Gun Dog Forum

I've given my dogs the oral dose of "cattle" ivermectin each month for several years. Very cheap and works great in preventing heartworms. Unfortunately, I had a bad night tonight with them - I usually just suck up the liquid in a 3 cc syringe, put in what I need for the dog in question and squirt directly into their mouth. I had not unscrewed the needle and I would just shoot from the syringe - I have always left the needle in. Well, when shooting Rooster's ivomec into his mouth, the needle shot into his mouth too. Freaked me out! I thought it had gone down his throat. I shoved my hand down his throat and luckily (though ouchie), the needle stuck into one of my fingers and was extracted from his throat.

Big mistake on my part, but I'd never really thought about it before. Probably nobody on here needs this warning - but I'm sending it out anyway!

Why don't you just squirt it on their food?

I shoot it down the throat also, but it baffles me as to why you wouldnt unscrew the needle before administering???? Glad to hear you and the dog came out with only a poke! lol

laxhcky4 wrote:Why don't you just squirt it on their food?

I squirt it on a piece of bread n butter, they gobble that right up...here again I only have 3 dogs. Glad all is OK, my syringes have no needle. The cap/opening to the bottle is big enough for a tiny cc syringe to fit into it so I have no use for a needle. I would have freaked if that happened to me.

I just load all the syringes I need from a needle that stays in the stopper.

Could of been worse!! Nice that you posted it becasue I'm sure someone out these is doing this now or will try it. I will say that Ivomec is great and much cheaper way of worming. Thanks to a bunch of old farmers in the hood who gave me the heads up on Ivomec. I typically buy just the plastic expressor from TSC without the needles and shoot it in the mouth. I hope you didn't stick your trigger finger

You'll soon be a convert to the horse paste. It's super easy.

Greg Jennings wrote:You'll soon be a convert to the horse paste. It's super easy.

I have to agree with Greg, especially for one or two dogs . The paste is $4, easy to give and enough for 2 dogs for 12 months.

However, the only one I have been able to find metered at 50lb for horses is Durvet Apple.

OK you have me hooked. Please enlighten me on the paste. I have no clue on what to get or how much to give.

Greek wrote:OK you have me hooked. Please enlighten me on the paste. I have no clue on what to get or how much to give.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/horse-worm ... PricingCmd

This brand is made in Canada and is available all over the place. There is a little plastic ring that you turn in increments metered for 50lbs of HORSE weight.

I give half of one of those increments. My dog is 90-95lbs.

I swipe half the amount with a butter knife and spread it on a treat.

About the horse paste...someone told me that it could be dangerous and is not recommended for dogs. The reason is, the medicine may not evenly dispursed throughout the paste. For horses, it doesn't matter because they get the whole tube at once. But for dogs, one month, the dog may not get enough of the actual med, they next, he might be overdosed. I don't know if this is true, but just passing along the info.

I've been using Zimectrin Gold for about a year now. It has slightly lower ivomectin (1.55%) than most others, plus praziquantel (7.75%) a common wormer. It is metered in 50# increments. I give my 33# brittanys most of a 50# dose inside of a pill pocket.

I calculated that the 50# horse dose is about 5x the ivomectin dosage in Heartgard. Studies have shown that 10x the dose in Heartgard does not cause problems in dogs. We haven't observed any negative effects on either of my dogs and my wife and I watch the dogs closely after each dosage. When I run out of this tube of Zimectrin Gold, I'll get another.

Hope this helps,
JLMyers

WOW.....Ivemec is right on the label. I will have to try it when my liquid is out. Thanks for the INFO!!

Soilman wrote:About the horse paste...someone told me that it could be dangerous and is not recommended for dogs. The reason is, the medicine may not evenly dispursed throughout the paste. For horses, it doesn't matter because they get the whole tube at once. But for dogs, one month, the dog may not get enough of the actual med, they next, he might be overdosed. I don't know if this is true, but just passing along the info.

I heard that but that stuff is given to foals and ponies as well, goats too, and they don't get the whole tube since they are not all 1,250lb.

I asked a very close friend who is an equine vet and he double checked for me. The ivermectin is equally suspended. He told me if that were the case the tube would not be adjustable and it would be labelled "one dose"

I also called Durvet and they assured me that the ivermectin was suspended equally.

jlmyers wrote:I've been using Zimectrin Gold for about a year now. It has slightly lower ivomectin (1.55%) than most others, plus praziquantel (7.75%) a common wormer. It is metered in 50# increments. I give my 33# brittanys most of a 50# dose inside of a pill pocket.

I calculated that the 50# horse dose is about 5x the ivomectin dosage in Heartgard. Studies have shown that 10x the dose in Heartgard does not cause problems in dogs. We haven't observed any negative effects on either of my dogs and my wife and I watch the dogs closely after each dosage. When I run out of this tube of Zimectrin Gold, I'll get another.

Hope this helps,
JLMyers

One half click or 25 Horse pound is 2200 mcgs, 8 times Heartguard but far less than is given for mange everyday for weeks. A dog like mine would be dosed 10,000 mcgs for mange everyday for several weeks. Maybe the Vets here can comment because 10,000 mcgs might be on the low side.

Soilman you stated that the horse paste is not reccomended for dogs & I blieve it says that but neither is the liquid.I think You will find there are meds used all the time for dogs that aren't specified for dogs.
There probably aren't many vets that would reccomend it but we have a few vets on this Board & I have not heard them say NOT to use it yet.
More then a few members here been using it for yrs with no problems.

Thanks guys. I had no easy way to check the validity of what I was told. I've been useing the liquid mix myself for quite some years, so I wasn't coming from a lable recommendaton standpoint. I may have to check out the paste myself now!

I have been using Zimectrin Gold horse paste on my dogs for years and they have always tested clean at the vet. We also do the Comfortis for the fleas. The combo works well, but they hate both. Being that they are about 130 Lbs each, that can be a problem. Shooting it down their throat is about impossible. Since I don't have a tapeworm problem, (at the moment) I don't worry about the dosage on the Praziquantal. So far the best way to administer it has seemed to be in the middle of a spoonful of peanut butter. By the time they realize it is there, it has already stuck to their tongue.

My question is this however... has anyone ever used ivermectin or Panacur on puppies? I have been using the Drontal Plus that I buy over the internet. It gets expensive, worming every 2 weeks with about 30 puppies a year. That is 90 tablets at $6.00 a pop, adds up.

I plan to keep using DP, unless I hear otherwise. Rather be safe than sorry, just curious and thought I would throw it out there.