Ivermectin for Nursing Moms?

[envisionary333]

I took three of my girl pigs and my one boy pig in to the vet today (in separate carriers, of course!) to have an overall checkup. I had noticed a little bit of itching, and although they didn't find any mites or lice they were treated with ivermectin (Revolution) to be safe. They instructed me to treat my nursing mom Feria (I didn't bring her so as not to cause any stress) as well and provided a dose to take home with me. This vet is very good and they work specifically on small animals like guinea pigs, so I trust their advice, but I just want to be absolutely certain that it is safe to treat a nursing mom with ivermectin topically on the back of the neck. (I won't be treating the baby, of course). Please confirm this for me- I get so worried about the baby over everything!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

You can use ivermectin on pregnant and nursing sows. You can't dose babies til they are 12 ounces though.

You wrote ivermectin (revolution). Those are two different meds.

[envisionary333]

Thanks for the info. I asked the vet if it was ivermectin and she said yes, but that it was called "Revolution"? Isn't it just a brand name for ivermectin? Now I'm worried all over again!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

No, Revolution is a different anti parasitic, kind of like Advantage. It's selamectin. Maybe she heard you wrong?

It does kill mites and lice, but it shouldn't be used on "compromised" guinea pigs. It's safe and more people are using it, but I think ivermectin is better in this case.

Is there a label on the med or your vet bill?

[envisionary333]

My vet bill states "Revolution" for felines. So I shouldn't use it on my pregnant girl then? I'll call them and double check this- it was the vet's assistant and not the actual vet who said it was ivermectin so she must have been confused. Thanks again for the info, now I'm really glad I looked into it.

[envisionary333]

I called the vet and she said it must have been a miscommunication and apologized. However, she said that she did intend to prescribe the Revolution for my pregnant girl but I can wait and keep an eye on her for a couple of weeks before using it if I am concerned. All the other pigs have been treated and she hasn't been itching so I'm not going to use it just to be safe. I would much rather be extra careful than give a medicine that I'm not 100% certain about!

[clotho]

Why not get yourself some ivermectin and treat your nursing sow with it? That way she gets treated too (as a precaution) and it's safe. Good thing you checked about the revolution though - I wasn't sure if it was safe on pregnant/nursing sows or not.