Ivermectin question.

[HTAcres]

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.

I plan to get Corid in case of coccidiosis. I use Veterycin gel for random eye issues. I have Ivermectin for ear mites though I know i can use oil. That is it. Pretty much anything else is just going to get culled.

 

[MnCanary]

Ivermectin comes in a LOT of formulations--paste, injectable, drench. And in many active ingredient percentages. Quite a few people talk casually about this, saying something like "just get sheep drench" or something similar. And, at least in my mind, there is confusion over using Ivermectin for ear mites, or fur mites or intestinal worms. I wonder, when we talk about Ivermectin, if we shouldn't be mentioning the

Formulation (like 'sheep drench' or 'injectable'),​

the brand, and​

the % active ingredient​

the usage (ear mites, or fur mites etc)​

and the dosage of that particular product for rabbits.​

​

I've read so much contradictory and vague information that even after several years I still don't know what is correct.

thanks!

 

[ladysown]

I use a popsicle stick and put it just inside their cheeks. Apple flavoured and they lick it right up. You just need a smear (think BABY pea sized at the most). Also if treating mites, treat every 10 days for about a month to break the cycle of hatching/egg-laying.

 

[Robochelle]

I use a popsicle stick and put it just inside their cheeks. Apple flavoured and they lick it right up. You just need a smear (think BABY pea sized at the most). Also if treating mites, treat every 10 days for about a month to break the cycle of hatching/egg-laying.

<envy> the place I got mine from doesn't have flavors. I bet it's much easier to give if they're willing to taste it

 

[Therese]

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

Thank you!

 

[sweeethearts_2002]

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.

I have oy 1 kit out of a litter that's has thin fur just on the back of the neck area and has/had flaky akin.skin.. not discolored snd it doesn't scratch. Don't see any mites etc..

 

[Rshutt]

Does anyone believe ivermectin would be beneficial in treatment of botflies as preventative?

 

[hotzcatz]

Our two sheep occasionally 'honk' and I suspect some sort of flies in their nose, which would be botflies? In any case, we smear some of the same horse gel ivermection behind their ears and they quit honking. They get a little less than a quarter of a horse dose and the whole tube is one dose for a horse, so it's a scant quarter tube that gets smeared on them. The sheep are going to move to my friend's pasture pretty soon, though, since we're gonna build a house in their sheep pasture (they currently live in the back yard) so they may not get much Ivermectin anymore.

We basically default to Ivermectin if its some sort of bug related problem. Penicillin when it's a 'biotic' type of problem such as syphilis. We don't have anything to treat a virus, though.

 

[reverie]

Does anyone believe ivermectin would be beneficial in treatment of botflies as preventative?

I don't think so- 1) ivermectin is a treatment, not a prevention, so it's only in the body and effective for a limited time period 2) I've not seen it used as a bot fly treatment in any other animals.

 

[sweeethearts_2002]

I don't think so- 1) ivermectin is a treatment, not a prevention, so it's only in the body and effective for a limited time period 2) I've not seen it used as a bot fly treatment in any other animals.

Well I have..

 

[eco2pia]

I don't think so- 1) ivermectin is a treatment, not a prevention, so it's only in the body and effective for a limited time period 2) I've not seen it used as a bot fly treatment in any other animals.

Well I have..

You are both partly right.
Ivermectin is a treatment.
Ivermectin treats Bot fly infestation, both topical and intestinal.

The confusion is that people will often treat "prophylactically", or you might think of it as proactively. They treat the infection that they suspect is fairly chronic in their area, with the assumption that it is brewing, and they just don't see symptoms yet. They treat routinely. Just like how factory farmed animals often have antibiotics in the feed. It wont stop them from contacting bacteria, but if they do contact bacteria, it will be killed by the next dose before it gets a foothold, and wipes out the whole herd. This can work in large herds of animals that rarely get individual attention--it makes sense to treat the herd periodically for common parasites.

Doing something like this has to be carefully considered--are your rabbits really at high risk? Are they food animals? Are they pets? Are there other ways to prevent infection? The answers to these questions will vary by location, and climate, and owner.

 

[BuffBrahmaBantam]

Does anyone believe ivermectin would be beneficial in treatment of botflies as preventative?

I just wanted to share general advice that when I have medical problems with my animals, a search on google scholar can help. It enables you to accesses the primary (scientific) literature. It adds a valuable perspective and for common problems can be more reliable than reading people's websites.

It requires more time and effort than a standard google search, but is worth it for me. I feel better knowing that I'm doing something based on scientific tests. I love my animals and don't want to harm them through treatments or interventions that are wrong or not necessary.

I did a quick search on google scholar for "ivermectin" and "botfly" and came up with some journal articles on ivermectin being useful for botfly treatment in other species. I didn't look very far but it sounds like eco2pia and sweeethearts_2002 are right. Yes, ivermectin can be used to treat botfly. I don't know about using it as a preventative, however. Personally, I would be concerned about drug resistance developing in the population of botflies.

 

[Cosima]

how long should I wait between treatments?

 

[ladysown]

unless you have botfly, not sure I'd treat, again... treating just because isn't a good enough reason to risk developing antibiotic resistant strains. But normally 10 days apart.

 

[Squirrelmommy13]

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

What exactly is a pea sized dose?

 

[Robochelle]

What exactly is a pea sized dose?

Put a bead of paste on your finger that is the same size as a typical frozen pea.

Personally, I give less than a pea size; I found that a mm thick smear on the index finger is still enough to take care of fur mites, at least. If you've got a bigger parasite or the problem continues, the pea size is probably the proper amount. I am over cautious, though, as I had a cat that was nearly overdosed (blown pupils, terrible coordination for a couple days).
Can't say for sure it was the ivermectin, but I'd dosed the whole barn for the first time prior to the incident, and those are the signs of ivermectin toxicity. Group grooming is probably the culprit, I smear the paste on their lips to make them lick it off. Cats are heavier than rabbits, so if the pea size could cause that in a cat (I'm guessing he did a lot of grooming the 8 other cats and rabbits that were also treated and free roaming, no way a 10 lb cat did this on what I gave him alone) I don't want to risk it on my semi-colony rabbits; I did some experiments to see how little I could get away with. My adult buns are average 5-7 lbs, juveniles get about half that, and barely weaned just get the trace amounts left after dosing another animal rubbed on the inside of their ear.