The high
doses of ivermectin used in demodicosis treatment are not compatible with the commonly used flea product spinosad (Comfortis).
Serious adverse reactions have been reported following concomitant extra-label
use of ivermectin with spinosad alone, one of the components of Trifexis.
There is a far higher concentration
of ivermectin in horse and livestock worming treatments and this can passed in manure for days after the animal has taken the medication.
Certain dogs of the Collie breed are more sensitive to the
effects of ivermectin administered at elevated dose levels (more than 16 times the target use level) than dogs of other breeds.
«Slow kill,» meaning the administration
of ivermectin products alone to kill adult heartworms, is not recommended.
That is because the
amount of ivermectin needed to prevent heartworms in cats is about 4 times as much as required to protect dogs.
Other treatment protocols recommend the administration of prophylactic doses
of ivermectin for 1 - 6 mo prior to administration of melarsomine, if the clinical presentation does not demand immediate intervention.
Long - term monthly
administration of ivermectin year - round at three times the dose normally used for heartworm prevention eventually kills adult heartworms.
The use
of ivermectin at higher than FDA - approved doses at the same time as Trifexis can result in serious side effects.
Scabies in bunnies can be passed to humans and have to be treated with three
injections of Ivermectin over a period of six weeks.
It should be mentioned that numerous non-FDA approved ivermectin doses have been circulated on the Internet allowing people to save money by using large animal
formulations of ivermectin rather than those manufactured for dogs and cats.
The high doses
of ivermectin needed to kill Demodex mites will rapidly kill circulating larval heartworms in a heartworm - infected dog.
Symptoms
of ivermectin toxicity include dilated pupils, a lack of balance, disorientation, lethargy, vomiting, drooling and seizures.
It is also vital to mention that you should never use any
form of Ivermectin on any herding breeds as there is something in it that they can not tolerate.
Studies with ivermectin indicate that certain dogs of the Collie breed are more sensitive to the effects
of ivermectin administered at elevated dose levels (more than 16 times the target use level) than dogs of other breeds.
Results of these trials and bioequivalency studies support the
safety of ivermectin products in dogs, including Collies, when used as recommended.
If your dog has eaten horse manure and begins to show
symptoms of ivermectin toxicity, they should be seen by a vet immediately.
In the
case of the ivermectin family of medications; when a reaction is mild or minimal, sometimes just lowering the dose is sufficient to continue treatment.
A possible con is that any collie family dog breed may have a genetic mutation that affects their ability to metabolize some heartworm prevention
medications of the ivermectin family (like Proheart or Heartgard).
Signs of ivermectin toxicosis can occur in any breed but are most common in ivermectin - sensitive breeds such as collies and other herding breeds.20, 21 Ivermectin sensitivity is derived from a frameshift deletion mutation of the multidrug resistance gene (MDR1; the most recent nomenclature is ABC ±), resulting in a severely truncated, nonfunctional protein product.
It should be mentioned that numerous non-FDA approved ivermectin doses have been circulated on the internet allowing people to save money by using large animal formulations
of ivermectin rather than those manufactured for dogs and cats.
Mild treatment initiated with low
levels of ivermectin along with other drugs remains the treatment of choice for most dogs with heartworm.
With the
advent of ivermectin and its commercial production by Merck, millions of people each year are spared the tormenting and potentially tragic consequences of infection with Onchocerca volvulus.
As we discussed in «Update on Doxycycline and Heartworm Disease» (Whole Dog Journal August 2009), a
combination of ivermectin (the active ingredient in Heartgard) and doxycycline (an antibiotic), weakens and sterilizes adult heartworms, eventually killing them.
The myth that the «slow kill» method is «just as good» as melarsomine therapy may have originated in McCall and colleagues» 2001 study.5 This study demonstrated that 30
months of ivermectin at preventive doses reduced 7 - month - old worms by 94 % and 8 - month - old worms by 56 %.
A single dose
of ivermectin once a year prevents river blindness, an insect - borne parasitic disease that formerly destroyed the eyesight of countless millions of residents of developing countries, mainly in Africa.
Campbell says that receiving the prize was a «huge surprise» because the
development of ivermectin «was a great team effort by the people at Merck and Company,» according to The Boston Globe.
They found that three - day
courses of ivermectin 300 and 600 mcg / kg / day were safe and routinely killed mosquitoes feeding on the blood of the treated individuals for at least 28 days post-treatment.
Efforts to eliminate onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis in Central Africa through mass drug administration have been suspended
because of ivermectin - associated serious adverse events, including death, in patients infected with the filarial parasite Loa loa.
The results of this study demonstrated that Collies sensitive to the effects of 120 - mu -
g of ivermectin (20x) / kg show similar sensitivity to the effects of milbemycin oxine administered at 10 mg / kg (20x).
Demodectic otitis can be treated topically with a 0.01 %
solution of ivermectin (Acarexx — Idexx) or a 0.1 % solution of milbemycin oxime (MilbeMite Otic Solution), but they are not labeled for this use.
But I have advanced HIV, haven't got disability yet, haven't worked since October and still have 1/2
bottle of the ivermectin that I have decided (thanks to the internet) at worst due to its being nearly 4 years old, is slightly less effective but not toxic or «spoiled.»
Data presented at the 1995, 1998 and 2001 Heartworm Symposiums shows that repeated doses
of Ivermectin rid a dog of adult heartworms over a period of about 18 months.
Long story short (well, had I stopped telling long story 20 minutes ago), treated it with 6
weeks of Ivermectin (an injectable for cattle) that I gave orally on an increasing schedule, sustaining full dosage for 6 weeks.
In that country, the use
of ivermectin as a public health measure has favorably affected mortality rates of both man and dog, and greatly improved the health of both.
Dosage: HEARTGARD Chewables should be administered orally at monthly intervals at the recommended minimum dose level of 6.0
mcg of ivermectin per kilogram (2.72 mcg / lb) of body weight.
There is one interaction that bears mentioning: spinosad can increase the
risk of ivermectin side effects when ivermectin is used at the high doses required to treat skin parasites such as demodectic mange.