Ivermectin question.

[sweeethearts_2002]

Someone I know with a large rabbitry uses ivermecting to treat rabbits. The kind I saw them use looked to be injectable, but they administered some in the ear and the same one orally. Anyone 2ho can give me advise on what medications to treat what common rabbit illnesses/parasites I'd appreciate it. I raise californians and am fairly new to this portion , but I want to be prepared.

 

[eco2pia]

Ivermectin can treat ear mites and internal parasites. It treats parasites of a quite a few varieties. If you raise for meat follow guidelines for withholding medication before harvest (varies by medication, look each one up).

Also be aware that certain breeds (not Californian) have a Vienna gene, that typically makes blue eyes, or a white blaze on the forehead. If you're rabbit carries that gene ivermectin can be toxic.

As for keeping a stocked pharmacopeia, I don't. As a meat breeder I cull rabbits prone to issues. The one thing I keep on hand is kitten milk replacer and a feeding syringe or bottle. If a mom dies I can't resist trying to save babies, even tho it is more work than it's worth, and they often don't make it. I'm just a sucker and have to try.

 

[eco2pia]

Luckily that's been very rare.

 

[Windy Acres Farm]

We use a pea size dose in the mouth of ivermectin 1.87% horse worming paste kills parasites, ear mites and fur mites. Usually 1 dose is all you need to take care of any problems

 

[arachyd]

If you're using the injectible it can be applied topically or by mouth. Ivermectin used orally has a huge margin before overdose with other animals but isn't labeled for rabbits so I don't know the limit for them.

 

[KimitsuKouseki]

I use pour on for cattle ivermectin. I give 0.1ml (same as cc) per pound (lb) of rabbit. When giving it to my rabbits I give one half of the dose inside each each. I put it in the ears cause it's the safest, unlike cats, bunnies can reach high on their neck to clean themselves and their skin is too sensitive there anyways. I found the ears to be the best area, and only reason I give half in each is to avoid them keeping their heads tilted to one side too long wich is what can happen if you put it all in 1 ear.

Bunnies get upset tummies very easilly, so oral treatments should be avoided at all cost, especially with ivermectin and penniciline.
injectable ivermectin isnt recomended for bunnies to my knowledge.

 

[Robochelle]

We use a pea size dose in the mouth of ivermectin 1.87% horse worming paste kills parasites, ear mites and fur mites. Usually 1 dose is all you need to take care of any problems

That much??? I've been giving just the tiniest of smears, trying to go by weight. It still works, I was afraid of giving too much...

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

I use pour on for cattle ivermectin. I give 0.1ml (same as cc) per pound (lb) of rabbit. When giving it to my rabbits I give one half of the dose inside each each. I put it in the ears cause it's the safest, unlike cats, bunnies can reach high on their neck to clean themselves and their skin is too sensitive there anyways. I found the ears to be the best area, and only reason I give half in each is to avoid them keeping their heads tilted to one side too long wich is what can happen if you put it all in 1 ear.

Bunnies get upset tummies very easilly, so oral treatments should be avoided at all cost, especially with ivermectin and penniciline.
injectable ivermectin isnt recomended for bunnies to my knowledge.

Pour on ivermectin has a lot of other ingredients. I use the injectable topically because it's just 1%, ivermectin and a carrier liquid. Wish I knew what the liquid was lol.

 

[Rabbits by Accident]

That much??? I've been giving just the tiniest of smears, trying to go by weight. It still works, I was afraid of giving too much...

Okay, well here's my story about that. I had very young kits that weighed about 2 lb. One kit's ear started to droop so I thought I would give him some ivermectin in case it was ear mites. I measured the dose of injectable 1%. I did not inject it, I just put it on the back of his neck. Because one of the rabbits in the litter had blue eyes I was a little concerned about the Vienna Gene but he was fine. The next day another rabbit's ears started to droop so I grabbed the stuff I had mixed up and dosed him. Gee, that looks like a lot more liquid than yesterday. I wonder why.... Oh, I used the wrong mixture - I gave a two and a half pound rabbit a dose for a 25 lb animal. Needlessly to say I didn't sleep much that night LOL. The next day he was fine and he's actually the biggest rabbit of the group so it certainly didn't stunt his growth. And now his ears are finally standing back up. (This is Hershey I'm talking about LOL his ears are just so huge but I guess he is growing into them.)

I dilute it so it's easier to measure. As it comes it's 1 mL per 110 lbs, so if you put 1 mL with 9 mL of saline or water (I can't remember what I used), then it's 1 mL to 11 pounds which is much easier.

So, at least with my rabbits, the non-lethal range is quite large. And even the blue-eyed one had no problem with it.

- Liz

p.s. nobody actually had earmites, just giant ears, I guess my breeding program is successful LOL

 

[hotzcatz]

I've never had Ivermectin interact with the Vienna gene. I'd not actually mind if it would take out all the Vienna in the herd, I've been trying to eradicate the Vienna gene for years. The whole herd gets treated when they get their wool harvested and there's some Vienna marked buns out there as well as some suspected Vienna carriers and no bad Ivermectin reactions.

We get the horse wormer apple flavored gel type of Ivermectin and just smear a bit in their ears.

 

[sweeethearts_2002]

Okay, well here's my story about that. I had very young kits that weighed about 2 lb. One kit's ear started to droop so I thought I would give him some ivermectin in case it was ear mites. I measured the dose of injectable 1%. I did not inject it, I just put it on the back of his neck. Because one of the rabbits in the litter had blue eyes I was a little concerned about the Vienna Gene but he was fine. The next day another rabbit's ears started to droop so I grabbed the stuff I had mixed up and dosed him. Gee, that looks like a lot more liquid than yesterday. I wonder why.... Oh, I used the wrong mixture - I gave a two and a half pound rabbit a dose for a 25 lb animal. Needlessly to say I didn't sleep much that night LOL. The next day he was fine and he's actually the biggest rabbit of the group so it certainly didn't stunt his growth. And now his ears are finally standing back up. (This is Hershey I'm talking about LOL his ears are just so huge but I guess he is growing into them.)

I dilute it so it's easier to measure. As it comes it's 1 mL per 110 lbs, so if you put 1 mL with 9 mL of saline or water (I can't remember what I used), then it's 1 mL to 11 pounds which is much easier.

So, at least with my rabbits, the non-lethal range is quite large. And even the blue-eyed one had no problem with it.

- Liz

p.s. nobody actually had earmites, just giant ears, I guess my breeding program is successful LOL

Speaking of stunted growth I'm going to post a pic here of 2 kits from the same litter with only the same 2 pair of rabbits I bred. No funny business in the wood shed there but look at the difference in the kits and tell me what you think. They are 16 days today snd the 3 big kits I think just milk mama all day long and there's none left for the runt . I tried removing them so the one could eat and while it worked some, I'm not sure she's continuing to feed it. At 16 days I can't let it just die. I've been suplimenting it also and giving a bit of electrolyte fortified with a tiny bit of nutri cal dissolved into the electrolytes. I'm doing electrolytes in between milks because I nearly lost one to dehydration its so hot here.

 

[sweeethearts_2002]

I've never had Ivermectin interact with the Vienna gene. I'd not actually mind if it would take out all the Vienna in the herd, I've been trying to eradicate the Vienna gene for years. The whole herd gets treated when they get their wool harvested and there's some Vienna marked buns out there as well as some suspected Vienna carriers and no bad Ivermectin reactions.

We get the horse wormer apple flavored gel type of Ivermectin and just smear a bit in their ears.

Harvesting their wool? Like just brushing or are you talking about shaving and saving?

 

[HTAcres]

Speaking of stunted growth I'm going to post a pic here of 2 kits from the same litter with only the same 2 pair of rabbits I bred. No funny business in the wood shed there but look at the difference in the kits and tell me what you think. They are 16 days today snd the 3 big kits I think just milk mama all day long and there's none left for the runt . I tried removing them so the one could eat and while it worked some, I'm not sure she's continuing to feed it. At 16 days I can't let it just die. I've been suplimenting it also and giving a bit of electrolyte fortified with a tiny bit of nutri cal dissolved into the electrolytes. I'm doing electrolytes in between milks because I nearly lost one to dehydration its so hot here.

It might be a peanut which, I think, is a kit that is just not right. If so, it will almost certainly die. Even knowing that, I can rarely convince myself to go ahead and cull it just in case I might be wrong. My head tells me it would be more humane to cull it and better herd management. And I am always going to do that "next time." Hoping it is just a runt and you are successful. I just had a litter full of fragile kits, not really peanuts but not right. I suspect one too many line breedings. That doe will be bred to completely unrelated buck next time and I hope for a better result (it was her first litter).

 

[sweeethearts_2002]

It might be a peanut which, I think, is a kit that is just not right. If so, it will almost certainly die. Even knowing that, I can rarely convince myself to go ahead and cull it just in case I might be wrong. My head tells me it would be more humane to cull it and better herd management. And I am always going to do that "next time." Hoping it is just a runt and you are successful. I just had a litter full of fragile kits, not really peanuts but not right. I suspect one too many line breedings. That doe will be bred to completely unrelated buck next time and I hope for a better result (it was her first litter).

This was a line breed ..this time, but next won't be. Someone here said a peanut can not come from a non dwarf breed. If that's so, then this kit is just a runt. Someone said that because it's all a silver color that it got cold. This kit was born with a bluish tinted skin while everyone else was pink, so idk. I do know the doe (cali) has silver in her points. My calis don't all just have super dark points and they aren't solid in color they have marbling to them. The kit is super fluffy and is still silver. It's thriving fine. I withhold the bigger kits every other or ever 2nd night so that the baby can get enough milk. Just as I suspected the older ones nurse so much now that they're chasing her that when it's time to feed the baby it has nothing to get. Last I tested my theory considering I removed kits early because of the heat and this AM the baby was very full.

 

[HTAcres]

I don't know about the peanuts - something I would like to know more about. I am glad that you found a way for it to get enough milk. You can do a lot of line breeding with rabbits. but my breeding was buck and doe were half siblings then I bred her back to the same buck. Yeah, just too much but now I know. I have a completely unrelated buck so will go with that.

 

[Therese]

We use a pea size dose in the mouth of ivermectin 1.87% horse worming paste kills parasites, ear mites and fur mites. Usually 1 dose is all you need to take care of any problems

Hello! I have a few practical questions about this for my own knowledge:

-How do you feed the dose to your rabbits without getting bitten?
-How often do you dose them? Someone told me you can give them a second dose in a month to "break the cycle" of the parasites. I wondered how often in the year, as well.

Thank you so much!
God bless you.

 

[Robochelle]

Hello! I have a few practical questions about this for my own knowledge:

-How do you feed the dose to your rabbits without getting bitten?
-How often do you dose them? Someone told me you can give them a second dose in a month to "break the cycle" of the parasites. I wondered how often in the year, as well.

Thank you so much!
God bless you.

Answers: rabbits have only ever bit me when in pain. I smear the paste on their lips; they don't like it, they squirm away, but once it's on they'll lick it up just to groom it off their face.

Depending on what you're treating for, you dose again when the eggs will hatch; ie for fur mites, between 7 and 10 days after first dose

 

[sweeethearts_2002]

Hello! I have a few practical questions about this for my own knowledge:

-How do you feed the dose to your rabbits without getting bitten?
-How often do you dose them? Someone told me you can give them a second dose in a month to "break the cycle" of the parasites. I wondered how often in the year, as well.

Thank you so much!
God bless you.

Place the amount of injection into their ear, inject it...lots of ways.

 

[hotzcatz]

Harvesting their wool? Like just brushing or are you talking about shaving and saving?

The herd here provides fiber for Hula Bunny yarn, they all get shaved naked (well, down to a quarter inch in the summer and about 3/8" of an inch in winter) about three times a year. If there's any dandruff or ear mites on any bunny in the herd, the whole herd gets treated with Ivermectin when they get their haircuts. It's kinda a continual thing, couple bunnies a week get haircuts, there's always some bunny out there who needs a haircut.

 

[Therese]

Thank you all for your input! I will be dosing them today or tomorrow. God bless you!