Stacy Adams
623-810-9427
In the past it has been hard to get people to understand that Ivermectin is very dangerous to the herding breeds and I am happy to see that it is now scientifically proven. Although I feel that this drug is dangerous to more than just the herding breeds but dangerous to other species of animals too.
This is definitely one drug that I would never ever use.
CAUTIONS:
Your dog could ingest Ivermectin through other animals that have been treated with Ivermectin. Herding livestock are routinely wormed with this and there are cases of Australian Shepherds that have ingested this in the delicacy of eating manure with very alarming sometimes fatal results. This drug has also become popular in the the treatment of ear mites.
Recommended sites for more information:
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/announcements/ivermectin/
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/index.asp#Drugs
http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-lspets4812529jul10,0,4059851.column
Recommended sites for "natural approach" information:
http://www.naturalrearing.com/newsandviews/articles/heartworm.htm
New info: MDR1/Ivermectin risk
Posted by: "CA Sharp" 51ca@ashgi.org cahelix
Date: Fri Jan 26, 2007 4:48 pm ((PST))
Permission to forward or reprint granted.
I was recently contacted by someone asking whether a dog could have an MDR1 reaction due to eating feces from Ivermectin-treated livestock. I wasn't sure about that, so I checked with Dr. Katrina Mealy at Washington State University. Dr. Mealy is the scientist who discovered the MDR1 gene.
She told me that Ivermectin and the related drug, selamectin, were shed in feces of treated animals in active form. She went on to say that .they have had a number of reports on dogs that had ingested enough feces to have serious to fatal MDR1 reactions.
If you have Aussies or dogs of any other MDR1 breed who are prone to poop eating and may have access to excrement from livestock, it would be wise to do whatever you can to prevent them from doing so.
If you do not know the MDR1 status of your Aussies, I *strongly* recommend that you get them screened. Fully a third of Aussies have at least one copy of the mutation. Test kits are available from WSU: http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/
Even one copy may cause some level of reaction with some drugs. Ivermectin and similar drugs are not the only ones that can cause reactions. For an extensive list of MDR1 reactive drugs, including alternate brand names, see: http://www.busteralert.org/
CA
________________________________
C.A. Sharp
Pres. Australian Shepherd Health &
Genetics Institute, Inc.
