# IVERMECTIN!!



## bstory1008 (Jul 7, 2011)

Today I took Quilliam to the vet because he has dry flaky skin and has been scratching. The doctor. Gadtook him away to do a skin scrape and when he came back he told me that he didn't see any mites but went ahead and gave him the first treatment (uhhh without asking me first?!? Hellooooo!) When I asked the brand name of the treatment he said ivermectin (GASP) I then told him of all the issues I had with that and that I would prefer that he was treated with revolution instead. Well the doc went ob to say that he was used ivermectin on hedgies and never had a problem before. The solution we came to was that since he has already given it to him to just monitor Quilliam and see if he has any issues. So my question to you guys is what do I need to be watching out for that would tip me off that he isn't doing well on This medication? I'm hoping that my little Quilliam will be one of the lucky ones with this ivermectin.


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## Ava99 (Jul 6, 2011)

I know how you feel, my vet did the EXACT same thing and gave me the oral medicine to give to him for 4 more friggin' treatments. I explained how uncomfortable I was with giving him the Ivermectin, but he said the chances were so low that I shouldn't worry and just watch him. He also said that the 5 (total) doses would get us "well out of the window for mites" (that he doesn't have). aka, hes giving him too dang much. I'm giving him one more treatment, and stopping. he's not getting the last two, it's too risky.
However: back to your question
There's a ton of threads about Ivermectin and its dangers, so definitely look at those, but I personally am just watching for any sign of an allergic(ish) reaction (redness, swelling, etc.), not eating/drinking/wheeling/etc. Basically, if he starts acting weird, definitely keep an eye on him and take him to the vet (or at least call the vet) if anything gets worse, or he has trouble breathing.
Here's a link that you may want to check out:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=6

Good Luck!!


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## bstory1008 (Jul 7, 2011)

Well its good to know I'm not the only one, but then again not really. I'm so freaked out right now. Mine did that too. He gave me the other treatments and said if he doesn't have any issues with this first one he should be fine. Doc did tell me that he would look into the revolution treatment though and call me back as soon as possible.


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2011)

bstory1008 said:


> Well its good to know I'm not the only one, but then again not really. I'm so freaked out right now. Mine did that too. He gave me the other treatments and said if he doesn't have any issues with this first one he should be fine. Doc did tell me that he would look into the revolution treatment though and call me back as soon as possible.


I would print all the info on it being bad for hedgehogs and get it to your vet don't trust your vet will give them the facts so they cannot deny that it is a bad choice for our quilled friends


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## Ava99 (Jul 6, 2011)

I asked my vet if I could put him on Revolution, and he basically said he wasn't going to do it because the Ivermectin worked better and was more guaranteed and the risks just weren't enough to worry about. I would actually try to find some Revolution if I thought he actually had mites, but I don't think he does, so I'm not going to bother. Definitely am going to try to find a new vet though.
Just be sure when you give him the oral you don't give him too much, because (i think..) that's the main problem with the Ivermectin, that it's so easily OD'd. I personally gave my Westley a little less than was recommended for that reason.


Also: please note the fact that I am in no way.."licensed" if you will...to be giving this advice, I'm merely speaking from my own experience and from reading on the forums, so for a little more credible advice, you may want to wait for a more experienced person to answer this. I'm just trying to help out


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## bstory1008 (Jul 7, 2011)

Sounds like a good idea. My vet was at least willing to change to revolution he just doesn't know too much about it and wanted to look into it first. He did tell me that he diluted it as much as possible so that hopefully it wont be an issue.


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## Immortalia (Jan 24, 2009)

What type of Ivermectin? The injection? The oral meds? The drops to the back?

The most dangerous one is the injection, which is easy to overdose, and is the one that has always caused the most problems.

The oral and the topical, while bad, aren't always nearly as deadly. 

And quite honestly.... No vets should dictate how you wish to treat YOUR pet with YOUR money. Especially when the treatment can be potentially deadly. You should always be given a choice and should always be able to confirm before anything happens.
Unless it's a vet you really trust already, and becomes one of those "if the price is below $XXX, then go ahead and do what you need, otherwise, call me". 

If my vet had done that, I would outright refuse to continue treating with Ivermectin, and I probably would refuse to pay for the Ivermectin dosage that was given, and then find a new vet. But hey, that's just me.

My vet had asked to treat with Ivermectin, and I just told him no. And he HAD to treat with Revolution, end of story.


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## hanhan27 (May 12, 2011)

Immortalia said:


> And quite honestly.... No vets should dictate how you wish to treat YOUR pet with YOUR money. Especially when the treatment can be potentially deadly.


I completely agree with this. At the risk of sounding rude, you really should have told this guy off - this is your hedgehog's life we're talking about. It isn't okay for him to treat your pet without asking you about it first, and you REALLY shouldn't have paid for a treatment that you didn't authorize and are not comfortable doing.



Ava99 said:


> the risks just weren't enough to worry about.


There are still risks. That's the way I look at it. There are many documented cases of Ivermetcin being harmful, and deadly, to hedgehogs. I don't understand why a vet would want to take that chance if there are other options! Ugh


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## bstory1008 (Jul 7, 2011)

Yeah. I wasn't very happy with him at all. But he is the only vet in my area that deals with hedgehogs. And he apologized and is looking into the revolution to find the correct doses and all. He gave me the oral medicine. So far Quilliam seems fine but I'm not going to continue the treatment. I'm just going to wait For the revolution.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

I wouldn't allow any more ivermectin to be given. The fact that the first didn't affect him, doesn't mean the rest won't, despite what the vet says. There have been cases where it was the 2nd or 3rd dose that caused the reaction. Injected is the worst, then oral, then topical has the least risk but there is still a risk. 

Revolution is just about impossible to overdose plus if there is a reaction, it is skin irritation at the drop site. 

If he hasn't had a reaction to this dose yet, he most likely won't as usually the reaction is in the first 12 or 24 hours after.


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