Help with fur mites?

[funnybunnymummy]

I feel so bad, I'd meant to take Gus in to the vet this spring/summer and get him treated with Revolution, but finances got tight and I just could never seem to afford to do it. (For an exam and the meds I'm looking at $80! :shock: )

Anyway, now I'm 99.9% sure Gus has fur mites (poor guy!). He's so itchy, got dandruff flakes all over his ears,and we've seen little brownish dots on him that move! Ew!

So I read on here thatsome rabbit owners use horse wormer paste (Ivermectin) to treat fur mites. So I went and bought a tube from the feed store. But I have no idea how to work out how much to give him!

The tube says it's 6.42 grams and has 120 mg of Ivermectin. Gus weighs between 7.5and 8 lbs. The medication calculator that was linked to on here says he needs 1 mg of Ivermectin. How much of the paste do I give him? :?

Thanks guys!

Rue

 

[Debacus]

I have never used the paste. In the past I have used the cattle drench version (1%) and applied to the area behind the neck (topically)but then I have 40 odd buns (although I think it was an uneccessary purchase as it is hardly used!)
I don't know how well Ivermectin would work internally but have been told the liquid version has a nasty taste? I'm sure someone will come along who knows. But if it's the same as on the skin you have to repeat the process to break the mites cycle of reproduction twice more. All I know is you have to be careful not to overdose as its nasty stuff. Good luck.

 

[kirbyultra]

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11235&forum_id=1&highlight=mite

That's an old thread about ivermectin with a dose calculator.

This is the library thread, and some buns apparently had reactions to Ivermectin.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11992&forum_id=10

But I really prefer Revolution for fur mites. Ivermectin sounds like it may have side effects. Revolution is effective in one dose. When Penny had mites, it was so easy and painless. I got Revolution from my rabbit vet. Just drop the vial onto the bun's skin and it does the job.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Thanks, guys.

I found a more recent threadwhere Claireexplains how to dose, but I'm not sure if Igot the right size of tube and if I just give him a mg of the paste or if I have to break it down further or? :?

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=61385&forum_id=16&highlight=Ivermectin

I'd take him to the vet and get the Revolution if I had the $80 to spare, but I really don't. I still have to put winter tires on my car ($100) and I don't have the money for that either!

Rue

 

[Maureen Las]

Actually I am concerned here about overdosing ; the person stated ( in the old post) they put "a dollop " on the rabbit's foot and he ate it off.
I think the dose has to be smaller than that but actually I don't know how to dose the large animal ivermectin

it can hjave dangerous reactions

Iknowthat you can order Revolution online without a script but that isn't cheap either.

http://www.petshed.com/products/item107.asp

 

[kirbyultra]

Yeah I've been told to order online too if I know its mites. My vet charges me over $80 for a visit and $54 for 3pack of Revolution which is just about highway robbery.

 

[Debacus]

In the UK we have
http://www.vet-medic.com/pd_Vet-medic+Antiparasite+Mite+Drops+15ml_VETM7.htm
which is very good value (even against other brands) do you not have anything similar?

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Yikes! I'd never just dose him with a "dollop"! My intention was to work out how many mL of the paste I needed to give him based on his weight and the amount of Ivermectin in the tube. But *sigh* I'm pretty certain I've bought the wrong size tube, because as far as I can figure the amount I'd have to give him is .001 of it? I'm worried about over-dosing, so there's no way I'd just guess!

Anyway, I guess I'll take that tube back and look into trying to find some affordable Revolution. I need the kitten or puppy size, don't I?

Either that, or Gus has to suffer another month or two till I can afford to take him to the vet. (Not an option I really like. Poor guy is so grumpy and itchy! )

Thanks!

Rue

P.S. Debs, I haven't scoured all the pet shops, but the ones I've checked so far don't carry Ivermectin in any form (except the horse wormer).

 

[Momto3boys]

I'd call around at other vets, most of them will sell just one tube of Revolution, I know here it's around $15.00.

 

[kirbyultra]

If Gus is under 5lbs the kitten one will do. Not the puppy one. When my Penny got dosed, she got one size up, for cats. She's a bit bigger though.

 

[aurora369]

I have one tube of kitten Revolution at home that you can have if you want. It is for 5 pounds.

If that is too small of a dose for Gus, i can talk to my vet and see if he will sell me some revolution with out seeing the animal.

Ket me know. I'm out of town untill saturday night.

-Dawn

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Thanks, Dawn!

Gus is 7.5 lbs, so that's probably not enough. How much does your vet charge for the Revolution?

Ironically the cost of the Revolution at my vet isonly a couple dollarsmore than the Ivermectin was. It's just that exam fee I can't afford right now.

I took the Ivermectin back and got a refund and the lady at the feed store told me to try Cloverdale Pharmasave. I can't exactly recall now what she said, but apparently they've got a vet there who'll fill prescriptions or something.

Rue

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

I use the Ivermectin, apple-flavored horse wormer. A pea size amount one time, and then a pea size amount a second time 7-10 days later. The Ivermectin is about $4.99 at Tractor Supply.

 

[luvthempigs]

I use ivermectin (paste horse wormer) for my guinea pigs. A small match head size gob on the end of a q-tip. A total of 3 times 7-10 days a part. I have treated many guinea pigs this way and have never had a problem.

I realize the question was about using it on a rabbit but I just wanted to mention that even though it's marketed for horses that it is/can be used on other animals safely.

 

[tonyshuman]

It sounds like the people here are giving about a gram or half gram of the ivermectin paste. If they're using one that's as concentrated as yours is, they are giving about 18mg of ivermectin, which is a lot. You (Rue) would have to give a very tiny amount of the paste you got to get the proper dose (~1mg)

OakRidgeRabbitry and luvmethepigs, do you know what the concentration of the ivermectin you use is?

 

[luvthempigs]

This is what I get for the guinea pigs: http://www.jeffersequine.com/jeffers-ivermectin/camid/EQU/cp/JV-BB/cn/215/

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

tonyshuman wrote:

OakRidgeRabbitry and luvmethepigs, do you know what the concentration of the ivermectin you use is?

1.87%

 

[funnybunnymummy]

The horse wormer I bought was 1.87% too. But I took it back as I just wasn't comfortable trying to work out the dosage. I knew I needed to give him 1 mg, just wasn't sure how much of the paste that worked out to be!

I'm going to get him the Revolution just as soon as my bank account allows it!

Rue

 

[tonyshuman]

With a percent it can be hard to tell how much of the drug that is. Typically, 1.87% would mean 1.87g of ivermectin per 100mL of the paste. However it can also mean 1.87g of ivermectin per 100g of the paste. The amount you need to give is so small that you would probably have to give more than he needs with the paste, and if you go too far over, you can run into bad reactions.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Yup. That's totally why I gave up and took it back!

Too complicated!

Rue