Comments on: Ivermectin Poisoning from Parasite Prevention Drugs in Dogs

By: christy skirvin

christy skirvin — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:24:51 +0000

i gave my shitzu some ivermrctin and it has made him very weak off balance,blind does anyone know how long this will last

By: isak

isak — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:05:59 +0000

So happy to hear your news about Spot’s recovery! It’s truly a hard decision when money steps in. And truly a wonderful thing when they pull through it anyway. Guess Spot wasn’t ready to leave yet!

How long will he be on the meds?

Thanks for sharing your experience.

By: Di Hopkins-Ryan

Di Hopkins-Ryan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:34:31 +0000

Thank you for all the info.
Our mini Daschund , Spot was wormed with Heart Guard plus week 1 Wednesday, then I wormed 20+ horses with Ivermec, 4 with Ivermec Gold. Week two Friday.
Friday PM Spot goes to the Barn with my husband, I am sure he ate horse poop whilst there.
2.00am Sat morning we found Spot blind, with Dilated Pupils, rushed to emergency vet then the eye specialist vet.
They recommended Neurologist, but we could not do the $3000 +.
Felt very guilty but were already at $1200 in vet bills.
One week later Spot appears to have his eye sight back and is almost back to normal.
NON of the vets connected this to Ivermec, even when I asked if the heart guard plus could have been an issue.
Spot is on these meds.
Clindamycin 75mg
Prednisone 7.5 mg
Doxycycline 50mg

By: emily

emily — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:56:13 +0000

Having worked for a Vet for many years and seeing the aftermath of using Ivermectin Horse Paste and Ivermectin 1% in dogs, I am still amazed at how many people tell us ” Well, the guy at the feed store said it would work just fine”
or my favorite ” I know this lady that breeds dogs and she swears by it”. These statements always make me want to take out full page ads in the local paper
that read “DON’T USE IVERMECTIN IN DOGS OR CATS UNLESS YOU ARE A VETERINARY PROFESSIONAL!!!!!!”, but I just can’t afford it. The basic facts are:

horse paste is concentrated for large animals, not animals under 100 pounds.

Ivermectin 1% used orally in dogs takes very small amounts which are hard if not impossible for the average person to measure for even medium sized dogs.

Any dog may have the gene that makes them more likely to succumb to ivernectin toxicity.

Ivermectin does not treat fleas or much of anything useful in dogs when applied topically, ( to the lady who applies the pour on to her Pom every month for heartworm, ironically the dog tested positive.)

Before using any medication that is not labeled for the animal you are using it on consult a Veterinarian, not the guy at the feed store or the lady down the street. Use the internet and rely on reputable websites, not “sandy’s dog page .com.

I say all this after having seen 6 cases this month and having next to no sleep from being up all night talking the guy through his dogs ordeal until he can get them to the office this morning.

By: isak

isak — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 08:18:46 +0000

Pretty scary when we can’t confirm the source. How can you avoid it if you don’t know? Any cows in your area? They are also treated with ivermectin.

By: julie

julie — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:09:26 +0000

My dog[s] have had same symtoms as heart guard, after years of using it. My thought might be cat poop. Cats can receive heart guard too. My dogs do eat the stuff, and the throw up from my 8 year old vizsla smelled like poop. Didn’t think of horses. Staggering, drunken gait, finally couldn;t stand. Blindness shakey head, sensitive for light. Went on for 6 to 8 hours. Then all back to normal. One dog had a seizure[very small] after heart guard, she didn’t have one from Sept-Feb gave heart guard 4 days later bigger seizure. vet says it quickly goes out of their system. Read it comes out in poop. Mutiple cats in neighborhood?????

By: isak

isak — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:58:06 +0000

Once I read your comment, it makes sense that horse manure could be toxic and the dosage for a horse is so much greater than what I dog receives via heartworm meds, but I NEVER put the two together. And we know that lots of dogs eat horse manure. Thank you for sharing your story and our best to your dog! I am so happy to hear he is progressing so well!

By: cindy

cindy — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:18:07 +0000

My American Pit Bull Terrier is at University of Florida Veterinarian School of Medicine right now being treated for Ivermectin poisoning. He had a sudden attack while on our walk. Signs were 1st slobbering/drooling (excessively) then diarrhea. I arrived at an animal clinic within 20 min where he then began vomiting and having seizures. Blood work showed elevation in Liver and Pancreas reading was 1256 He was given fluids and treated for what the Dr suspected was heat stroke after 6 hrs the Dr gave him Vit K injection. I then transferred him to Emergency Hospital for over night care where he was given more fluids and I was informed his temperature had risen significantly and at about 6am he was given charcoal. In the morning the Dr. recommended University of Florida. So I left immediately for UF. He had been on his side laid out flat for about 20 hours and when i put him in my car I noticed he wagged his tail slightly. During the drive he did raise his head in an effort to be upright! Upon arrival at UF his heart rate was critical. Meds to stabilizes heart/monitored catheter and IV fluids. Next day prognosis Ivermectin poisoning via ingesting Daily Feed Through Wormer in horse manure and or ingesting left over grain/wormer in stalls at night!!! I had NO IDEA the horse manure could be toxic. I remove feces from pastures everyday and of course the dogs ride in 4wheeler with me and once in a while I would catch them eating the manure. Its been 6 days now his organs show NO damage. He’s been taken off all support. He is eating and drinking and can stand to urinate. He can walk briefly then he starts to have tremors/shaking and wants to sit down. I’m hoping since everything has progressed for the better that eventually his Central Nervous System will recover enough so that he can have a normal life. Going to visit him today and possibly bring him home. I know that I’ll have to provide a lot of physical therapy so if anyone has any ideas I would great appreciate them.

Sorry to be so long winded but I hope through my experience another dog will not suffer and will have a chance to survive. Please tell anyone you know that has horses and uses daily wormers that the manure is toxic!

BTW the UF was absolutely wonderful!!! They let me stay in the Critical Care unit in the cage with my dog anytime I wanted. I was there off and on for 4 days and I never saw anything other than wonderful caring DR.s, students and techs!!! God Bless them all.

By: Allie

Allie — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:56:49 +0000

My Husband and I have breed dogs for close to 20 years, and this is the first time using this Medication on our 4 month old Mini Dachshunds. He gave them the dose that seemed to be correct. The Next day, One was near death and the other two were very sick as well. This medication, should not be used on dogs. One of mine died last night, and one seems to be blind. It is not worth the effect this could have on your dog and you as the owner. We of course have decide against using this medication on any of our pets. My husband spoke to a feed store owner today, and He too agrees. He also stated that many people purchase this to give to their Beagles. Please use Zimecterin Gold only on horses. This medication is no joke and causes a sad slow, death for the animals.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:42:17 +0000

I have a 5 months old Pitbull/German Shepard mix. He was diagnosed with Demadex Mange and was prescribed Ivermectin. He was on a low dose at first but then they increased it. After they did that we noticed his pupils dilated and the next day after another dose he became very ill. He is in the hospital now and he’s stable, but I am worried he will have permanent damage. I also question why the vet didn’t think to test him or take precautions since he has one of the sensitive breeds in him.