sandgrubber Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 (edited) I've heard this form so many sources that I don't know which to site . . . but think it notable for the dog world that the Nobel went to the discoverers of medicine that most of us use for heartworm prevention/treatment, a few use for mange treatment . . . and a lot of people use for various worms in their livestock. Of course the Nobel was given due to the value of the drug for treating horrid tropical parasitic diseases that affect millions of people in very poor regions of the globe. Nonetheless, it's an interesting reminder that we, our pets, and our livestock have a lot in common, and advances in human medicine can translate into advances in veterinary medicine . . . and vise versa. Edited October 7, 2015 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 I can remember when Ivermectic was in the discovery/testing phase - for horses (which it was used for before dogs) in England, and the general excitement from the (horse owning) public about it and the difference it would make to care and health. It was not approved for use in horses in Aust in the beginning (only cattle) so people were using it off licence. We have forgotten how things were before it was available Deserves a Nobel prize in my opinion. A wonderful boost for animal owners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Ivermectin is a miracle product. I use it on my budgies to treat lice, mites, scale face, worms and worms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 pretty sure they use it on mangy wombats too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddogdodge Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Although it is brilliant at what it does... I avoid it as much as possible. Not worth the risk with my Aussie Shepherd... I could use it on my chickens but I never will because I know both of my dogs like to eat chicken poo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twodoggies2001 Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Although it is brilliant at what it does... I avoid it as much as possible. Not worth the risk with my Aussie Shepherd... I could use it on my chickens but I never will because I know both of my dogs like to eat chicken poo! \I know it should not be used on Collies. Not sure about Aussie Shepherds. Do they come in this category? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Although it is brilliant at what it does... I avoid it as much as possible. Not worth the risk with my Aussie Shepherd... I could use it on my chickens but I never will because I know both of my dogs like to eat chicken poo! \I know it should not be used on Collies. Not sure about Aussie Shepherds. Do they come in this category? ...50% chance.... My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Although it is brilliant at what it does... I avoid it as much as possible. Not worth the risk with my Aussie Shepherd... I could use it on my chickens but I never will because I know both of my dogs like to eat chicken poo! \I know it should not be used on Collies. Not sure about Aussie Shepherds. Do they come in this category? Yes they can have the same mutation. We avoid it here though I have used it on my rats in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlaznHotAussies Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 Yeah I avoid it as much as possible. And yes, it is in 50% of Aussies (apparently?) but there is a DNA test. Theoretically, a clear dog shouldn't have a reaction but a general rule of thumb is to not even take the risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddogdodge Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 My dog was tested and came back clear, but I still avoid it. I've also heard that fresh faeces from livestock treated with ivermectin is extremely dangerous to all dogs, not just the ones with ivermectin sensitivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted October 17, 2015 Share Posted October 17, 2015 It can be a risk to most of the herding dogs.... GSD, OES, Border Collie etc so not perhaps such a wonderful discovery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share Posted October 17, 2015 (edited) It can be a risk to most of the herding dogs.... GSD, OES, Border Collie etc so not perhaps such a wonderful discovery Sure, precautions are required. True of most meds. Fortunately, there are genetic tests available. Still think it's worth celebrating the far-ranging veterinary benefits of meds developed to treat river blindness and elephantiasis. Admitted, I might be less enthusiastic if I kept herding breeds :) Edited October 17, 2015 by sandgrubber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Another big risk is the lack advertising to the general public and perhaps more important the lack of understanding of many within the Veterinary field.... mention the MDR1 and many vets give you a blank look..... Even if your affected dog eats Cow or Sheep manure where farmers have wormed stock with Ivermectin..... remember many are not even aware their dog might be affected... even farmers don't realise and have had their own dogs poisoned.... Currently there is an Aussie in USA on Facebook who ate sheep poo and is undergoing physiotherapy to allow her to recover... will take months and has cost them over $20,000 so far. So although the drug might be fine for some things.... to create the type of reaction means that more care and education should be available..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 Yeah I've found lots of vets have no clue about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlaznHotAussies Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Yeah I've found lots of vets have no clue about it. Yep, it was a year ago now (on the 17th October) that we took Robo to the vets after he'd had seizures in a reaction to Selamectin (in Revolution, it's not the same but it's a lesser known relative of Ivermectin!) and they were insisting it couldn't be that, even though other breeders in Australia & the states had witnessed similar reactions as Robo to Ivermectin/Selamectin/other MDR1 risky drugs. There needs to be a warning on Revolution and other dangerous meds, that it may cause neurotoxicity in certain breeds with the tendency to inherit MDR1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willem Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Yeah I've found lots of vets have no clue about it. ....There needs to be a warning on Revolution and other dangerous meds, that it may cause neurotoxicity in certain breeds with the tendency to inherit MDR1. They all claim that it requires the right dosage to be safe; the link I provided in my previous post (here again My link) mentions even the thresholds also for MDR1 mutations. However, I can see some problems with topical applications (e.g. Revolution - Selamectin: first it is not so easy to get to the skin and not just to the fur, especially if the dogs wiggles a bit. If not taken great care a small amount will end up on the fingers .... the docks licks the fingers or hand and that can cause immediately an overdose....or you treat 2 or more dogs at the same time and they play with each other.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlaznHotAussies Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) Yeah I've found lots of vets have no clue about it. ....There needs to be a warning on Revolution and other dangerous meds, that it may cause neurotoxicity in certain breeds with the tendency to inherit MDR1. They all claim that it requires the right dosage to be safe; the link I provided in my previous post (here again My link) mentions even the thresholds also for MDR1 mutations. However, I can see some problems with topical applications (e.g. Revolution - Selamectin: first it is not so easy to get to the skin and not just to the fur, especially if the dogs wiggles a bit. If not taken great care a small amount will end up on the fingers .... the docks licks the fingers or hand and that can cause immediately an overdose....or you treat 2 or more dogs at the same time and they play with each other.... Well I don't believe there is a safe level unless a dog is only ever given 1 dose. An MDR1 dog cannot process the drug out of its system the same way another dog does. That's why there was no reaction the first two times he was dosed. Then subsequent doses (he had 4 in total I think) become too much for his brain (as it doesn't get removed from the brain like it does with 'normal' dogs) and caused him to have worse & worse seizures. Also as we didn't realise (his breeder & I) that selamectin was a dangerous drug for an MDR1 dog, we treated him with Revolution for mange (we live in a rural area where there are foxes and feral cats) which would contain a higher dose than that of treatment for heartworm (which we don't need to treat for in our area). Edited October 19, 2015 by Scootaloo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Yeah it's quite a worry. We only use Sentinel Spectrum for our guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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