Ivermectin Toxicity - Use Caution with Medications and Household Chemicals

Australian Shepherds are a great dog. They do, however, share a common trait with other dogs such as the Collie and English Sheepdog, and that is a sensitivity to ivermectin. If not monitored this can lead to ivermectin toxicity. While mild cases may cause some unrecognized symptoms, severe cases can lead to death. For those who want more information, there are several good articles available from veterinarians on this subject.

Ivermectin is commonly used to treat heartworm and other parasites in household pets and other animals such as horses. My purpose in this post is not so much the subject of ivermectin toxicity, but to spark yor awareness of the many different household items that could cause problems with your pets health.

Veterinary Practice News released an article on successfully treating an Australian Shepherd for ivermectin toxicity. It happened that an owner was treating her four horses and one of them spit up the treatment. You can imagine the dosage for the horse is quite considerable compared to the size of an Australian Shepherd. The dog evidently ate the medication without the owners knowledge and became ill. They took the dog to the vet and the toxicity was discovered. Thank God that the dog is now okay.

This is a reminder to be careful of what may be at hand in your house, from household cleaners to outdoor pesticides and snail bait. If you have ever experienced what an accidental overdose of snail bait will do to your pet you will not want that to happen to any pet.

Use caution on how you store these items and especially when you use them around your house. And remember that dogs are very agile creatures and may get into areas you would not think about. This is especially true for Australian Shepherds who have a natural investigative instinct. If you use any chemical in planters, consider if your dog can reach it on its hind legs or with the help of a bench or table. If there is any possibility, them by all means, make it so the dog cannot get into it.

Please take inventory of what you have at home and how it is stored and used. Then consider how your animals interact at home, and, if there is anything questionable that might cause harm remove the chance.


You may read the article here:

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-breaking-news/2011/06/23/uf-vets-successfully-treat-ivermectin-toxicity-in-australian-shepherd.aspx




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