From:
tansy
Date: 2001-09-09 23:24:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] ear mites
Sorry wanted to check the dose before I sent this out...tansy
My questions are regarding the Ivermectin. Since the new
ferret came back "clean" (no earmites) is it OK to still
give the Ivermectin in the ears?
Yes it is. Some people use it periodically as a
preventative- the same way you'd put bug spray on before you
go into woods. Or dog owners give their animals wormers
(another use of ivermectin)
Could they still have earmites even though none were
detected originally? (I have noticed a bit more ear
scratching)
Yes, Yes, Yes! The mites can be deep within the ears, and
not show up on a single slide. I know of many instances
where the inital test came back negative, but the animal had
mites. Gordon was the worst. He didn't test positive for 9
months, though he was living alone and had signs of mites
the whole time.
What is the correct dosage... does the Ivermectin come
w/instructions for usage?
The correct dosage is: .025ml of 1% solution in each ear of
ferret. I use a syringe with needle in order to get the
dosage right. I use an additonal miniscule drop from the
needle on the base of the tail. It can also be mixed with
propylene glycol to allow larger amounts of liquid to be
used. I have heard that it is now being sold in this
formulation as official eardrops.
The earmite medicine I bought for kittens contains mostly
Pyrethrins. I know this will kill just about any bug and,
of course, is "harmful or fatal if swallowed". I've never
used it for that reason. Does the Ivermectin come w/that
disclaimer? If so, is putting a drop on their tails OK?
The package doesn't say much since it's used for cattle.
However, Ivermectin is given orally or by injection in
ferrets for eosinophilic gastroenteritis. And it is just a
minute amount, and doesn't smell appealing, so that I have
actually never seen any of my guys lick it. And at that
point they are usually busy shaking their ears.
In terms of drops with pyrethrins, I think my guys mites
have become resistant to it since these drops do not seem to
be effective at all.
If you are looking for a "no insceticide" alternative, I
really feel like I have had almost as good results just
drowning the suckers in baby oil or mineral oil. It has to
be used frequently, and has no immediate benefit to the
tail, but it does seem to work well if used consistantly.
Thanks for any info.
-Y-
tansy