Critical evaluation of oxfendazole as a swine anthelmintic.

Sixty feeder pigs with mixed naturally acquired nematode infections were medicated with oxfendazole, a new benzimidazolecarbamate compound, at dose levels of 0, 3, 9, and 18 mg/kg of body weight. The dosage of 3.0 mg/kg administered once in the feed proved as efficacious as larger dosages and the same dosage administered 2 or 3 times in the removal of adult Ascaris suum, Oesophagostomum dentatum, and Metastrongylus pudendotectus. Trichuris suis adults were less susceptible. Anthelmintic efficacy was based upon comparative nematode egg counts, appearance of eggs, and recovered nematode burdens at necropsy. Signs of toxicosis were not seen in pigs given any one of the medicated feed schedules.