Ivermectin (a drug in the avermectin family) is used for control of parasites in animals. It's mainly used to treat gastrointestinal and lung parasites and certain external parasites found in cattle, sheep, horses, dogs, cats and swine. It can also be used as heartworm prevention in dogs and cats.
Give the medication as directed by your veterinarian. This medication should take effect within 1 to 2 hours; however, effects may not be visibly noticed and therefore laboratory tests may need to be done to evaluate this medication's effectiveness.
Given at the proper doses and under the supervision of a veterinarian, ivermectin is safe for most dogs and is very effective in treating and preventing a number of parasites. However, a dog with the mutation who ingests the drug can have a severe, life-threatening reaction called ivermectin toxicity.
Ivermectin is given monthly for heartworm prevention, daily or every other day for demodectic mange treatment, and every week or couple of weeks for most mites. If a dose of heartworm preventive is accidentally forgotten, it is important to give it as soon as it is remembered.
Ivermectin is generally a safe, effective dewormer for dogs and is commonly used in low doses as a heartworm preventative and in higher doses to treat conditions such as mange. Some dogs, however, carry a genetic mutation (MDR1) that makes them more susceptible to toxicity from higher canine doses of this common drug.
In a study posted online in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from McGill and Michigan State Universities showed that ivermectin does not kill the worms directly. It binds to proteins secreted by young worms to block the host's immune system.
Ivermectin is approved for use in dogs and cats for the prevention of dirofilariasis at oral doses of 0.006 and 0.024 mg/kg, respectively, once a month. Most dogs tolerate oral ivermectin dosages up to 2.5 mg/kg before clinical signs of toxicity occur.
Ivermectin should not be used in animals with known hypersensitivity or allergy to the drug. It should be used with caution in collie breeds or collie mixed breeds due to potential toxic effects. This is particularly true when using higher doses.
Ivermectin dosage for dogs
The general rule of thumb for ivermectin dosage is 0.0015 – 0.003 mg per pound each month for heartworm prevention. For external parasite treatment, you typically administer 0.15 mg per pound for two weeks and, for internal parasites, 0.1 mg per pound one time.
Ivermectin can also treat the skin problems caused by certain bacterial skin conditions, such as acne and psoriasis. Its antifungal properties and its ability to prevent fungal infections cause many people to favor the use of Ivermectin for sale when treating fungal diseases.
Toxicity can occur if a dog is given an excessive dose of the medication (10 to 20 times the recommended dose). Additionally, certain dogs are genetically hypersensitive to the medication. In these dogs, ivermectin can pass directly to the brain and be toxic or even lethal.
Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit tick somatic and pharyngeal muscles, so it may be possible that ticks briefly exposed to ivermectin will not transmit B burgdorferi even if the ticks do not die.
SEVERE ALLERGIC REACTION (MAZZOTTI REACTION)
This reaction can be life-threatening and usually starts about a week after taking ivermectin (Stromectol) and includes a fever, hives, fast heart rate, swelling, and stomach pain. This is the body's reaction to the death of the worm larvae (baby worms).
Outcome and Management
Ivermectin has not been associated with acute liver failure or chronic liver injury.
A dog showing chronic symptoms of cough, which was treated for kennel cough for nearly twelve months, was found to be infected with Filaroides osleri. A single course of treatment with 0.2 mg/kg of ivermectin was followed by subsidence of the symptoms which disappeared within a fortnight.
The oral forms can be given with or without food. In dogs with sensitive tummies, it is best to give Ivermectin with food.
It does so relatively quickly and with long-lasting effect, while also inhibiting adult female worms from releasing additional microfilariae. Dermal microfilarial loads are generally reduced by 78% within two days, and by some 98% two weeks after treatment.
Ivermectin is an anthelmintic. It works by interfering with the nerve and muscle functions of worms, by paralyzing and killing them. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.
No, Ivermectin is not a steroid. Steroids are drugs that mimic the action of cortisol and prevent the body from swelling. Some common steroids are prednisolone, betamethasone, etc. On the other hand, Ivermectin is an anthelmintic drug.
Some of the products that may interact with this drug include: barbiturates (such as phenobarbital, butalbital), benzodiazepines (such as clonazepam, lorazepam), sodium oxybate (GHB), valproic acid.
Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory medication that comes in both topical and oral forms. Topical ivermectin is used to treat certain types of rosacea. It is also used to treat parasitic infections like ringworm and head lice.
To prevent ticks on dogs, apply a topical insecticide to your dog's back, between its shoulders, which can help keep ticks away for 30-90 days. You can also fit your dog with a tick collar that contains dog-safe pesticides, which will kill ticks for 3-4 months.
Abstract. Ivermectin has potent systemic activity against numerous species of nematodes and arthropods, but there are some important species in these two groups, such as the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché), that appear to be refractory to it.