Tonight we had to give our dogs their Ivermectin for the month. A fun process for all parties involved, but mostly my husband who gets to hold the mouth’s open and get slimed!
A lot of people don’t know that you can actually purchase Ivermectin from your local Agway store or tack shop and give it to your dogs. It’s extremely cheap too! I have a 50ml bottle that expires in 2010, it cost me just over $30 with shipping (this is before I realized I could get it at Agway) and has done me through last summer and this year. And it’s still going since the actual dosage per dog is around 1.5 ml a month. You do the math. These dogs require about $35-$45 a month EACH for Sentinel or Heartguard. It’s absolutely insane! And you can only get it from a vet or if you find it cheaper somewhere, you have to get a script and it’s just a hassle! Who can beat the prevention of heartworms for $32 for three years times 4 dogs?
Here’s what you do. You need to buy the Ivermectin 1% Bovine Injectable. Please don’t let the injectable term throw you off, it’s safe to give dogs orally. The dosage is 1ml of Ivermectin per 100 pounds of dog. So my dogs weigh around 150 pounds, give or take, so they get 1.5ml a month. You need to mix it with something, usually something sweet so it goes down better for the dog. I’ve heard that some people use orange juice, but we use simple syrup. I take three tablespoons of water and mix it with an equal part of sugar, nuke it for a minute or so in a coffee mug until it’s incorporated. Then I set it on the kitchen table for most of the day cooling off. You need a way of measuring out mls, usually a container that comes with cough medicine will do that or baby Motrin or Tylenol syringes will work (please don’t reuse them on the kids though!). I measure out the Ivermectin first, add some simple syrup (usually 5-6mls) and Matt opens their mouth, I dump it in and that’s that! We refrigerate our Ivermectin, it stays right next to my Optivar eye drops (which don’t sting as bad if they’re cold). And, as always, make sure you check with your vet before taking this route with your dog.
Hope I saved you some money with this post! It’s helped us out a lot!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi! Its great to find another Saint Bernard Blogger.. there aren’t too many of us.
I use the Ivermectin injectable too.. we pick it up at the Tractor Supply Co. I buy the syringes in the same isle and inject the stuff into a doughnut hole – open the hatch and through the gums… watch out tummy here it comes
I hope to see you around my blog.. http://www.itsthedogslife.com – I hope you dont mind if I blog roll you.
OMG! There is someone actually out there reading this???? And to think that I have been talking to the stale air in cyberspace…..Thank you! I’m on on your blog now, trying to figure it out, I’m on dial-up and everything loads slow. I’ll put you on my reading list!