Ivermectin

[Zipfelmuetze]

Hello,

I still have a bottle of Ivermectin from treating my guinea pigs against mites.  Kaow (my flop) has been scratching and nibbling himself, and it looks like he has something.  I was wondering if Ivermectin is okay to use on rabbits as well.

[(dig)x(me)x(now)]

I’ve never heard of it. I definitely wouldn’t do it unless you got an OK from a pro. Maybe try consulting a vet?

[KatnipCrzy]

You really should take him to the vet to get a diagnosis before treating.  Because if he does have mites depending on what kind of mites you may need to treat all the animals in the home at one time to make sure to get rid of them all and it does not just get passed around.  Same thing with fleas.  Ivermectin won’t help fleas.  Since it is a prescription medicine I would make sure you are only giving it if you have to.  Have you tried using a flea comb on your bunny?  Although that is not always a sure thing to diagnose fleas as bunnies are like cats and groom so much that the ingest the fleas and evidence of fleas making it more difficult to find a flea on the pet.  Is your bun scratching at his ears?

[Zipfelmuetze]

He is scratching his cheeks mostly, then he nibbles at his sides, and his legs.  I think also behind the ears sometimes.

[Lion_Lop_Lover]

I sell Ivermectin at my feed/livestock supply store and I see on the bottle it is for livestock, but not including horses. I’ve heard you can use it on puppies, etc… but never have heard anything about bunnies. Hmm…

[Lion_Lop_Lover]

Actually, I just googled Ivermectin and rabbits and found this dosage page:

http://www.medirabbit.com/Safe_medication/Anti_parasitics/ivermectin.PDF

[Sarita]

You can use it on rabbits but you should consult a vet before using this – it must be properly dosed or it could be fatal.

[Zipfelmuetze]

I have used it on my 4 month old, and 5 year old Guinea pigs as a topical behind the ears.  They stopped scratching themselves after 3 treatments.  I was just wondering if anyone has used it on rabbits successfully?

[xParadise]

I would speak to a vet before trying anything. I think I’ve heard of using Ivermectin on rabbits, but I’m not 100% sure. I wouldn’t go putting chemicals on my buns before getting a proper diagnosis. You shouldn’t do it unless it’s absolutely neccessary, and reccommended by a vet.

[skibunny8503]

Yeah I would take him to the vet first because he might not have anything and just scratch a lot. 

[Beka27]

i will ditto the responses above. since he is a new bunny to your home, it’s a good idea to have him examined by a rabbit-savvy vet ANYWAYS. i would suggest you do this before allowing the bun and pigs to have shared playtime. the vet will do a full exam and test the poop for parasites that could be passed on to your pigs. when you go, bring up your concerns and the vet will check his skin for you as well. if there is a problem, he or she can prescribe the proper dosages of whatever med they decide is necessary.

rabbits groom A LOT… just like cats, they are naturally very clean.  so what you  are seeing may be just regular grooming. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Ivermectin is safe for rabbits. It can be given orally or topically.

However sounds like your bunny is just grooming…have your guinea pigs had mites since you got the bun? If so then their could be transmission and you should see a vet.

But it does sound like normal grooming, they groom a lot like a cat does. Mites typically you can see scabs in the ears, and they do a lot of head shaking.

[Zipfelmuetze]

Ah yeah, he hasn’t really been scratching or grooming today. I guess I was just paranoid. My guinea pigs don’t have anything anymore. I’ll go take him to the vet soon, since I’m thinking about getting him neutered.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

That’s a great idea Just to get a baseline exam done and talk about the neuter. Neutering definitely improves litter habits and behavior

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