# Dose for Baycox Toltrazuril for Coccidiosis?



## squidpop (Aug 12, 2014)

Does anyone knows the dosage for Baycox Toltrazuril for Coccidiosis?

I've been google searching for the dosage and I'm getting conflicting information. 

On this page http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/squirts.pdf 
it says the dosage for Toltrazuril is 20mg/kg

on the Meddirabbit page http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Protozoal_diseases/Cocc_en.htm
it says 2.5mg/kg

On the Wildro pagehttp://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00Chem/ChComplex/Toltrazuril.htm

it says Toltrazuril
.. orally by syringe as a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg and is effective in significantly reducing faecal oocyst counts. (P602.2009.w1)
N.B. the suggested dose of 25 mg/kg given in some texts (possibly as a mistranslation or miscalculation from 25 ppm in drinking water) is too high a dose and has anecdotally been associated with anorexia and decreased production of faeces. (P602.2009.w1)

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Also, how many days do you dose for?


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## JBun (Aug 12, 2014)

I would go with the 2.5mg/kg. From everything I have read the 20mg dosage is a misinterpretation of ppm from FHB's Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. I believe you give for 2-3 days(depending on the active infection), break for 5 days, then repeat 2-3 days(from wildpro and medirabbit). If you want to get the most accurate info regarding this, your vet should be able to access any of the latest info and studies. Molly Vargas new 'Textbook of Rabbit Medicine', may have more up to date info regarding it.

You do need to keep a close eye on eating and drinking and supplement if needed, as this can be a bit hard on them.


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## squidpop (Aug 12, 2014)

Thanks Jbun, you must have worked really hard to find that info. 

Just for your own interest... 
I emailed Dana and asked her about the differences in the doses on the various sites and she emailed me this....

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We have found that for the Eimeria commonly infecting domestic rabbits, the parasites often do not die off significantly until we use 50mg/kg. We dose for seven days, once a day.

The 2.5mg/kg seems very low to me, but perhaps the Eimeria they have in Switzerland (where Medirabbit is housed) are less resistant than ours in the U.S.

Dana


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## JBun (Aug 12, 2014)

Didn't she specify that it is ponzuril that she uses at that dose, as we don't technically have toltrazuril here in the US?

If people were encountering anorexia from the 25mg dose of toltrazuril, I can't imagine what a 50mg dose would do. Since the info for toltrazuril comes from the UK(I believe), you would have to track down the literature where that dosing info comes from. Here's one abstract of a study done, not sure if there are more. You can purchase the full article, or your vet may possibly be able to access the info for you.
http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/167/8/287.abstract

All I know is what I've read, and there really isn't a lot of reliable info regarding ponzuril and toltrazuril usage in rabbits, besides a few articles.


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## squidpop (Aug 15, 2014)

Thanks for your replies. 

I never really explained why I want to know the dose information so much. My rabbits don't have coccidiosis. But one of my babies had floppy bunny syndrome but recovered. This made me want to treat all my rabbits with Panacur for EC, but the treatment is 28 days which makes it hard to do especially because I have 12 rabbits and some of them refuse to take it. So then I started reading about toltrazuril which seems like a better option - only two doses, lasts in the system longer, and some believe has better efficacy than panacur. So, I was thinking I should get it for that but hadn't decided to buy any yet.

Then my interest in toltrazuril was further sparked because.....
I belong to some online rabbit clubs on facebook and there are a lot of people who have had drug resistant strains of Coccidiosis that wiped out their rabbitries. There is someone who is struggling right now, has used other meds but the cocci has come back. It sounds like toltrazuril would be a perfect thing for them to try, especially since other drugs aren't working, if only there was more clear information on what the dosage was..... 
Also, If my rabbits ever did have suspected cocci, I like the idea of using toltrazuril for cocci because it is also effective against E. cuniculi and so you might be able to kill two bugs with one stone. 
The only thing that puts me off using it is the weird discrepancy in the dose rates. 

Other things I've done to figure out the dose rates....
I emailed one of the people that sells Baycox toltrazuril and asked about its safety. She said she has dosed her own rabbits at 20mg/kg and had good results, no anorexia. She also said she has sold Baycox to 100s of people and has not had any complaints of anorexia. The other thing I've done is, I asked Dana if she thought the dose difference was because one was Baycox and hers was Ponazuril, she replied back, they are both toltrazuril. So, I guess she believes they should be the same. I would email her back and ask more questions but I think I am wearing out my welcome. I actually do think there is a difference because of (what jbun said) ponazuril is a metabolite of toltrazuril and cost is five times higher. Also, toltrazuril was first developed for a protozoal brain infection in horses, and I read on a horse forum that an expert believed that Ponazuril was much better at passing through the blood brain barrier than the Baycox, so I think that indicates a difference. At any rate, I wouldn't try the higher dosage unless I used the exact same thing as Dana, the Ponazuril. 

So, right now I'm just going to put my treatment plans with toltrazuril on hold and wait and see if anyone publishes more research.


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## JBun (Aug 15, 2014)

I had tried to look into toltrazuril/ponzuril as a treatment for EC as well, but nothing I found could really verify that it was an effective treatment. Just a few people that said they thought it might be more effective than fenbendazole. If you find any good info on it or research, please share. But until I'm more sure of it's effectiveness against the parasite, I wouldn't want to not treat with the fenbendazole as well.

With coccidiosis it does seem like the best treatment. The only way that I can see to find out for sure if the lower dose is effective, is if you have a case of cocci, to do fecal tests before and after every dose, to see what effect it has on the egg count. Also I think another important factor for the toltrazuril, is to make sure to neutralize the alkalinity by mixing with an acidic base like the cola that was mentioned by that vet in that one link. It may be that many of these cases of anorexia caused by a high dose, may possibly not have to do with the higher dose and might have to do with the high alkalinity not being neutralized. I don't really know, but just a thought. One other way to find out about whether the lower dose is effective, would be to find a good rabbit vet in the UK that has used it often to treat cocciciosis(as they will have the most experience with the effectiveness of the lower dose), and is willing to share what they know with you, though you may have to do this through your vet. I do know of some breeders here in the US, that seem to think it works well for cocci, and most of them seem to use the 2.5-5mg dose.

I'm glad your little bun ended up being ok. One thing with floppy bunny syndrome, is though EC can be a cause, it seems like more cases may have to do with a nutrient deficiency. I know of several accounts of it occurring, and the buns were supposedly saved with electrolytes and mushed up banana(for the potassium). So it's possible your bun doesn't have EC and it was due to something else. If you want to bother with the expense, you could always have a blood sample tested.
http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/00dis/Miscellaneous/Floppy_Rabbit_Syndrome.htm


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