IVERMECTIN SHEEP DRENCH

[KathyR]

Hi , I have two roos that are exibiting signs of gapeworm. I made an appointment for friday with the vet but in the meantime I called Cornell in Ithaca NY. The vet there said add 7.5 cc of the sheep drench, .08%, to 1 gal of water for 1 day. Repeat in ten days. I saw somewhere it should be given for 3 or 4 days. What do you think? The symptoms are gaping, wide open mouth, and what sounds like gurgling or sometimes gaging when eating or drinking. I have not seen any discharge to indicate upper respiratory but hope the vet can determine what is going on. They were treated for roundworm last month after a positive stool check and got Panacur for 5 days, which is what my vet recommended. Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks
Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I have never seen any published info on treating gapes with ivermectin, but there was a study done that suggests 20mg/kg fenbendazole (Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste) three days in a row for gapes. 20mg/kg is .2ml per 2.2 pounds. Email the link below to your vet.

From:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6750887
Efficacy of fenbendazole against helminth parasites of poultry in Uganda.

Ssenyonga GS.
Abstract

Fenbendazole 4% (Panacur, Hoechst) administered in feed was used to treat chickens infected with Ascaridia galli, Heterakis gallinarum and Railletina spp. It was also used to treat Syngamus trachea in broiler birds. There was a marked drop in helminth egg counts in the faeces on the second day of treatment and the faeces became negative by the seventh day after the last treatment. Post-mortem examination 15 to 21 days later showed that the drug was 100% effective against Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum at 10 mg/kg. However, for complete removal of Railletina spp. 15 mg/kg was required. Similarly 20 mg/kg fenbendazole was effective against Syngamus trachea. It was concluded that fenbendazole is suitable for the treatment of the important intestinal and tracheal worms of poultry, a dose of 15 to 20 mg/kg for 3 consecutive days being recommended for use under field conditions.

 

[KathyR]

Thanks. I will pass it on to my vet. Has anyone heard of using the ivermectin sheep drench for gapes?

 

[dawg53]

Covey Rise Plantation is the expert on gapeworms. Here's a link, read posts 13 & 14:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/602699/worming-chickens/10#post_7931055

 

[KathyR]

Nobody has ever used Ivermectin Sheep Drench?

 

[casportpony]

I use it for mites, but not worms.

-Kathy

 

[dawg53]

Ivermectin has lost its effectiveness as a wormer in chickens due to its overuse as a miteacide in chickens. In otherwords, worms have built resistance to ivermectin, here's a link:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0450.1989.tb00635.x/abstract

 

[KathyR]

Well thats not good news.I just spent $31 on a bottle and have already given it to my chickens. What do you use?

 

[casportpony]

I use 10% fenbendazole (Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste) for worms and if I suspected gapes, I would try to treat for it like the study suggests. Like you, I also have a new bottle of ivermectin that I bought before I knew about it not being a good wormer for poultry.

If you don't have enough Panacur left, you can get 125 ml of Safeguard for goats, which is the same as the Panacur you got from the vet (both are 10% fenbendazole) for about $20 at TSC. Your averaged sized Barred Rock hen would get .6 - .8ml by mouth three days in a row.

Curiously, how much Panacur did you vet tell you to give your chickens last month and did he/she tell you to give it orally or in the water?

-Kathy

 

[KathyR]

Hi, I just checked the bottle and it only says Panacur Suspension, no strength. He said 3cc per 1 gallon of water for 5 days, which we did. I am so worried. I would like to have the vet do a culture or whatever is needed to figure out what is going on. I would like to rule out any diseases or infections before worming again. I will see him friday. Due to his schedule and mine unfortunately it couldn't be before that. It seems my one roo is uncomfortable, kind of gasping for air when trying to eat. What do you suggest?
Kathy