Dog worming?

[tulie13]

I just read my heartworm chewables for the first time since becoming a "crazy chicken lady". They contain 68 MICROGRAMS of Ivermectin. Is there any reason I shouldn't get some Ivermectin for potential chicken worming and then just treat my dogs myself? I was looking in a Jeffers Livestock catalog, and it looks like one small bottle of the stuff could last me FOREVER!!! And it would cost A LOT less than those silly chews. Plus one of my dogs puked up his chew yesterday and I had to give him ANOTHER one... $$$

Is there anyone on here that uses "cattle drench" on their dogs for heartworm prevention?

 

[Brindlebtch]

I used it a long time ago and went back to chews when I got a really picky eater.

Yes, you can use cattle ivermectin as heartworm preventative in dogs. It needs to be a certain dilution and only a VERY small amout given. If you give too much you can cause permanent neurological symptoms in your dog or cause other problems.

That is all I know. I don't know the dilution or anything. I remember it was literally a drop out of a teeny tiny syringe. This was for a 50 lb dog.

You should ask the moderator to move this down to the pets and other livestock section. You would probably get more responses there.

 

[BluegrassSeramas]

I dont know alot, but there is also something I read....I think on here... that it is dangerous to give it to dogs that carry the Merle gene. You might want to look that up and see what you can find....

 

[tulie13]

Thanks - I used to TEACH how to do dosages and dilutions of solutions. Since my box lists the correct dosage for my dogs, if I get some concentrated stuff I can do a good dilution so I won't need a "teeny tiny drop", it would be an actual measurable amount.

68 micrograms is a small amount, and based on the concentrations I've seen on the liquids, the amount that would have to be applied would be TINY!

 

[mypicklebird]

It is the same stuff. Extreme caution when calculating doses- most of the overdoses in the reports are people at home trying to save $ and doing the math wrong. OTC ivermectin comes as a percentage- usually 1%, and it needs to be translated from milligrams/ml to micrograms/kg. Do the math right and know how to read a syringe, know the wt of your dog, and it can be used relatively safely. Do any of the steps wrong (usually it is translation of 1%) and you can give a massive overdose- neurologic problems/coma/death ect. Ivermectin is a great drug used correctly, but a very dangerous drug as well...

 

[klutzyruth]

I've used it for years. On my ferrets, cats & dogs.
I use the brown box. Ivomec injection for cattle & swine 1% sterile solution.
(from Jeffers)
Dosage is: Ivomec 1% solution - 1/10 cc per 10 lbs. of dog weight.
That is 1/10th of 1 cc. I use the small narrow syringes (without needles) like diabetics use. I give orally, once a month.
The animals were checked to be sure that they were heartworm free to begin with.

You cannot use ivermectin on collies and collie mixes.

The Old English Sheepdog, Australian Shepherds, and Shetland Sheepdogs have also been mentioned as susceptible breeds.
(c&p from http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1677+1684&aid=2245 )
This site has toxicity information.

I am not a vet, nor do I play one on tv.

I do live in heartworm heaven- muggy central Florida.
Ruth

 

[tulie13]

My dogs weigh 10.5 and 11.5 pounds, respectively. So I need some small syringes...