ivermectin wormers with pregnant mares?

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shelly

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I'm sorry for asking this question AGAIN...I did a forum search and couldn't find the answer! Is it safe to give Zimecterin Gold to pregnant mares? It has ivermectin (1.55%)and praziquantal (7.75%). One mare is 7 months and one is 5 months along.
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The info states it has not been tested on breeding mares or stallions... I have heard that tapeworms in horses are not a BIG concern, but if you are worried about it, I would contact your vet maybe...... for something that would be safe- maybe something that will work for just tapeworms and then later the regular wormer..... I have read of others using the Gold on pregnant mares with no problem, but who knows, and it clearly is labeled it has not been tested on them, so I guess you would do that at your own risk?

Unless you really think that tapeworms are a problem in your area, I would think about holding off til after she foals on that type of worming??
 
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Thanks...what type of wormer would be good for them now? Sahara has been rubbing her neck, shoulders and now her tail...they were wormed 8 weeks ago with strongid.
 
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Thanks Nathan, you beat me to it, LOL

I have always used regular Ivermectin on mine, for MANY years now, with no problems. It's just the Gold I would have doubts about, but dont think tapeworms would be a huge issue at this point for you.......

Any chance she might have an external problem to cause the itching? Something she just started?
 
Thanks everyone...I will try regular ivermectin for this round of worming and see if it helps.

HGFarm-yes it may be something external and yes she just started itching these last 2 weeks. No one else in the barn seems to have any problems, just her. I thought it may be shedding because we have had a warm spell here in Maine lately. Maybe sweet itch too?
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Any other thoughts?
 
You might think about lice.
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Unfortunately, 'tis the season'. A horse can get them from all sorts of other critters and they do cause intense itching like you are describing. Ivermectin will kill the blood sucking kind and the other kind....talk with your vet for something topical that is safe for preg mares. They are easy to kill, just require several treatments to get any hatchlings.

Charlotte
 
You might think about lice.
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Unfortunately, 'tis the season'. A horse can get them from all sorts of other critters and they do cause intense itching like you are describing. Ivermectin will kill the blood sucking kind and the other kind....talk with your vet for something topical that is safe for preg mares. They are easy to kill, just require several treatments to get any hatchlings.
Charlotte
I was thinking lice too! I am questioning that on my new rescue mare right now because she is very itchy too! The recommended treatment I am following is Ivermectin every two weeks for 3 doses. She has had two of the doses so far with the last one coming next week. So far I haven't seen a change in her scratching so I may also be looking for something topical safe for pregnant mares!

I have had to do this Ivermectin for lice before on a different horse years ago and it worked like a charm.

~Tammy
 
OK...thanks, IVERMECTIN it is!!! That way I can take care of the worming and lice! (if it is lice) Is MTG good for a topical on pregnant mares?
 
There are a lot of myths regarding tapeworms... there is only one drug that kills tapeworms, and that is praziquantel. No other drug, even double dosed, will take care of them.
 
There are a lot of myths regarding tapeworms... there is only one drug that kills tapeworms, and that is praziquantel. No other drug, even double dosed, will take care of them
So even though it is now marketed and labeled for tapeworms (double dose of pyrantel), it doesn't work??
 
Ivermectin is fine to use in pregnant mares, the harm done by not worming far out weighs any possible problems.

Same for Praziquantel, and Yes, Tapeworms can and are a big problem in horses, now.

And whilst Praziquantel is by far the best Tape killer, Pyrantel Emboate, at double dosage, does kill at least two types of tapeworm found in the horse.

It is however far better to use more modern drugs as they become available, normally speaking.....exception being Moxidectin (Quest) obviously!!!
 
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Quest is a fine drug... it just may not be the best choice for minis
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I'd use Quest Plus with my big guys every three months if I didn't have faith in rotation.
 
How many types of tapeworms can horses get?

Susan O.
 
Three, Anoplocephala perfoliata, Anoplocephala magna & Anoplocephalidae mamillana.

Praziquantel is active against all three, I am not certain that pyrantel embonate is , though, even in double dose, I have never used it seriously.

Moxidectin is actually dangerous to big horses as well if you do not get the dosage right, or if there is not enough body fat on the horse, but you just carry on Nathan, you will anyway!!!

I used Moxidectin for two years and never had any problems as my horse are fat and I weighed them before dosing (not because I thought it was dangerous but because it was more economical)

BUT when the alarms started going off I did my research (I was new on the Internet then and it was a boon to me!) and found out how and why the drug works and just why it is so dangerous to Minis, and then heard on a "Big" appy Forum I go on about three BH that had had severe problems with the drug.

It is merely this lazy attitude of only doing them every 13 weeks that gets a lot of horse owners, and I have to admit that, with 30 to do, it was very convenient.

However, since I now know it to be potentially dangerous to ALL equines, I shall not use it again.
 
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The well backed up safety studies show that the drug has a 2.9x overdose safety allowance. That means you have to give two full tubes to an adult, 1000lbs horse to get to the point where problems are likely. Any drug can kill... moxidectin is just as safe as any other drug when you follow the directions and use it correctly. I've dosed many hundreds of horses with it in a well rounded rotation schedule without a single problem. It says right on the label not to give it to a sick or emaciated horse, or one that does not have enough fat reserves to be healthy.
 
No, I'm sorry Nathan that is not quite right...

Even if you give the correct dosage, if the horse does not have the correct amount of body fat to store the drug it will dump it (and this is what appears to have happened in the Minis that have actually been killed) into the system in one go, in which case the 3X becomes a very small margin of error.

Ivermectin has been tested up to SIXTY times the accepted dose...see the difference here....with no toxic effects.

Moxidectin has been tested to THREE times the accepted dose, and even then it is not safe if the whole amount goes straight into the system as opposed to going into the fat of the animals.

So, no, basically, it is not safe for BH but most definitely is not safe for Minis!!!
 
Thanks so much for answering me about the number of types of tapeworms, Rabbitsfizz!

I had not known there were several!

Susan O.
 
I could have sworn I had a third post in there somewhere... I'm not sure where it went. Basically what I said was that the drug company is liable for any and all injuries/deaths/treatment of horses that had issues with the chemical. They have to pay big dollars, and take a huge hit in reputation as well. The makers of Quest have decided that the number of horses injured due to their product is far outweighed by the satisfied customers. They would not sell a drug that killed its users on a regular basis. Its just bad business... and if there is one thing drug companies are good at, its making money. Quest is a fine drug, a well researched and a very effective one. If you use it contrary to the directions that's your own fault. Even then, the drug company is liable and has paid out big bucks in the past. But enough people are happy with its performance and safety that the pros far outweigh the naysayers. I've used it hundreds of times and I will use it many more times, on $100 horses and $100,000 horses. Moxidectin is a revolutionary drug that will have a very important place in worming schedules, especially now that resistance to Ivermectin has been documented. Not in horses yet, but its coming sooner or later!
 
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