Arrest Sheep Drench (Fenbendazole, levamisole hydrochloride)

Arrest sheep drench is a combination drench for sheep which offers exceptional control of both mature and immature gastro-intestinal roundworms including benzimadazole or levamisole resistant strains, lungworms and tapeworms. Arrest sheep drench will also aid in preventing the development of resistance.

​Active Ingredient: Fenbendazole, levamisole hydrochloride

Target Species: Sheep

Treats and Controls: Gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms and tapeworms, nematodirus

Administration Method: Oral Drench

Withdrawal Time: 21 days for animals intended for meat and offal, not permitted for use on animals producing milk for human consumption.

Dosage: 2 ml per 10 kg of bodyweight

Always read the label and all enclosed information for Arrest sheep drench before administering to animals!

Key Features of Arrest

• Combination drench for sheep
• Exceptional control of both mature and immature gastro-intestinal roundworms
• Aid in preventing the development of resistance

Working out a Planned Control Strategy

The cycle of infection and heavily contaminated pasture can be broken by:

1. Dosing ewes before lambing or just before turn-out with Arrest and placing them on clean pasture (one not grazed the previous year by sheep).

2. Dosing lambs at weaning with Arrest and moving the lambs to clean pasture (i.e. silage or hayfield). The ewe can cope with remaining on the contaminated pasture. If benzimidazole resistant nematodes are present you will need to hold lambs off the clean pasture for 30 hours until eggs in their intestines are passed out and do not contaminate the pasture. Fenbendazole kills nematode eggs but levamisole does not.

3. Treating ewes at turn-out and every three weeks with Arrest and lambs from six weeks of age every three weeks with the last dose in June. Effectively the animals have cleaned the pasture but have not been allowed to shed nematode eggs. (sometimes called the poor man's clean grazing). REMEMBER on plan 2 you may need to treat for Nematodirus.

If you use any of the three plans correctly you should not need to treat the lambs again during the year. 

Using a partly effective anthelmintic with the above strategies you can make resistance worse, because only worms surviving treatment will contaminate the pasture. With Arrest the action of two drugs virtually eliminates this risk.

Arrest will serve you longer and better than buying a conventional white drench (benzimidazole) or clear drench (levamisole).

​This product is only licensed for sale within the Republic of Ireland

Click here to Download Data Sheet

Summary of Product Characteristics

1 NAME OF THE VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCT
Arrest Oral Suspension

2 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE COMPOSITION
For a full list of excipients, see section 6.1

3 PHARMACEUTICAL FORM
Oral suspension.

4 CLINICAL PARTICULARS
4.1 Target Species
Sheep.

4.2 Indications for use, specifying the target species
For the treatment of roundworm, lungworm and tapeworm infections of sheep caused by:

Gastrointestinal Roundworms:
Bunostomum,
Chabertia,
Cooperia,
Haemonchus,
Nematodirus,
Oesophagostomum,
Ostertagia,
Trichostrongylus

Lungworms:
Dictyocaulus

Tapeworm:
Moniezia spp 

The product is active against mature and immature parasite stages sensitive to fenbendazole or levamisole. Fenbendazole is ovicidal and will kill worm eggs.

4.3 Contraindications
Do not use in animals that are severely stressed or in ill-health.

4.4 Special warnings for each target species
Do not administer to sheep under stress or in poor condition.

Active Substance
Levamisole Hydrochloride 3.75 % w/v
Fenbendazole 2.50 % w/v

Excipients
Formaldehyde Solution 0.20 % w/v
Potassium Sorbate 0.18 % w/v 

4.5 Special precautions for use
Assess bodyweight as accurately as possible before calculating dosage recommended.
Do not exceed dose rates. Intensive use or misuse of anthelmintics can give rise to resistance.
To reduce the risk, dosing programmes should be discussed with your veterinary surgeon.

Care must be taken to avoid injury to the throat when drenching animals.

Special Precautions to be taken by the Person Administering the Product to Animals
Direct contact with skin should be kept to a minimum.
Wear suitable protective clothing including impermeable rubber gloves.
Wash hands after use.
Levamisole can cause idiosyncratic reactions and serious blood disorders in a very small number of people.
If symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting or abdominal discomfort are experienced when using the product, or sore mouth and fever occur shortly afterwards, seek medical advice immediately and show the package insert or the label to the physician.

4.6 Adverse reactions (frequency and seriousness)
None known.

4.7 Use during pregnancy, lactation or lay
Do not use in sheep producing milk for human consumption.

4.8 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction
None known.

4.9 Amounts to be administered and administration route
Shake well before use.
Using suitably calibrated drenching equipment, administer orally.
Sheep:
1 ml per 5 kg bodyweight given orally delivers a dose of
7.5 mg/kg levamisole hydrochloride and
5    mg/kg fenbendazole.

For example:
Bodyweight                      Dose
Up to 10 kg                         2 ml
    10-15 kg                         3 ml
    16-20 kg                         4 ml
    21-25 kg                         5 ml
    26-30 kg                         6 ml
Above 30 kg give 1 ml per each 5 kg bodyweight 

4.10 Overdose (symptoms, emergency procedures, antidotes), if necessary
Symptoms of levamisole overdosing are similar to those of poisoning by organophosphorus compounds: salivation, constriction of the pupils and respiratory distress.
Anaphylactic reactions have been reported.
Treatment in these cases is with antihistamines.
Extremely high dose of fenbendazole (up to 100 x therapeutic dose) would be required to cause any signs of depression and anorexia in sheep.

4.11 Withdrawal Period(s)
Meat and Offal: 21 days
Not permitted for use in sheep producing milk for human consumption.

5 PHARMACOLOGICAL or IMMUNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
Pharmacotherapeutic group:
Fenbendazole
– Benzimidazole Levamisole hydrochloride
– Imidazothiazole

ATCvet Code:
QP52A

5.1 Pharmacodynamic properties
The primary mode of action is the prevention of microtubule polymerisation with consequent loss of the parasites’ essential enzyme activities.
Differential binding affinities between nematode and mammalian tubulin may explain the selective toxicity of Fenbendazole and other Benzimidazoles.
Levamisole stimulates both parasympathetic and sympathetic ganglia in parasitic worms, causing a rapid, reversible paralysis which allows them to be expelled from the gut by normal peristaltic action.
High concentrations inhibit the fumerate reductase system, and this effect may contribute to anthelmintic action or be linked to the paralysing effects.

5.2 Pharmacokinetic properties

Fenbendazole is slowly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and mostly excreted unchanged in faeces.
In sheep, peak Fenbendazole blood levels occur and decrease slowly (tmax ~ 8 to 36 hours);
Cmax ~ 53 to 111 micrograms/L; t1/2 ~ 2 to 3 days.
The main metabolites in blood plasma are fenbendazole, oxfendazole and fenbendazole sulphone.
Target tissue for residues is liver.

Levamisole is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
The percentage of the dose absorbed by the oral route ~ 50%.
In sheep, peak levamisole blood levels occur and decrease rapidly (tmax ~ 1 to 2 hours);
Cmax ~ 350 to 1000 micrograms/L; t1/2 ~ 3 hours.

Residues of the drug are higher and more persistent in liver than in kidney or muscle tissue.

6 PHARMACEUTICAL PARTICULARS
6.1 List of excipients
Anhydrous Citric Acid
Colloidal Anhydrous Silica
Formaldehyde Solution
Propylene Glycol
Polyoxyl Stearate
Potassium Sorbate
Polyethylene Glycol 6000
Xanthan Gum
Purified Water

6.2 Incompatibilities
None known.

6.3 Shelf-life
Shelf life of the veterinary medicinal product as packaged for sale: 2 years.

6.4 Special precautions for storage
Do not store above 25ºC.
Store in tightly closed original container in upright position.
Protect from light and frost.

6.5 Nature and composition of immediate packaging
White HDPE packs with polypropylene screw caps.
Packs contain 1 litre (flat bottom backpack),
                    2.5 litre (back pack),
                       5 litre (back pack) and
                     10 litre (jerrican).
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

6.6 Special precautions for the disposal of unused veterinary medicinal products or waste materials
Unused product or waste material should be disposed of in accordance with current practice for pharmaceutical waste under national waste disposal regulations.
Do not contaminate surface waters or ditches with the product or used containers as this may be dangerous for fish and other aquatic organisms.

7 MARKETING AUTHORISATION HOLDER
Ancare Ireland Limited
30 Coolmine Business Park
Clonsilla Road
Dublin 15

8 MARKETING AUTHORISATION NUMBER(S)
VPA 10915/3/1

9 DATE OF THE FIRST AUTHORISATION/RENEWAL OF THE AUTHORISATION
Date of first authorisation: 26th January 2001
Date of last renewal: 26th January 2006

10 DATE OF REVISION OF THE TEXT
December 2013  

Drench correctly
Sheep Oral Drench
The drenching technique is a vital part of ensuring that the wormer does its job effectively.
Make sure the sheep are properly restrained and cannot leap around when they are being drenched so they swallow the whole amount.
Sheep can also suffer serious injury, or even death, if they are unrestrained and the gun penetrates the tissues at the back of the mouth.
Place a hand under the head and tilt slightly to the side.
Slot the nozzle in the gap between molar and incisor teeth and then over the back of the tongue.
If the wormer is just put into the mouth, it will bypass the rumen as it escapes down the oesophageal groove and will be less effective.
This is particularly important for white (BZ) drenches.

Dosing Weigh – do not guess Underestimating the weight of sheep is a common cause of underdosing. Select and weigh the biggest sheep in the group to determine the correct dose. If there is a wide range of weights, consider splitting the group, then weigh the heaviest in each section. Do not forget to check that the weigh crate is accurate before starting!

Calibrate and maintain the drench gun
Always check the gun is delivering the right amount before you drench. Remove the plunger from a 10 ml syringe, put a thumb over the end and squirt the dose into it, making sure there are no air bubbles left. Adjust the gun until the dose delivered is correct. Drenching guns should also be well maintained and replaced regularly. Clean with warm soapy water after use and check springs and tubes to make sure there are no kinks that will form air bubbles.

Withholding food
Research has shown that the efficacy of the white (BZ) and clear (AV) drenches can be improved by withholding food for 12–24 hours before treatment. It is not advised to deprive heavily pregnant ewes of food, so if you treat this class of stock with anthelmintics, you may wish to use yellow drenches (LV) because their efficacy is less dependent on rumen fill.

Storage
Wormers should be stored securely, away from direct sunlight at 4–25°C. Check the use-by date and, once open, use within the time shown on the packaging. Shake white (BZ) products well before use.

Delivery Information

Delivery Service

Here at Agridirect we have joined forces with DPD to ensure all packages are delivered promptly and safely to you. We ship to all mainland countries within the EU. Deliveries take place Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Once your order has been dispatched from our warehouse you will be notified by email. If there is a delay with your order for any reason you will be contacted immediately. 

Due to Brexit we are temporarily unable to ship to the UK. Shipping to Northern Ireland will remain in place.

Delivery Times

Some products have an extended delivery time, this is noted on the products.

Delivery Rates

A selection of the products we sell are only licensed for sale within the Republic Of Ireland and can not be shipped outside of the country. These products are noted as only being available within the Republic of Ireland on the individual product pages.

There may be an addition charge on certain bulky items. This charge will be clearly marked on an applicable products and will be explained on the checkout page before payment has been made.

Agridirect Returns Policy

We’re sorry your purchase didn’t work out. But don’t worry; we have a great returns policy to help you out.

All purchases can be returned to us within 14 days of delivery and returned goods must be received within 14 days from the date you informed us of the return.

Purchases may be opened for inspection but must not be used and must be repackaged securely in the original packaging if you wish to return it.

If we discover goods have been used or there has been a loss in value of the goods due to damage to the goods, while in your care or whilst being returned to us, we will reduce the amount refunded, which may amount to the full cost of the product, to cover loss of value of goods.

All returns should be complete which includes boxes, manuals and accessories that may have been included with the order.

All returns must be packaged appropriately for shipping, we will not accept responsibility for damages or loss which occur during shipping of a return product.

We accept no responsibility for goods damaged or lost while in transit to us. 

How do I return a product?

We have partnered with DPD to make your returns process easy and secure. simply follow the steps below and bring your package to an official DPD pickup point.

1) All returns must be accompanied with a fully filled out returns form which can be downloaded here.

2) To print off your return label click here or visit www.dpd.ie/returns and follow the on-screen instructions. Make sure and use your order number as your reference.

• Select “Continue as Guest”
• Select “Agridirect” from the drop-down menu
• Select your reason for returning
• Select the size of the package you wish to return
• Accept DPD’s terms and conditions
• Fill in your payment details
• Fill in your own details
• Follow the instructions to print off your label

3) Bring your package to a DPD pickup point. To find your nearest drop off point here.

Once the returned product has been received into our warehouse and been fully inspected a refund will be issued.

If you choose not to use the DPD returns service we recommend that you use a method that can be tracked.

For the return of bulk products please contact us at sales@agridirect.ie

I have received a damaged product from you, what should I do?

First off, if you have received a damaged electrical product from us, do not plug it in. Any electrical products that are plugged in are deemed ‘as used and accepted’ and are not accepted as returns. All damages must be reported to us via phone or email within 24hours of receipt of goods. Please ensure you check your items upon delivery.

How do I begin the returns process?

If you wish to begin the return process, please email us at sales@agridirect.ie and ensure the following information is included in your email. Your name, phone number, Order id, the item you wish to return, reason for return and if the product is damaged we require photos of the product.

Once you have sent us all required information a member of our team will assess your claim and will contact you as soon as possible. Please hold off on returning products until a member of our team has called you to confirm.

Refunds

Once the returned product has been returned to us and fully inspected a refund will be issued.

Please Note: A typical timeline for a refund to show in your account is up to 10 working days from the date processed, depending on your bank.