First let me apologize for another Ivermectin question on this board. I tried searching for past posts but gave up after an hour of trying.
So, my horse just got his blood work done and it looks like he's anemic. He's had the same issue in the past. In searching for the possible causes of anemia, parasites keep coming up. I remember reading in other posts about using Ivermectin differently depending on if he has Covid/Flu or if he has parasites (i.e. take with food or on an empty stomach). I've also read the package instructions, and while I know the dosage based on weight, I don't know the frequency in taking it. I appreciate any advice you can give. Thanks.
When treating livestock for parasites the protocol is one dose per label recommendation and a repeat in 7-10 days to catch any new egg hatch and potentially a third round in another 7-10 days if the animal had a heavy infestation.
Ivermec stays in the system for 4-5 days. So if you were to dose daily at the full label dosage, you’d be building up to a higher systemic level than recommended. Note that initially the C19 protocol was for one large dose and changed over time to daily dosing of smaller amounts. This change would make the recovery slower and create the appearance of being less effective. Bearing this in mind, and considering that parasites can build resistance to this treatment over time, it’s recommended that you follow the label for horse dosing to insure you completely knock out the parasite, not any other dosing schedule. The horses we’ve assisted respond very fast to this approach.
Thanks.