Unsafe Treatment

Here in the US and elsewhere, aviculturists have used Ivermectin designed for sheep, cattle or horses on their birds. Read the statement by David R Homer BVSc, Technical Services Manager, Merial (Aust) Pty Ltd. (7-11-2003)

Reprinted with permission from Vetafarm Products Australia

Sheep, Cattle & Horse Ivermectin

We see many people diluting Ivermectin sheep, cattle and horse products with water and this is not recommended by the developer of Ivermectin, Merial. The following note is self explanatory.

 

IVOMEC sheep liquid is formulated as an emulsion with the Ivermectin dissolved in a solvent and this solution then held emulsified in water by a delicate balancing act with various additives including surfactants. Once you add more water to the mix you then change the balance and at some stage the emulsion will collapse and the Ivermectin will crash out. How much dilution cause this… don’t know but it will happen. We have a concentrate product called Jetamec which is formulated to take more significant dilution but it is registered only as a jetting fluid for sheep.

 

As far as pour ons and injections are concerned-they are all solvent with no water-any dilution with water is ill-advised. Reprinted with permission from Vetafarm Products Australia

Edited February 18, 200916 yr by KAZ

Good to know Kaz. The vet I go to told me what they use for diluting the Ivomec, but I can't remember what it was now... definitely wasn't water so it's good to know he was diluting it right! Besides, with only one indoor budgie who has been treated already, the likelihood of needing it again is slim, and even if I do, a trip to the vet is cheaper and easier in the long run for just one bird!!

So is best to use the dab behind the head rather than dilution and dipping?

So is best to use the dab behind the head rather than dilution and dipping?

 

As I have said many times previously. Oral Ivermectin for Sheep is not suitable for use on birds, it needs to be diluted for oral use and as you can read above cannot be diluted with water. It is NOT designed to be used topically (on the skin) so use of this product as a spot on is probably not going to be as effective as Pour-On that IS designed to be used topically.

 

If you are going to use an Ivermectin Spot-On treatment for your birds the treatment to use is the Ivomec (or other generic) Cattle Pour-On treatment - one drop or so in the back of the neck. Although you can easily purchase Ivomec Pour-On for cattle from a rural merchandise store without a vet perscription, using it for birds IS an off-label use so technically the only person that can recommend use of this product in this manner is your vet.

 

If you want to use an oral treatment there are water soluble Ivermectins available for bird treatment via vets. S-76 is one product available with ivermectin for oral treatment of birds I think Rob Marshall has it but others might clarify.

Edited June 8, 200915 yr by nubbly5

With the use of this treatment, when it's said to put on the back of the neck, do you move the feathers and put it straight on the skin of the neck or rub it over the feathers on the back of the neck?

Reason I ask is when I recently purchased some budgies, the breeder rubbed some onto the feathers at the back of the neck and I wondered to myself at the time if it was effective.

Hey BS (sorry about that but I kinda giggled when I was typing )

 

I have a little glass dropper thing that I place through the feathers and onto the skin but I believe it works well enough if you just drop straight onto the feathers as it translocates fairly well tp the skin anyway.

I seperate the feathers and get it directly on the skin.