5 ms·

Ivermectin has been shown to be highly effective against hookworms [1][2] and so far no parasites seem to have developed any resistance to it. Curious that it'

by jbotz 5y ago

Ivermectin has been shown to be highly effective against hookworms [1][2] and so far no parasites seem to have developed any resistance to it. Curious that it's not on the list of drugs approved for treatment of hookworm in dogs in the US. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2723924/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2723924/ [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6897345/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6897345/

smileysteve 5y ago
Most dogs are going to be on ivermectin to prevent heart worm.
- actually_a_dog 5y ago
  I'm not sure about most, but mine is on Trifexis (spinosad + milbemycin oxime). It protects her against fleas, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. I haven't seen a single flea on her the entire time I've had her, she just tested negative for heartworm at her last vet visit, and she tolerates it well.
CyberRabbi 5y ago
Thanks for the references, I came to ask that. I have a bunch of Ivermectin left over from my bout with Covid. I need to figure out what a good dosage is for my dog in case he gets infected with hookworms.
- CrazyPyroLinux 5y ago
  I can't tell if you're trolling, but better use the people version for people and the animal version for animals - don't cross the streams.
  - nitrogen 5y ago
    Out of pure curiosity, what's different (apart from dosage) between human and animal formulations of drugs?
    - selectodude 5y ago
      Animals and humans can have drastically different stomach pHs.
    - CrazyPyroLinux 5y ago
      IANAD, but I imagine there are differing levels of quality control and differing "inactive ingredients" that may behave/metabolize differently. My doggo can't eat my grapes or onions, so I'm not going to eat his kibble or Heartguard. :)
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - syshum 5y ago
      It is all in the inactive ingredients not the drug. Most drugs are not just simply the drug.. There are all kinds of inactive things mixed in for various reasons. If you have a prescription and you go to CVS to fill your dog's medication you are getting the exact same thing If you go to Rural King and by a Tube of Horse Paste, you are not...
      - swader999 5y ago
        You can get material safety data sheets for all the vet drugs that list all the adjuvants.
    - jbotz 5y ago
      Depends on the drug; sometimes there are chemical differences, sometimes there aren't. Presumably there are also differences with respect to quality control and regulations, at least in some countries. But in general if the drug has a single active ingredient then it should be pretty much interchangeable. In a couple of cases veterinarians have specifically advised me to buy certain antibiotics (for a sick dog) from the "people pharmacy" because it was actually cheaper than the veterinary version sold at feed stores. In the case of ivermectin tablets, usually available in 3mg, 6mg and 12mg versions both for dogs and for humans, there is unlikely to be any difference, and where I live the price is pretty much the same too.
    - 5y ago
- rainbowzootsuit 5y ago
  The packages likely have mass/volume or similar measurements that can be scaled. I do this for children's vs babies medicines sometimes as the markup for new parents is intense. However there maybe other ingredients that wouldn't be good for dogs or the division of the medication might not be straight forward depending on it's form.
  - SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
    In order to cut a medication like this, you need a sub-gram scale (crack scale, see Amazon for that term specifically). People using those stupid syringe marking are asking for trouble.
- outworlder 5y ago
  > I need to figure out what a good dosage is for my dog in case he gets infected with hookworms. No you don't. Your vet does.
ravitation 5y ago
A few things. First, it's very strange that an antiparasitic like ivermectin has become known among mainstream laypersons. Second, those articles are from the 80s, one is nearly 40 years old. Third, various antiparasitic medications on the market for dogs contain ivermectin (e.g. Heartgard, Iverhart, and Tri-Heart) - these uses include the prevention or control of hookworm infections. Finally, when the original article mentions "three types of drugs" to combat parasitic infections, they are referring to the benzimidazole, avermectin/milbemycin (or macrocyclic lactones), and tetrahydropyrimidine classes of drugs - where ivermectin belongs to the avermectin/milbemycin (macrocyclic lactones) class of drugs. With that said, ivermectin-containing compounds are actually a notable part of the research.
- Johnny555 5y ago
  First, it's very strange that an antiparasitic like ivermectin has become known among mainstream laypersons. Not that strange among laymen dog owners when the package of HeartGard heartworm medicine says "Ivermectin" prominently on the label. People that heard about it as a COVID cure know Ivermectin as horse dewormer, many dog owners know it as a monthly heartworm preventative. https://entirelypetspharmacy.com/heartgard-for-dogs-51-100lbs-12mnth.html https://entirelypetspharmacy.com/heartgard-for-dogs-51-100lb...
- x0x0 5y ago
  It's just where people grew up. If you had horses, sheep, or goats, you know what ivermectin is.
  - ravitation 5y ago
    While this might be true... Surely you're aware that, given certain national conversations, ivermectin specifically is known by far more than just those that grew up around livestock now?
    - x0x0 5y ago
      Oh sure -- I just meant that it's a pretty common tool for people who have or had farm animals.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
HarryHirsch 5y ago
This shouldn't be downvoted, ivermectin is highly effective against nematodes (including hookworm and heartworm) and has a good safety profile, no matter the current conversation. People have used it off-label on dogs for years. If you live in the Southern US you really need to treat your dog and outside cat for fleas and heartworm, and it's not unknown that people who can't afford afford the prescription stuff from vet get a canister of cattle dewormer from the feed store. That said, our vet told me that there are now case reports from the Mississippi Delta about cases of heartworm in dogs regularly treated with milbemycin, a close relative to ivermectin.
jsight 5y ago
I'm baffled as to why a lot of vets in the industry moved away from it to more expensive things, but I guess a lot of it depends on the pet's environment.
jmull 5y ago
Heartgard is pretty common. It has ivermectin (and pyrantel) and controls heartworm, hookworm, and roundworm.

by jbotz 5y ago

smileysteve 5y ago

Most dogs are going to be on ivermectin to prevent heart worm.

actually_a_dog 5y ago
I'm not sure about most, but mine is on Trifexis (spinosad + milbemycin oxime). It protects her against fleas, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. I haven't seen a single flea on her the entire time I've had her, she just tested negative for heartworm at her last vet visit, and she tolerates it well.

CyberRabbi 5y ago

Thanks for the references, I came to ask that. I have a bunch of Ivermectin left over from my bout with Covid. I need to figure out what a good dosage is for my dog in case he gets infected with hookworms.

CrazyPyroLinux 5y ago
I can't tell if you're trolling, but better use the people version for people and the animal version for animals - don't cross the streams.
- nitrogen 5y ago
  Out of pure curiosity, what's different (apart from dosage) between human and animal formulations of drugs?
  - selectodude 5y ago
    Animals and humans can have drastically different stomach pHs.
  - CrazyPyroLinux 5y ago
    IANAD, but I imagine there are differing levels of quality control and differing "inactive ingredients" that may behave/metabolize differently. My doggo can't eat my grapes or onions, so I'm not going to eat his kibble or Heartguard. :)
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - syshum 5y ago
    It is all in the inactive ingredients not the drug. Most drugs are not just simply the drug.. There are all kinds of inactive things mixed in for various reasons. If you have a prescription and you go to CVS to fill your dog's medication you are getting the exact same thing If you go to Rural King and by a Tube of Horse Paste, you are not...
    - swader999 5y ago
      You can get material safety data sheets for all the vet drugs that list all the adjuvants.
  - jbotz 5y ago
    Depends on the drug; sometimes there are chemical differences, sometimes there aren't. Presumably there are also differences with respect to quality control and regulations, at least in some countries. But in general if the drug has a single active ingredient then it should be pretty much interchangeable. In a couple of cases veterinarians have specifically advised me to buy certain antibiotics (for a sick dog) from the "people pharmacy" because it was actually cheaper than the veterinary version sold at feed stores. In the case of ivermectin tablets, usually available in 3mg, 6mg and 12mg versions both for dogs and for humans, there is unlikely to be any difference, and where I live the price is pretty much the same too.
  - 5y ago
rainbowzootsuit 5y ago
The packages likely have mass/volume or similar measurements that can be scaled. I do this for children's vs babies medicines sometimes as the markup for new parents is intense. However there maybe other ingredients that wouldn't be good for dogs or the division of the medication might not be straight forward depending on it's form.
- SV_BubbleTime 5y ago
  In order to cut a medication like this, you need a sub-gram scale (crack scale, see Amazon for that term specifically). People using those stupid syringe marking are asking for trouble.
outworlder 5y ago
> I need to figure out what a good dosage is for my dog in case he gets infected with hookworms. No you don't. Your vet does.

ravitation 5y ago

A few things. First, it's very strange that an antiparasitic like ivermectin has become known among mainstream laypersons. Second, those articles are from the 80s, one is nearly 40 years old. Third, various antiparasitic medications on the market for dogs contain ivermectin (e.g. Heartgard, Iverhart, and Tri-Heart) - these uses include the prevention or control of hookworm infections. Finally, when the original article mentions "three types of drugs" to combat parasitic infections, they are referring to the benzimidazole, avermectin/milbemycin (or macrocyclic lactones), and tetrahydropyrimidine classes of drugs - where ivermectin belongs to the avermectin/milbemycin (macrocyclic lactones) class of drugs. With that said, ivermectin-containing compounds are actually a notable part of the research.

Johnny555 5y ago
First, it's very strange that an antiparasitic like ivermectin has become known among mainstream laypersons. Not that strange among laymen dog owners when the package of HeartGard heartworm medicine says "Ivermectin" prominently on the label. People that heard about it as a COVID cure know Ivermectin as horse dewormer, many dog owners know it as a monthly heartworm preventative. https://entirelypetspharmacy.com/heartgard-for-dogs-51-100lbs-12mnth.html https://entirelypetspharmacy.com/heartgard-for-dogs-51-100lb...
x0x0 5y ago
It's just where people grew up. If you had horses, sheep, or goats, you know what ivermectin is.
- ravitation 5y ago
  While this might be true... Surely you're aware that, given certain national conversations, ivermectin specifically is known by far more than just those that grew up around livestock now?
  - x0x0 5y ago
    Oh sure -- I just meant that it's a pretty common tool for people who have or had farm animals.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

HarryHirsch 5y ago

This shouldn't be downvoted, ivermectin is highly effective against nematodes (including hookworm and heartworm) and has a good safety profile, no matter the current conversation. People have used it off-label on dogs for years. If you live in the Southern US you really need to treat your dog and outside cat for fleas and heartworm, and it's not unknown that people who can't afford afford the prescription stuff from vet get a canister of cattle dewormer from the feed store. That said, our vet told me that there are now case reports from the Mississippi Delta about cases of heartworm in dogs regularly treated with milbemycin, a close relative to ivermectin.

jsight 5y ago

I'm baffled as to why a lot of vets in the industry moved away from it to more expensive things, but I guess a lot of it depends on the pet's environment.

jmull 5y ago

Heartgard is pretty common. It has ivermectin (and pyrantel) and controls heartworm, hookworm, and roundworm.