Guest RNJaney09 Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Hello all, Still very new here to the forum and the grey world in general. I am a pretty cheap person (I know I know, not the best way to be when you own large dogs!) and I read on here to save money on heartworm prevention, some people choose to give Ivermectin from a bottle. At a feed store the other day, I bought "Endo-Mectin"- Ivermectin 1% sterile solution, Injection for cattle and swine. (It's a 50ml bottle and was $36, should last a long time!) Anyone have experience with this stuff? The box says it controls roundworms, lungworms, lice, and mange mites in cattle and swine, but nothing about heartworms.... this stuff does prevent heartworms in dogs, yes?? Finley weighs 82lbs, what is the correct dosage for him? Should I give it by injection, or orally? Should I give it every 4 weeks like regular prevention, or wait longer in between doses? Any info you are willing to share is greatly appreciated!! Thank yooooouuuuuuuu!!! Throwing in a photo for fun of Finley and Cooper, my best friend's dachshund... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I use the Merial Ivomec "Injection for Cattle & Swine", a 1% sterile solution in a 50 ml bottle & locally costs about $35-38 depending where I buy it. The Endo-Mectin you list looks to be equivalent. You need to know this is off label use so it comes with no claims or guarantees of either effectiveness or safety. You also need to know that it is so potent that a little miss in dose could be really bad news, especially with small dogs. You have to be very careful in dosing. Do not expose it to light. Make sure it is with the expiry date. That's not something to get cheap on. For my dogs I give it monthly. I only give it orally. It tastes quite nasty so I mix it with something yummy like Lixitinic, cane syrup or diluted molasses. (Was warned by a vet not to premix & store it as somethings used to improve palatability can adversely effect ivermectins effectiveness.) When dosing I use a 2.5 ml syringe & needle to draw up the proper dose for one dog, pull off the needle & fill the syringe the rest of the way with the mixer. Then I either squirt it in their bowl for them to lick up, on their food or in their mouth putting it in the cheek, at the back, near the gumline. Method depends on which dog is involved. Most happily lap it out of their bowling & lick it clean. Some are better with it on their food. Either way you MUST watch to make sure they get the full dose & if you have multiple dogs ensure that no one gets any of someone else's dose. The dosing I used depends on the purpose, less just for heartworm prevention & more if trying to catch a couple types of intestinal worm. When folks ask the dose for heartworm prevention the most oft cited dosage I see is 0.1 ml/10 lbs. However, I believe it is more like 0.02 ml/kg & the variance results from rounding when converting the 'per kg' dose to a 'per 10 lbs' dose. As it happens I had an 82 lb dog. If I was using only for heartworm prevention I gave him 0.75 ml. When trying to catch some types of intestinal worms I used a 0.03 ml/kg dose so he got 1.1 ml. Note: I am saying what I do not what you should do nor encouraging you to use this. I know of someone who accidentally OD'd her dog this way & sent him into seizures requiring a weekend in ER. Dog survived but wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) Personally, I think you are out of your mind to use an off label ivermectin product for canine heartworm prevention. I know a dog that went blind from such usage. Monthly prevention should not throw your budget over the edge. If so, perhaps you should not be an owner at this time. I know this sounds harsh- flame away I can take it but, if heartgard is too pricey what in the world will you do if your hound ever gets sick. Wish I could tell you how much the owners of the blind hound regretted trying to save a few dollars. Edited March 24, 2011 by tbhounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubcitypam Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Should I give it by injection, or orally? An affordable option is to by Ivermectin tablets from AU -- no script required. I've never been brave enough to go the cattle wormer route but DO NOT INJECT IT. That is for livestock, not dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phall Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I use ivomec for my three greyhounds and it works well for us. It is given orally. However, before I started using this instead of Heartguard plus, I talked with my vet about it. I brought the catalog I was going to purchase it from with me to see her and showed it to her, asked her if it would be okay to use, and asked her if she'd confirm the correct dosage for my dogs. She gave me the okay, explained how careful I had to be re: the dosage, and gave me the syringe (without needle) and exact dosing amounts. Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) I don't have a problem using off label drugs. It's done all the time in human, and especially, veterinary medicine. However, if you're on a forum asking how-to questions like this, that's a sign that you probably shouldn't be using it. Talk to your vet. Get them to instruct you on how to dose it, draw it up and give it. We use it on our crew, but didn't switch over until the 10-11 hound mark. I think it's kinda crazy to go this route with just a dog or two. You can get something like Iverhart pretty cheaply from your vet - you know it's being dosed properly, it's not expired, it's been stored/handled properly and you have some protection should the preventative fail. Edited March 24, 2011 by KennelMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RNJaney09 Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 (edited) Thank you all for your responses, I KNEW I would get comments from both ends of the spectrum In retrospect, I should probably have waited to buy it until A- I have more experience with hounds, and B- I have at least 3 of them.(I'm already looking at more grey's, but am in the process of moving, so won't have a 2nd for a while). Guess I was being kind of hasty. Maybe they will let me return it... Edited March 25, 2011 by RNJaney09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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