Withdrawal NOT established — treat as extra-label |

- Moniezia / Stilesia / Avitellina: Plumb’s p.994 (Roberson 1988): sheep & goats 10–15 mg/kg for Moniezia, Stilesia and Avitellina. Extra-label — obtain a withdrawal (FARAD).

### Pigs

*Praziquantel doses for pigs*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration | Withdrawal |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| No reference dose for this species | Not established in Papich 5e or Plumb’s 10e — do not extrapolate from another species | — | — | — | — |

- No reference dose for this species: The previous 8–10 mg/kg PO row for pigs had no source. Neither Papich 5e nor Plumb’s gives a swine praziquantel dose.

### Birds

*Praziquantel doses for birds*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tapeworms (most species) | 5–10 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Tapeworms (most species): Plumb’s p.994: 5–10 mg/kg PO or IM as a single dose for cestodes and some trematodes; ¼ of a 23 mg tablet per kg PO, repeat in 10–14 days (Clubb); chickens 10 mg/kg (Roberson). The injectable form is toxic to finches.

### Rabbits

*Praziquantel doses for rabbits*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Rabbit cestode infection | 5–10 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Rabbit cestode infection: Plumb’s p.994 (Bryan 2009): rabbits 5–10 mg/kg PO once for cestodes and trematodes.

### Guinea pigs

*Praziquantel doses for guinea pigs*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cestodes | 6–10 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Cestodes: Plumb's p.994 (Adamcak & Otten 2000): 6–10 mg/kg PO for tapeworms.

### Reptiles

*Praziquantel doses for reptiles*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tapeworm / trematode treatment | 7.5 mg/kg | PO | once; repeat in 2 weeks | — |

- Tapeworm / trematode treatment: Plumb’s p.994 (Gauvin 1993): most reptiles 7.5 mg/kg PO once, repeat in 2 weeks. Other cited ranges: 7–8 mg/kg PO, IM or SC (de la Navarre 2003); snakes 3.5–7 mg/kg (Roberson 1988).

### Camelids

*Praziquantel doses for camelids*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cestodes (llama / alpaca) | 5 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Cestodes (llama / alpaca): Plumb's p.994 (Fowler 1989): llamas 5 mg/kg PO. This is the dose that had been mis-filed on the equine row.

### Chinchillas

*Praziquantel doses for chinchillas*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cestodes | 6–10 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Cestodes: Plumb's p.994 (Hayes 2000; Adamcak & Otten 2000): 6–10 mg/kg PO.

### Hamsters

*Praziquantel doses for hamsters*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tapeworms | 6–30 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Tapeworms: Plumb's p.994: 30 mg/kg PO once (Burke 1999) or 6–10 mg/kg PO (Adamcak & Otten 2000).

### Rats

*Praziquantel doses for rats*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tapeworms | 6–30 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Tapeworms: Plumb's p.994: mice/rats/hamsters/gerbils 30 mg/kg PO once (note high dose required, Burke 1999); or 6–10 mg/kg PO (Adamcak & Otten 2000).

### Mice

*Praziquantel doses for mice*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tapeworms | 6–30 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Tapeworms: Plumb's p.994: 30 mg/kg PO once (Burke 1999) or 6–10 mg/kg PO (Adamcak & Otten 2000).

### Gerbils

*Praziquantel doses for gerbils*

| Indication | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tapeworms | 6–30 mg/kg | PO | once | — |

- Tapeworms: Plumb's p.994: 30 mg/kg PO once (Burke 1999) or 6–10 mg/kg PO (Adamcak & Otten 2000).

## Contraindications

Puppies <4 weeks (single agent label); kittens <6 weeks. Hypersensitivity. Injectable form is toxic in finches.

## Species-specific warnings

> **Caution:** Dogs: Pups <4 weeks not on most labels. Pregnant bitches: safe at label dose, but combo product partner drugs may not be — check label.

> **Caution:** Cats: Safe and well tolerated. SC route can cause vocalisation / hypersalivation — give slowly. Kittens <6 weeks not on most labels.

> **Caution:** Horses: Safe in pregnant mares and foals >6 weeks at 1 mg/kg PO. Combination products with moxidectin should be used cautiously in debilitated animals.

> **Caution:** Cattle: Not commonly used as solo product in cattle — fluke control usually uses triclabendazole or closantel. Extra-label withdrawal applies.

## Adverse effects

- Oral: anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, diarrhoea (<5% incidence)
- Injection: pain at site, drowsiness, vomiting, ataxia
- Cats: salivation, transient anorexia

## Drug interactions

- Cimetidine: inhibits praziquantel metabolism — increased plasma levels
- Phenytoin / carbamazepine / phenobarbital: induce metabolism — may reduce efficacy
- Dexamethasone: may reduce praziquantel efficacy in cysticercosis (extra-label)
- Fenbendazole / pyrantel: complementary spectrum — commonly co-formulated for broad coverage

## Pregnancy and lactation

Safe in pregnant dogs, cats, cattle, sheep at label doses. Use combination products (with ivermectin / pyrantel) cautiously — the partner drug may be contraindicated in pregnancy. Crosses placenta in low amounts. FDA Category B (human).

## Monitoring

- Faecal exam (cestode segments) 14–21 days post-treatment for re-infection in flea-prone dogs / cats
- Adult horse: tapeworm antibody ELISA at 6 months for treatment efficacy verification
- Echinococcus (zoonotic) endemic areas: monthly dosing in dogs that hunt or eat raw offal

## Toxicity and overdose

Very wide therapeutic index. Acute high-dose oral: transient vomiting, hypersalivation. SC / IM injection: stinging, occasional sterile abscess. Cats: rapid IM may cause vocalisation, hypersalivation. No reports of chronic toxicity at label doses.

Management: Supportive — most overdoses asymptomatic. Anti-emetic for vomiting. IV fluids if dehydrated. No specific antidote needed.

## Clinical pearls

- Dogs / cats: 5–7.5 mg/kg PO single dose for Dipylidium, Taenia. Repeat at 21 days if heavy flea burden continues
- Echinococcus control programmes: 5 mg/kg PO monthly in endemic regions — zoonotic risk reduction
- Horses: 1 mg/kg PO single dose for Anoplocephala (typically combined with ivermectin / moxidectin)
- Cattle: 10 mg/kg PO for fasciolosis adjunct (limited stand-alone availability)
- Combination products (Drontal Plus, Equimax, Quest Plus) cover tapeworms + nematodes in one dose
- Subcutaneous injection in cats: 5.7 mg/kg SC single dose — convenient when oral compliance is poor

## Mechanism of action

Isoquinoline anthelmintic. Causes massive Ca²⁺ influx into cestode (tapeworm) and trematode (fluke) tegument, leading to violent muscular contraction, paralysis, and vacuolar damage. Exposed scolex is then digested by host enzymes. Spectrum: all common tapeworms (Dipylidium, Taenia, Echinococcus) and many flukes. No activity against nematodes.

## Formulations and products

- Droncit canine tablet 34 mg
- Droncit feline tablet 23 mg
- Droncit injection 56.8 mg/mL
- Ipraz tablet — Ivermectin 2 mg + Praziquantel 50 mg (Virbac)
- Ipraz (Virbac) — Ivermectin 2 mg + Praziquantel 50 mg, Tablet (small animals)
- Drontal Plus (Elanco (formerly Bayer Animal Health)) — Praziquantel 50 mg + Pyrantel Embonate 144 mg + Febantel 150 mg, Tablet (broad-spectrum canine dewormer)
- Bandystar Plus (Pet Mankind (Mankind Pharma)) — Praziquantel 50 mg + Pyrantel Embonate 144 mg + Febantel 150 mg, Tablet (broad-spectrum canine dewormer)

## Storage

Tablets / paste: 15–25 °C, dry, protected from light. Injectable: 15–25 °C, do not freeze. Combination products: per product label.

## Before you use this dose

> **Caution:** Reference doses for veterinary professionals. Confirm the dose against the product label, the patient’s condition, current guidance and local regulations before use; the attending veterinarian remains responsible for every clinical decision.

## Other antiparasitics

- [Oxibendazole](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/oxibendazole)
- [Permethrin](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/permethrin)
- [Piperazine](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/piperazine)
- [Ponazuril](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/ponazuril)
- [Pyrantel pamoate](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/pyrantel)
- [Pyrimethamine](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/pyrimethamine)
- [Rafoxanide](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/rafoxanide)
- [Ronidazole](https://vetmasterji.com/drugs/ronidazole)

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the dose of Praziquantel for dogs?

Reference doses for Praziquantel in dogs: 5 mg/kg PO once (Taenia / Echinococcus / Dipylidium / Mesocestoides); 7.5 mg/kg PO q24h for 2 days (Diphyllobothrium / Spirometra); 23–25 mg/kg PO q8h for 3 days (Paragonimus kellicotti); 20–40 mg/kg PO q24h for 3–10 days (Liver flukes (Platynosomum / Opisthorchiidae)). Confirm against the label and the patient before use.

### What is the dose of Praziquantel for cats?

Reference doses for Praziquantel in cats: 5 mg/kg PO once (Taenia / Dipylidium); 30–35 mg/kg PO once (Spirometra mansonoides); 23–25 mg/kg PO q8h for 3 days (Paragonimus kellicotti). Confirm against the label and the patient before use.

### What is the dose of Praziquantel for horses?

Reference doses for Praziquantel in horses: 1.5–2.5 mg/kg PO once (Anoplocephala perfoliata (tapeworm)). Confirm against the label and the patient before use.

### What is the withdrawal period for Praziquantel?

Goats, PO (Moniezia / Stilesia / Avitellina): Withdrawal NOT established — treat as extra-label; Sheep, PO (Moniezia / Stilesia / Avitellina): Withdrawal NOT established — treat as extra-label. Follow the product label and national regulations where they differ.

### When should Praziquantel not be used?

Puppies <4 weeks (single agent label); kittens <6 weeks. Hypersensitivity. Injectable form is toxic in finches.

### What are the side effects of Praziquantel in animals?

Oral: anorexia, vomiting, lethargy, diarrhoea (<5% incidence); Injection: pain at site, drowsiness, vomiting, ataxia; Cats: salivation, transient anorexia.

## Sources

- Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook
- Papich, Papich Handbook of Veterinary Drugs, 5th edition

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VetMasterJi is a clinical decision-support and education platform for veterinary professionals and students. It does not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis or treatment for specific animals. All drug doses, calculators and differentials are references that must be independently verified before clinical use; the attending registered veterinarian remains solely responsible for every clinical decision.