# Administering Ivomec for heartworms



## GeorgiaSouthernSig (Oct 10, 2011)

Hey guys..and gals, I'd really appreciate some advise on administering Ivomec to my 6 month of black lab.  I purchased a bottle 50 ml bottle a few months ago from Tractor Supply but I'm weary about administering it- my vet warned me not to, but I can't afford to continue buying her Trifexis from the vet for 20 bucks a pill.  
I've done a lot of research and most people don't seem to have problems doing this, even the girl at tractor supply that sold it to me said she gives it to her dogs. She weights about 40 pounds right and I've read the proper dosage is 1/10 cc per 10 lbs.  I know you're supposed to do it orally, so I was thinking just injecting it into a hot dog.  Any input from people who use Ivomec would be greatly appreciate because the last thing I want is a blind dog.  Any do's or don'ts? Does it protect against other parasites like tapeworms? Critisism is welcome.
And on a completely irrelevant note, does anyone have a copy of Evan Graham's Smartwork program that they would be willing to part with? I'd be willing to pay for it. Judging by what members of this forum say, it's the best training program for the money but 100+ dollars is a lot for a broke college student!

Land & Aspen


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## Michael (Oct 10, 2011)

Around the 1st of each month, squirt .4 cc of ivermectin directly on her food. Don't worry if it's a little more as the dose for red mange is twice that daily for 30 days. Ivermectin will not kill tapeworms. I use a 1 cc syringe. I've used it for so long the #s are gone from the sides. I simply use half a syringe for my dogs that are under 50 lbs, then 3/4 for those who are just over 50 lbs.


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## JuliaH (Oct 10, 2011)

Veterinarians can tell you the exact dose but many will not because they want to sell the products they sell  

I have used Ivomec at the 1/10cc per 10 pounds dose and it works that way. If you are concerned cut back to 1/2 dose. It will still work. 

Here is the dosage for Heartgard, and at this dose it works to control heartworms, roundworms and hookworms.  It does nothing for whipworms or tapeworms.  Go to 800PetMeds and look at Product Information and Ingredients. 

For 50-100 lb dogs it is:

<TABLE class=tabletxt border=1 cellSpacing=0 borderColor=#9f9e9e cellPadding=3 width=700><TBODY><TR><TD>Ivermectin</TD><TD>272 mcg</TD></TR><TR><TD>Pyrantel Pamoate</TD><TD>227 mg</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Now, if you have skin problems it takes more, but mcg is a tiny amount... 227 mcg is .227 mg (re online calculator)

Trifexis has different meds in it. Go to 800PetMeds and look at Heartgard and Trifexis. That may help you a lot 

Julia


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## ylhatch (Oct 10, 2011)

i give 1cc under the skin behind the neck


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## JuliaH (Oct 10, 2011)

How big is your dog?  That is a pretty high dose...




ylhatch said:


> i give 1cc under the skin behind the neck


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## GeorgiaSouthernSig (Oct 10, 2011)

Thanks Julia, that is really good advise. I didn't know Ivomec doesn't guard dogs against tapeworms, which is a pretty big priority in Statesboro.  What should I do about this?


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## ylhatch (Oct 10, 2011)

JuliaH said:


> How big is your dog?  That is a pretty high dose...



i do this to all my dogs over 1yr old.been doing this for 20 yrs


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## JuliaH (Oct 10, 2011)

Tapeworm pill from vet is Droncit and usually inexpensive.. or look it up online. Some places have the same medication non-prescription. Use your dog's correct weight for dosage..





GeorgiaSouthernSig said:


> Thanks Julia, that is really good advise. I didn't know Ivomec doesn't guard dogs against tapeworms, which is a pretty big priority in Statesboro. What should I do about this?


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## JuliaH (Oct 10, 2011)

Ok, just seems high dose to me  



ylhatch said:


> i do this to all my dogs over 1yr old.been doing this for 20 yrs


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## rvick (Oct 12, 2011)

one tenth of a cc per 10 pounds, once a month, on a piece of buttered bread (dogs cant resist that) make sure the dog eats it & mark it down (you will forget) Droncit for tapeworms. you will probably see fewer tapes after your dog has been on ivermectin for a while, because you should have fewer fleas. (the cause of tapes). a well marked syringe with a screw on needle, the needle needs to have a large inside diameter, you can put the needle in the bottle once & leave it there, just screw on the syringe & draw what you need & then unscrew it. larger than needed doses of ivomec could possibly cause liver damage. keep refridgerated. had 1 catahoula that lived over 14 years & got his dose of ivomec every month.


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## GeorgiaSouthernSig (Oct 12, 2011)

Okay guys, thanks for the advice. I just got her doped up!


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## JuliaH (Oct 13, 2011)

One caution... make sure your dog is heartworm negative... 1/10cc per 10lb can kill a dog that is heartworm positive because it kills the adult heartworms in the heart as well as the babies in the bloodstream.. and that can cause lots of trouble. 



rvick said:


> one tenth of a cc per 10 pounds, once a month, on a piece of buttered bread (dogs cant resist that) make sure the dog eats it & mark it down (you will forget) Droncit for tapeworms. you will probably see fewer tapes after your dog has been on ivermectin for a while, because you should have fewer fleas. (the cause of tapes). a well marked syringe with a screw on needle, the needle needs to have a large inside diameter, you can put the needle in the bottle once & leave it there, just screw on the syringe & draw what you need & then unscrew it. larger than needed doses of ivomec could possibly cause liver damage. keep refridgerated. had 1 catahoula that lived over 14 years & got his dose of ivomec every month.


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## grouper throat (Oct 13, 2011)

One dose of this will take care of tapeworms and it's cheaper than Droncit. A pea-szed amount will work and it contains ivermectin also, so skip that month's ivomec dose.


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## bearcat Z7 (Oct 15, 2011)

it will kill tape worms, sometimes just takes a little while or needs some help from an antibiotic or a tapeworm pill. i use a 5 cc syringe i draw out 1 cc and take off the needle and squirt it in there mouth, hold your dogs mouth and blow in its face or tap it on the nose to make sure it swallows it wouldnt use anything else, I actually use noromectin its generic form of ivomec works just as good


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## bearcat Z7 (Oct 15, 2011)

your lab looks big enough for 1cc and i wouldnt go over 1 and 1/2 cc for even when it is grown 1cc should be plenty for its whole life


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## briguyz71 (Oct 15, 2011)

I use 1/10 cc per 10 lbs and haven't had any problems. I squirt it on a piece of bread and give it to them.


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## Dusty Roads (Oct 16, 2011)

*Never with a injection-proven unsafe*



ylhatch said:


> i give 1cc under the skin behind the neck



Injection has been proven unsafe!!!!!!


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## rvick (Oct 16, 2011)

bearcat Z7 said:


> it will kill tape worms, sometimes just takes a little while or needs some help from an antibiotic or a tapeworm pill. i use a 5 cc syringe i draw out 1 cc and take off the needle and squirt it in there mouth, hold your dogs mouth and blow in its face or tap it on the nose to make sure it swallows it wouldnt use anything else, I actually use noromectin its generic form of ivomec works just as good


  You can hold his mouth & massage his throat until you feel him swallow, too. I have given mine a big dose of mineral oil 24 hrs. before their ivomec & it seems to help with tapes.


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## JuliaH (Oct 16, 2011)

Tapes come from fleas. If you get rid of the fleas you won't have much trouble from tapeworms...



> Injection has been proven unsafe!!!!!!


 
Exactly, and overdosing is too. 1/10cc per 10 pounds while safe is a heavy dosage. So I would never give more than that. I generally give less, about .1 to .3 cc for my GSPs... up to 60 pounds. 

Heartgard has 227 micrograms per 50-100 lb dose. That translates into .227 milligrams (cc) for the same size dog. Look it up. That's how I learned this. 227mcg at this website:

http://www.thecalculatorsite.com/conversions/common/mcg-to-mg.php 

and see how many milligrams it is. It should turn out as I have written. I trust the scientists on this dosage. Overdosing has consequences. Check it out:

http://www.ehow.com/list_6555250_side-effects-ivomec-dogs.html

Julia


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## ylhatch (Oct 16, 2011)

Dusty Roads said:


> Injection has been proven unsafe!!!!!!



i got a 13yr old dog that says different


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## K9SAR (Oct 17, 2011)

Though not for the OP...be careful with ivermectin and herding breeds, too.  A simple $50-$75 test for the MDR1 gene can save your herding dog's life.


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## rvick (Oct 17, 2011)

Julia, how long have you been giving .1cc to a 60 lb. dog & has it tested neg. after a good length of time.  on my dogs at .1cc per 10 lbs. it seems to kill fleas & i find dried up ticks on them. the only fleas i find are shortly after they have been in contact with furred game. but they are soon gone. years ago my wife accidently gave her 30 lb. Fox Terrior 3cc's of ivomec. 10 times the correct dose. he was a very old dog, but he died about 8 months later of some sort of organ failure or anemia. also have no problem with whipworms but that may be because mine are on concrete & i understand that whips come from the ground.


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## JuliaH (Oct 17, 2011)

Hi  

Several months. My guys have been tested HW Neg. but it has been a while. What I did was look at the amount of Ivermectin in a Heartgard treat and then work out the amount in cc. I know .1cc per 10 pounds to be generally accepted as safe per lots of reading, but I have wondered sometimes if that is not a rather heavy dose... Garden Web forum and some others have detailed conversations about this, just google Ivomec for Dogs and you will come up with lots of information. My trainers use .5cc for all their GSPs and those dogs do fine. 

Maybe if there are retired veterinarians on the forum they can answer this problem  

Julia



rvick said:


> Julia, how long have you been giving .1cc to a 60 lb. dog & has it tested neg. after a good length of time. on my dogs at .1cc per 10 lbs. it seems to kill fleas & i find dried up ticks on them. the only fleas i find are shortly after they have been in contact with furred game. but they are soon gone. years ago my wife accidently gave her 30 lb. Fox Terrior 3cc's of ivomec. 10 times the correct dose. he was a very old dog, but he died about 8 months later of some sort of organ failure or anemia


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