Help with Medication for Mites Please

aj7877

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 4:46 am


Hi,

We have 3 pigs and have had to take them to the vet for mites. The vet has given them two ivermectin injections (over 2 weeks) and has them on antibiotics.

It's starting to get expensive so we'd like to finish the treatment ourselves.

I've read quite a bit here and I think I have my head around it. I was hoping someone can help confirm please?

I found this product and was checking to see if it's suitable for the treatment:
https://www.aussievetproducts.com.au/p ... vimec-50ml

I also found this one. Not sure which is the best or easiest to give them:
http://www.discountedhorsewormers.com.au/equimec.html

Also, is there any actual difference between topical and oral?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks :)

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 6:05 am


I wouldn't fool with the horse paste. You'd have to dilute it first, and the general consensus is that topical use of Ivermectin is much safer and tends to be more effective.

Find plain Ivermectin at a local or online farm/feed/cattle/horse company. You can use either the 1% injectible or the .5% pour-on drench (it's blue in color). Otherwise, the first product you linked to should work. You'll just need to make the conversion because, if my math is correct, it's a concentration of 1mg/ml whereas the injectible 1% injectible solution that you can buy at a farm/feed store (assuming a 50cc bottle containing 500mg of Ivermectin) is 10mg/ml.

You can read more about Ivermectin products here:
https://www.guinealynx.info/ivermectin_products.html

Note: To use the injectible formula, you'll need a syringe with a needle to draw it up, as the top is similar to an insulin bottle. With the pour-on product, you'll just need a plain syringe to measure the amount out of the bottle. Do make sure that, no matter which product you use, you dose based on weight.

Dosing charts for both the injectible and pour-on products can be found here:
https://www.guinealynx.info/topical_ivermectin.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/topical_iver ... ur-on.html


Just out of curiosity, why did your vet put them on antibiotics? Is there another issue besides mites?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 9:12 am


The first product should work fine. Note that it is 1000µg/ml which is 1mg/ml
The topical dose is 0.5mg/kg.

So you must adjust the dose properly to the weight of your guinea pig.
www.guinealynx.info/calculate_dose.html

aj7877

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 2:39 pm


OK thanks.

Seems like a lot of people here inject it? Is it more effective than topical? Or easier?

Just out of curiosity, why did your vet put them on antibiotics? Is there another issue besides mites?
Not sure exactly why. I assumed it was because there were some sores on them from scratching/biting.

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 2:56 pm


Then likely to prevent infection. Watch to make sure your guinea pig does not stop eating.
www.guinealynx.info/antibiotic_advice.html

Topical works the best, in my opinion.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 3:10 pm


Ivermectin used topically tends to be very safe and effective. Most cases clear up after 3 doses (given 7 days apart), but stubborn cases may take an additional course.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 3:13 pm


Antibiotics are not usually given to guinea pigs to prevent infections. Antibiotics may be necessary to treat an actual infection, but they have their own set of problems with guinea pigs, namely, GI upset and loss of appetite. Either can be deadly. I wouldn't give mine an antibiotic unless they had something that required that specific treatment.

aj7877

Post   » Thu Nov 07, 2019 3:15 pm


That's great. Thank you. I'll buy the bird marketed version of Ivermectin then.

I'll come back and confirm I've calculated the dose correctly.

aj7877

Post   » Sun Nov 10, 2019 7:03 pm


Lynx wrote: Thu Nov 07, 2019 9:12 am The first product should work fine. Note that it is 1000µg/ml which is 1mg/ml
The topical dose is 0.5mg/kg.

So you must adjust the dose properly to the weight of your guinea pig.
www.guinealynx.info/calculate_dose.html
OK I've bought the treatment now. So just confirming the dose calculations for the topical treatment.

The strength of the product is 1000µg/ml. So if my pig was 1kg it would be 0.5ml dose. And if the pig was 500g, it would be 0.25ml dose.

Is that right? How would you apply that topically? It's such a small amount - can you mix it with water or something to apply it?

User avatar
Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:25 pm


The suspension is already pretty weak. If you draw up the correct dose and administer it, I think you will be fine.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:28 pm


Your calculation looks correct at 0.5ml for a 1kg guinea pig. That should be very easy to accurately dose with a 1cc syringe.

aj7877

Post   » Mon Nov 11, 2019 1:02 am


Lynx wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 10:25 pm The suspension is already pretty weak. If you draw up the correct dose and administer it, I think you will be fine.
OK I'm confused. It's a topical solution I bought. I shouldn't give it orally right?

The instructions say to drop it on the skin. In this case the product I bought is marketed for birds and it says to put it on unfeathered area. I assume I put it on the bare skin of the pig or behind the ears?? Does that sound right?

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