Ivomectin for rats?

[Cavy Carnage]

Well I am pretty sure they have early signs of mites (well at least one) I want to go ahead and treat them. Now I have tried to read up and most people say you can use Ivomectin though a few say not too. If in fact I can use it what is the dosage and what percentage of Ivomectin do I buy?

[Rattie Mom]

Although you can buy the Ivomec paste in some feed stores, you have to be very careful with it. i.e. you need to empty the entire tube and mix extremely well, before treating the ratties. They only get a dose that's the size of a grain of rice.

I've never used this on my rats though, as it really makes me nervous.

I have found it safer to go directly thru my vet. They have Ivermectin in a fluid form that you can put on a piece of bread, or in a dab of cool whip. They can also help you with the appropriate dose, based on your rat's weight. The downside of Ivermectin for me, is that you have to give it in at least 4 doses (most vets say 6) at one dose once a week for 4 weeks, to be affective. Even then, I haven't had the greatest results.

We use Revolution on our rats. Of course, it has to be carefully measured based on the rats weight too. But for us, we have a scale so that's easy. A tube of Revolution can treat several rats, depending on their weights. But if you are comfortable with weighing the ratties and calculating their doses appropriately, it works out really great. With the Revo, you just dose them once, using a syringe (without the needle) on the back of the neck (just like with cats and dogs). Depending on how bad the lice/mites are, they might need a second dose a month later, but my guys have always been good to go (we've only had to treat preventatively, when we brought in a rescue that was covered in lice).

If you decide to go with Revolution, the cat or kitten formula works best. And I'd be happy to help you calculate doses too.

[Cavy Carnage]

Thanks for your help, I will definitley take you up on your offer of helping me to work out dosage or atleast make sure my calculations are correct. Is this ok to use? The one for 5lb-15lb cats/kittens.

Revolution® (Brand) by Pfizer

[Rattie Mom]

Yep. That's what we get (5-15lb cat/blue box). The only downside is, unless you have several rats to give it to, you will have most of a tube left over, and it usually evaporates before you are ready to use it then following month. The newer tubes have pretty good caps on them, so it might last. Unless you have a cat. Then you can give the extra to him/her (if they don't already have flea treament on board).

I squeeze the tube (or part of it) into a shot glass. Try to get a .30ml syringe from your vet. These are usually the "insulin" syringes, that you can just take the needle off the end. They are small and you can see each little slat on the syringe. We pull the appropriate dose in the syringe, then just put it right on the ratties back, between their shoulder blades, as close to the skin as you can.

Calculating their appropriate dose is actually pretty easy, when you use the 5-15lb (60mg/ml) cat dose. The rats dose is 6mg/kg. i.e The formula for a 500 gram rat would look like this:

6 x .500 / 60 = .05 ( 6mg/kg X .rats weight / 60mg/ml = dose).

So for a 300 gram rat, it would be .03ml
400 gram rat, it would be .04ml
etc.

It's best to get the smallest syringe you can get, because that .05 dose is REALLY small (maybe 1 or two small drops of the Revo).

Hope that helps.