Flubendazole 1% premixture question for Gapeworm

[Adey65]

I'm 99.9% sure one of my girls has Gapeworm. It should be confirmed tomorrow when I receive the lab test results. Gurgling sounds, stretching her neck to get her breath, and her head shaking that to be quite honest frightened the life out of me. There are no runny eyes or nose that you would also associate with a respiratory infection. I think she caught it from eating an infected earthworm. I regularly went outside digging up the borders so my 5 girls could fight over the worms. We also have a lot of magpies in the garden at this time of year which I believe are significant carriers of the disease. I treated her, and the rest of the flock on Tuesday with Ivermectin on the back of the neck, 4 drops each. There was significant headshaking and coughing shortly after treatment, and after a few days, she seemed to pick up somewhat. She started eating, and her drinking improved. Today the gurgling has come back and I'm worried she's going to relapse. I realized shortly after treatment that Ivermectin doesn't eradicate adult Gapeworms, which I assume is the issue here. For this reason, I have ordered and expect an arrival on Tuesday of Flubendazole 1% medicated premixture. The problem I think I'm going to have is getting her to eat the food it is mixed in with. My question is, can this be dissolved in water so I can give it to her through a pipette (I'm not a fan of syringing) or could I mix it with some coconut oil to make some small pills to get down to her? If yes to either of the above, what would the doses be? I'm sorry for the long post, but I just don't want to lose this girl. I look forward to any advice and thank you in advance.

 

[Shadrach]

The problem I think I'm going to have is getting her to eat the food it is mixed in with. My question is, can this be dissolved in water so I can give it to her through a pipette (I'm not a fan of syringing) or could I mix it with some coconut oil to make some small pills to get down to her? If yes to either of the above, what would the doses be? I'm sorry for the long post, but I just

Gapeworm is fairly unusual. In the event the lab test returns positive the article below may help you.
Basically for Flubendazole the advice is to double the dosage one would give for other types of worms. Notice the dosage tolerance in the article. If you gave say three times the dosage you're still in the safe zone.
It's not really a drug one can mix in water.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/flubendazole-worming-dosages.75090/

 

[Adey65]

Would it be possible to mix it with coconut oil to make pills?

 

[Shadrach]

What it be possible to mix with coconut oil to make pills?

Yes, that should work.

 

[Adey65]

Yes, that should work.

I can't find any information on individual doses.

 

[Shadrach]

I can't find any information on individual doses.

It's in the article. You need to read the article carefully and work out the dosage on the average feed consumption of your hen.

 

[Adey65]

Sorry, I saw it as soon as I posted my reply. I'm not sure she'll last long enough, to be honest.

 

[Shadrach]

Taking an average sized hens feed consumption at 100 grams and then doubling the dose for gapeworm gives approximately 0.6 grams at a pre mix of 1% flubendazole.

 

[Adey65]

Is it safe to use that amount mixed with a little coconut oil and dispense it as a pill? There is no way she will eat any food at the moment. She is drinking water with added Nutri drench using a pipette.

 

[Shadrach]

Is it safe to use that amount mixed with a little coconut oil and dispense it as a pill? There is no way she will eat any food at the moment. She is drinking water with added Nutri drench using a pipette.

What confuses many people is the pre mixes. They come in differing strengths, (percentages of Flubendazole) In your case, 99% of the premix isn't Flubendazole. This should help appreciate how small the dosage is.
A bit of research will show you that correct dosage isn't critical. What is important is the dose isn't below the minimum dosage.
Any drug that can be mixed with feed has to be like this because there is no way to guarantee how much an individual bird will eat each day; one works with averages.
There is a 10x tolerance to Flubendazole so yes it's safe.