[vedo]

The vet gave Vedo heart worm medication called Ivermectin??? She said it was something new. I gave it to Vedo, went to work and returned 7 hours later and there was vomit and diarrhea all over the house. Vedo was quite ill...exhausted and seemed to be breathing heavily....Vedo is a German Shepherd. Does anyone know anything about this "new" heartworm medication??? (I am calling the Vet first thing in the morning!!!) Thanksenise

 

[Willowy]

Iss it a liquid or a pill? Most heartworm meds contain some ivermectin. What dosage was she given?

 

[K9companions]

I have heard that Shepherds can have serious reactions to some heart worm medications. I use interceptor which I was told was safe for shepherds. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it and I'm not sure how credited my info is but it might be worth looking into. I hope your pooch gets better!

 

[Hallie]

Wow. Ivermectin is an incredibly tolerable drug to most dogs. My dad and I have been using it as parasite preventative for years and have used it on 25+ dogs and countless puppies and never had a negative reaction. Ivermection is effective against all types of common internal parasites except tapeworms. Your dog could've had hook worms or some other type of parasite that the drug killed. We've had several dogs that have been absolutely infested with hooks and have done the same thing your dog did. Was there any blood at all? in the vomit or waste? When Hallie had worms really bad we used ivermectin and she had the runs for a long time. Just make sure your pup doens't get dehydrated. Hopefully it's just worms.

 

[cshellenberger]

Most breeds tolerate Ivermectin well, however some are prone to a serious reaction to it. BTW, Ivermectin IS NOT a new medication, it's been used as a dewormer and heart worm preventive for MANY years as well as a treatment for certain types of Mange.

Get your dog to the vet ASAP and discontinue use, look at a different medication for your dewormer. BE SURE IT'S NOTED IN YOUR DOGS RECORD THAT HE'S ALLERGIC to this medication.

 

[lovemygreys]

Most breeds tolerate Ivermectin well, however some are prone to a serious reaction to it. BTW, Ivermectin IS NOT a new medication, it's been used as a dewormer and heart worm preventive for MANY years as well as a treatment for certain types of Mange.

Get your dog to the vet ASAP and discontinue use, look at a different medication for your dewormer. BE SURE IT'S NOTED IN YOUR DOGS RECORD THAT HE'S ALLERGIC to this medication.

^^^ What she said.

Some breeds have an ivermectin sensitivity, but I've never read about it in regards to GSDs. I'd guess this is an individual reaction to a very well known and commonly used de-wormer/heartworm preventative.