Help with dosage of Ivermectin

[owen]

Hi guys, my rabbits have mites and I need help on how to properly administer Ivermectin on them. I found this drug dosage calculator for rabbits, it says to administer orally, do I just use the mean recommended dose and mix that amount in their food? One of my rabbits is pregnant and I think it has mites too because both are living together on the same hutch, should I wait for it to give birth before feeding it the ivermectin?

[LBJ10]

Ivermectin is considered safe. Medirabbit does address ivermectin use in pregnant mammals here: http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Anti_parasitics/Ivermec.htm.

You do want to be careful though. I don’t know what kind you are using, but overdoses happen more often when trying to dose down from a formula meant for a large animal (horse, etc.). This is mostly what is available over the counter. Are you able to call your vet to help you with the dosage?

Could you use Revolution (selamectin) instead? That might be safer and easier to administer (spot on).

 

PSA: Do not use any products containing fipronil on rabbits. It’s toxic to them.

[owen]

Vets in my country that specialize in rabbits are extremely hard to find, so far I only found 3 vets that specialize in rabbits. But sadly, they are too far away from me. So I’m basically all on my own here, would feeding them below the recommended dosage be considered “safer” and would it still have the same effect? I tried searching for selamectin on our countries biggest online shop and all the results are for dogs and cats.

Thank you for the reply btw.

[Bam]

What dose ivermectin did the cslculator give you? I’m not a vet and I cant give veterinary advice, everything we say her is still up to you to double check and you must use your own best judgement.  I’d be happy to try and help calculate the proper dose according to what Medirabbit recommends, but it will still be a non-vet calculation.

As LBJ says, ivermectin is often bought as a horse dewormer and people often say “a pea-size dose” is fine for a rabbit. It isnt, though. A a pea size amount of horse dewormer is still way too much for a rabbit.

 

 

[LBJ10]

Yes, you would use a dog or cat formula of Revolution (selamectin). That is all that is available. It is sold in either 60mg/L or 120mg/L formulas. Most people buy the 60mg/L formula, but either will work as long as you get the dosage right. Here is a calculator you can use: https://www.vgr1.com/revolution/#calc

You simply enter your bunny’s weight and the concentration of the selamectin you purchased. The recommended target dosage is already set. Spot-on treatments are much safer and easier to administer, especially if you don’t have a vet to help you.

As for the ivermectin, Bam is correct. You often see stuff online that says to use a “pea sized amount”. But this can be dangerous because concentrations can vary within the product and that method of measurement is not very accurate anyway. This is how overdoses happen. We can try to help you, but we are not vets so we can’t give actual medical advice.

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