Swiss Biocare Vental MEO Deworming Tablets 4's

Vental MEO is a veterinary medicine (Schedule H — Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, India) — not a nutraceutical or over-the-counter supplement. Do not administer without a veterinary prescription and without veterinary assessment of the animal’s health status, concurrent medications, and suitability for anthelmintic treatment. Do not use in kittens under 6 weeks of age without veterinary guidance. Do not use in pregnant or lactating queens without veterinary advice. If the animal vomits within 1 hour of dosing, consult your veterinarian regarding re-dosing. Seek veterinary attention immediately if signs of adverse reaction are observed (hypersalivation, ataxia, tremors, vomiting, diarrhoea, or collapse). Keep out of reach of children. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

Swiss Biocare Vental MEO Deworming Tablets for Cats | Praziquantel 20mg + Pyrantel Pamoate 230mg | Broad Spectrum Single-Dose Febantel-Free Cat Dewormer | Roundworms, Hookworms & Tapeworms

Swiss Biocare Vental MEO is a broad-spectrum veterinary anthelmintic (deworming) tablet formulated specifically for cats. Each tablet contains Praziquantel 20mg and Pyrantel Pamoate 230mg in a fixed-dose combination providing comprehensive coverage against the major intestinal helminth parasites of cats in a single dose. Vental MEO is febantel-free — a critical safety distinction for feline use, as febantel (the prodrug of fenbendazole, used in the canine combination product Drontal Plus) can cause serious adverse effects including severe vomiting, ataxia, and neurological toxicity in cats; the febantel-free formulation of Vental MEO makes it specifically safe for cats at the licensed dose. Vental MEO is a Schedule H drug under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (India) and requires a veterinary prescription for dispensing.

Composition

• Praziquantel: 20mg per tablet
• Pyrantel Pamoate: 230mg per tablet
• Febantel: absent (febantel-free formulation — safe for cats)

Parasitology: Target Parasites & Mechanisms of Action

• Praziquantel (20mg) — mechanism and cestocidal spectrum: praziquantel (2-cyclohexylcarbonyl-1,2,3,6,7,11b-hexahydropyrazino[2,1-a]isoquinolin-4-one; MW 312.4 Da) is the drug of choice for cestode (tapeworm) infections and for the trematode Schistosoma spp.; mechanism: praziquantel is rapidly absorbed by the tegument of susceptible helminths (cestodes and trematodes) via a poorly characterised transporter system; at therapeutic concentrations: (a) calcium channel disruption — praziquantel causes a rapid, massive influx of Ca2+ ions through the tegument → tegumental depolarisation → sustained spastic paralysis of the worm’s musculature (tetanic contraction of body wall muscles) − the worm loses the ability to maintain succosal attachment to the intestinal wall → is dislodged from the intestinal mucosa → carried distally and expelled in the faeces; the Ca2+ channel target of praziquantel in schistosomes has been identified as a voltage-gated Ca2+ channel beta subunit (SmCavβ); homologous channels in cestodes (Dipylidium caninum, Taenia spp.) are the presumed target in cats; (b) tegumental disruption — at higher concentrations, praziquantel causes rapid vacuolisation and blebbing of the cestode tegument (the syncytial outer covering of cestodes — the tegument is the absorptive surface of tapeworms which lack a digestive system and absorb all nutrients transcutaneously), exposing subtegumental antigens to the host immune system → facilitating immune-mediated killing; the tegumental disruption makes worm fragments antigenically visible to the host → eosinophil-mediated and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) targeting exposed surface antigens; cestode spectrum in cats: Dipylidium caninum (the flea tapeworm — the most common tapeworm in cats worldwide; intermediate host is the cat flea Ctenocephalides felis and the dog flea C. canis; cats are infected by accidental ingestion of infected fleas during grooming − Dipylidium proglottids are shed in faeces and resemble rice grains around the perineum — the owner-presented complaint that drives most deworming consultations), Taenia taeniaeformis (the feline taeniid tapeworm — intermediate hosts are rodents; cats are infected by ingesting infected rodent viscera containing the strobilocercus metacestode — hunting cats are at highest risk), and Echinococcus multilocularis (rare definitive host in cats — public health significance as a zoonotic hydatid disease agent; cats are an unusual definitive host but can shed E. multilocularis eggs in areas of endemicity); praziquantel activity against Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (the sparganosis tapeworm — endemic in parts of Asia and Africa; cats are definitive hosts; humans can be paratenic hosts developing sparganosis from contaminated water or infected frogs) is documented at higher doses; pharmacokinetics in cats: praziquantel is rapidly absorbed orally (Tmax ∼1–1.5h), extensively metabolised by hepatic CYP3A4-equivalent to hydroxylated inactive metabolites, and excreted renally; first-pass hepatic extraction is substantial — oral bioavailability is approximately 20–30% in cats (higher than in some other species due to lower CYP3A activity in cats); plasma half-life ∼1–1.5h in cats
• Pyrantel Pamoate (230mg) — mechanism and nematocidal spectrum: pyrantel (1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-1-methyl-2-[trans-2-(2-thienyl)vinyl]pyrimidine) as the insoluble pamoate salt (pyrantel pamoate — the poorly water-soluble formulation that limits systemic absorption and concentrates the drug in the intestinal lumen at high local concentrations — the basis of the excellent intestinal selectivity and safety profile); mechanism: pyrantel is a depolarising neuromuscular blocking agent — a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonist at the helminth neuromuscular junction; specifically, pyrantel is a selective agonist at the levamisole/pyrantel-sensitive nAChR subtype (the L-subtype; consisting of UNC-29, UNC-38, UNC-63, LEV-1, and LEV-8 subunits in C. elegans and homologous subunits in parasitic nematodes) — these nAChR subtypes in nematode body wall muscle are not present in mammalian neuromuscular junctions (which express the muscle-type nAChR α1β1δε pentamer — sensitive to tubocurarine and succinylcholine, not to levamisole/pyrantel), explaining pyrantel’s selective toxicity to nematodes vs the mammalian host; pyrantel nAChR agonism → sustained depolarisation of nematode body wall muscle → spastic paralysis (flaccid paralysis is the mechanism of ivermectin via GluCl channel activation, which is mechanistically distinct) → worm is unable to maintain intestinal attachment → expelled in faeces; pyrantel also inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) at the helminth NMJ → prevents ACh hydrolysis → prolongs nAChR depolarisation (a dual nAChR agonism + AChE inhibition mechanism unique among anthelmintics); nematode spectrum in cats: Toxocara cati (the principal feline ascarid/roundworm; the most common helminth in cats worldwide; larvae undergo hepato-tracheal migration in cats via small intestinal penetration → liver → lungs → trachea → oesophagus → small intestine — the somatic larval migration route; in pregnant queens: larvae undergo transplacental and transmammary migration to kittens — transmammary transmission is the principal route of neonatal T. cati infection; adult worms in the small intestine cause: competition for dietary nutrients − weight loss, pot-bellied appearance, dull coat; mucus hypersecretion; intestinal obstruction in heavy infections; Toxocara cati has zoonotic significance — larva migrans in children), Toxascaris leonina (the feline/canine ascarid — less common than T. cati; no somatic migration — direct intestinal development; both cats and dogs are definitive hosts), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (the primary feline hookworm — third-stage larvae L3 infect via percutaneous skin penetration or oral ingestion; larvae migrate to the small intestine where adult hookworms attach to the intestinal villous mucosa and ingest blood − hookworms cause haematophagous blood-sucking intestinal haemorrhage: the adult A. tubaeforme female ingests approximately 0.01–0.03ml blood/day; in heavy infections in kittens − microcytic hypochromic iron-deficiency anaemia, hypoproteinaemia, melaena, and death; cutaneous larva migrans in humans from percutaneous L3 penetration), Uncinaria stenocephala (the northern hookworm — less haematophagous than Ancylostoma; primarily cooler climates); pharmacokinetics: pyrantel pamoate’s poor water solubility limits gastrointestinal absorption — peak plasma concentration is minimal; the drug acts locally in the intestinal lumen; the low systemic absorption underlies the excellent safety margin in cats (and explains why pyrantel pamoate is one of the few anthelmintics considered safe in pregnant queens at standard doses, though veterinary guidance is always recommended)
• Why febantel-free matters for cats: febantel (a probenzimidazole prodrug hydrolysed in vivo to fenbendazole and oxfendazole — the benzimidazole class of anthelmintics) is used in the canine deworming combination Drontal Plus (praziquantel + pyrantel pamoate + febantel) for dogs; febantel is specifically excluded from the feline formulation because: (a) cats have a documented reduced capacity for benzimidazole metabolism due to deficient hepatic glucuronidation (UGT1A6 and UGT1A9 enzyme deficiency — the same glucuronidase deficiency underlying feline toxicity to paracetamol, aspirin, and many drugs); (b) febantel and its metabolite fenbendazole can cause: severe vomiting, diarrhoea, hypersalivation, ataxia, tremors, and rarely hepatotoxicity in cats when administered at doses appropriate for dogs; Vental MEO’s febantel-free Praziquantel + Pyrantel Pamoate combination is the correct and safe formulation for cats — analogous to Drontal for Cats (Elanco), Profender oral, and other feline-specific combination dewormers

Indications

• Treatment of mixed helminth infestations in cats: Toxocara cati (roundworms), Ancylostoma tubaeforme and Uncinaria stenocephala (hookworms), Dipylidium caninum and Taenia taeniaeformis (tapeworms)
• Routine preventive deworming in cats — recommended deworming frequency: every 3 months for indoor cats; every 1–3 months for outdoor/hunting cats or cats with flea infestations (Dipylidium risk)
• Note: for effective Dipylidium prevention, concurrent flea control is essential (praziquantel kills existing tapeworms but cannot prevent re-infection if the flea intermediate host is not controlled)

Dosage & Administration

• Dose: 1 tablet per 5kg bodyweight, administered orally
• Single dose for routine preventive deworming; repeat as directed by veterinarian for active infections
• May be given directly or mixed with food; fasting is not required
• If the animal vomits within 1 hour of dosing, consult your veterinarian regarding re-dosing

Safety Information

• Schedule H drug (India) — requires veterinary prescription; to be sold by retail on the prescription of a registered veterinary practitioner only
• For use in cats only in the Vental MEO formulation; do not use the canine febantel-containing combination (Drontal Plus or equivalent) in cats
• Do not use in kittens under 6 weeks of age without veterinary guidance
• Consult a veterinarian before use in pregnant or lactating queens
• Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight; keep in original packaging until use
• Keep out of reach of children