Lungworm is in my area eek!

~Chameleon~

I was under the impression that you would use a wormer (i.e. fenbendazole or ivermectin) to treat lungworm rather than a flea product?

orlao

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

I was under the impression that you would use a wormer (i.e. fenbendazole or ivermectin) to treat lungworm rather than a flea product?

AFAIK, Avocate is a flea/tick PLUS wormer product as is Stronghold.

As all my dogs (and cat!) are on avocate my vet said I only need to worm once a year with Drontal to treat tapeworm which avocate doesn't treat. I don't know if the same applies to stronghold. There was a thread on here a while ago about worming and a vet ( sorry, can't remember if it was wuno or snowman2 or both) pointed out that if I was only worming once a year that miramex might be a better worming product in those circumstances and that's something I'll look into next year when it's time to do my annual dog, cat and horse wormer order. Every April I order for the whole yard my horses are kept on (25 horses!) and as most of their owners also have pets we also get small animal frontline, drontal etc.There are some fantastic discounts for a bulk order!!!! Usually at least 10%, sometimes more off an order that is at least £1.5k at online prices.

~Chameleon~

orlao wrote: »

AFAIK, Avocate is a flea/tick PLUS wormer product as is Stronghold.

Thanks, I'd forgotten Advocate also combines a wormer, it's not a product I've ever used. The other one you mentioned is Milbemax which is also very effective in treating lungworm (Angiostrongylus vasorum).

This is yet another reason why dog owners need to be fastidious in cleaning up after their dogs as the cycle is perpetuated by slugs and snails crawling over contaminated faeces. Dogs don't actually need to eat a slug or snail to become infected, just walking through grass where they've been and then licking their paws is enough!

[Thought I should just remove the mention of ivermectin as somewhere deep in the back of my mind I seem to recall it's not actually licensed for use in dogs (used in horses and large animals) and may cause more harm than good in some cases so wouldn't want to mislead anyone with wrong info, sorry ]

SuiDreams

Please note you have to be careful which wormer you choose for collie types as they can have a sensitivity to certain drugs

~Chameleon~

SuiDreams wrote: »

Please note you have to be careful which wormer you choose for collie types as they can have a sensitivity to certain drugs

Yes, which is why I removed the info about ivermectin from my post as it's been linked to deaths in collies previously. I also have a feeling Advocate is another that is not recommended for use in collies, but you'd need to confirm that with a vet.

SuiDreams

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Yes, which is why I removed the info about ivermectin from my post as it's been linked to deaths in collies previously. I also have a feeling Advocate is another that is not recommended for use in collies, but you'd need to confirm that with a vet.

Sorry just read your orginal post when I posted. Had a look on the net for advoate and it states the following
"Ivermectin-sensitive breeds

Studies have been performed to determine the safety of Advocate when administered to ivermectin-sensitive collies. Ivermectin-sensitive collies were treated with up to five times the recommended dose for three consecutive treatments at 28-day intervals.
There were no clinical abnormalities or adverse reactions observed in any of the dogs. Work carried out to determine the safety of accidental oral uptake of Advocate in ivermectin-sensitive breeds of dog revealed that 10% of the unit dose given orally resulted in no adverse effects, while 40% resulted in severe neurological signs.
As with any product containing macrocyclic lactones, special care should be taken with Collies, Old English Sheepdogs and related breeds or crossbreeds, to correctly administer the product. In particular, oral uptake by the recipient and/or other animals should be avoided" (taken directly from bayer Heathcare site)

SuiDreams

Also the following information for Milbemax
"Special Precautions and Warnings
Studies with milbemycin oxime indicate that the margin of safety in certain dogs of Collie or related breeds is less than in other breeds. In these dogs, the recommended dose should be strictly observed.
The tolerance of MILBEMAX in young puppies from these breeds has not been investigated."

~Chameleon~

You've prompted me to do a bit of digging about now and I've found this page which has some very useful information about the MDR1 gene defect in Collie breeds. The table of drugs is particularly useful but I doubt it would easily copy over so better I just give the page link for people to read.

http://www.karibunicollies.com/Page_Mdr1.asp

Advocate, Stronghold and Milbemax CAN be used but at very strict dose levels, hence needing a vet to prescribe and treat.

SuiDreams

Thanks for this as an owner of two shelties, I like to be careful. I have added the page to my favoirtes for future reference.

savemoney

I did some digging and apparently cats can get it too if they eat birds who in turn eat some slugs