[Guest]

I got a flyer from one of the vets I have taken my pups to.  they state that they sell liquid ivermectin for $25 a season.  What should I know about this med?  Is this a good price?  Any alternatives that are that price or cheaper?

 

[HannaBanana]

I use it but Jamie, you have to be VERY VERY careful with it.  Giving the wrong dosage even once can cause great harm.   Its very strict.  IMO its more cost effective, however you cannot mess around with it at all.  Even some breeders I have talked to are not comfortable giving it.

 

[Guest]

I'm not too worried about dosage...I need to practice somewhere, going into health care and all...If I can't handle giving meds to my puppies, how can I give meds to premature infants?  Is there a better place to get it other than the vet?  Or is $25 per dog per season about the cost?

 

[HannaBanana]

But this is not practice, this has to be percise, one mistake practicing could kill your dog.    The cost goes by how large the bottle is because you can only give .50ccs per 100lbs.

 

[Guest]

wow...tiny dose  1/2ml per 100 lbs...that's easy for Bo...he's 50 lbs..so it would be 1/4cc...

Jetta would be a little more difficult to figure, but I'm sure the vet will help with that


I assume you use a syringe?

 

[HannaBanana]

Yes, but please talk to your vet and review everything before deciding to do it.  I am not trying to be a pain, but its not something ya mess around with.  It powerful stuff.

 

[Guest]

now the ivermectin...does that ONLY prevent against heartworm, or does it also help with other things as well?

 

[HannaBanana]

IMO research it, you need to know 100% of what you are giving your dogs and what it does.     It  covers heartworm yes and other things.

 

[Donya]

this is why I just take the safe route and give a sentinal pill once a month for heartworm, fleas and worms. It covers all 3 and it doesnt sound nearly as risky. At some point i may feel confident enough to do this but not right now!

Heather just curious, why do this preventative instead of any of the pill forms? is there an up side to it?

 

[HannaBanana]

My breeder does it for her dogs.  When she flew in with Kash she brought me a bottle, showed me (she is an RN) and told me all about it, and dosages.  Also to be very careful.  She also brough all of Kash's shots but they are still in thr fridge and need to be discarded.  I dont feel confident enough to do injections!!!   Its cost effective for sure, but you got to know what you are doing.

 

[Donya]

ill pass lol.

 

[Guest]

I do Bo's injections...and I *may* try the cat...she's a pistol though

 

[maplesfolks]

our vet recommended interceptor it covers heartworm and some intestinal parasites and only costs between $30-$40 for a 6 months supply (depending on where you get it)

 

[Barbs2Ks]

our vet recommended interceptor it covers heartworm and some intestinal parasites and only costs between $30-$40 for a 6 months supply (depending on where you get it)

I use interceptor also; it says for heartworms, hook and round worms.

 

[dixie621]

The vet that I worked for sold this type of preventative.  You have to be VERY careful.  I have seen dogs come back heartworm positive after being on this medicine.  I have also seen dogs die.  IMAO I would stick with either Interceptor, Sentinel or Heartgard.  The other may be more cost effective but you can't put a price on healthy.

 

[sharonL]

The other thing is that you must follow the dosage from the vet that sells it....The way that Hanna has her's may not be the same as yours because they can be straight or cut with other products to make it taste better, which would change the dose.

 

[boxerlove]

We use liquid ivormec (given oral) and have for over 12 years on 4 boxers.  We have never given it without discussing it with our vet first.  It was recommend to us by a friend who used it with her dogs, her sister who is a vet recommened it.   Our vets have all said it was okay, we discussed what we were using and how much to give them.

None of our dogs have ever come back heartworm positive or had any problems from the ivormec.  We purchase it at Tractor Supply (TSC) in the liquid form for cattle, we give 0.1cc per 10lbs of weight.  We use a syringe to measure and put it on bread.  My husband has a nursing license so he knows how to measure dosage but it isn't hard to do and I also give it to them when he isn't here to do it.  My husband also used it for years when they had their farm with cattle.  

Our dogs get tested every year for heartworm when they go in for their yearly shots.  

We give it year round, the bottle of ivormec runs about 30.00 to 40.00 and lasts for 2-3 years (bottle comes with experation date) even with 2-3 dogs.  There are two types of ivormec you DO NOT want to get the PLUS just the regular ivormec.  You do need to discuss it with your vet to let them know what you are using and make sure it is okay for your dog (no other health problems, etc. that they have).  There are certain breeds that the liquid (oral) isn't recommened for...Aussies, shepards and a couple others I think).  We have never had a problem with fleas or ticks.