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ramblin 12 points ago +12 / -0

Im a local squirrel rehabber ( yes we do exist ) and people bring me squirrels that have fallen out of trees or injured in some way. Most survive and are returned to the wild with no issues. However, occasionally we get one that cant be released for any number of reasons. They live out there lives in my rehab room running freely and interacting with the others. Recently a 10 yr. old female I have ( most squirrels never reach that age in the wild ) began panting and wheezing and exhibiting signs of respiratory distress. After about 10 days of antibiotics she was not much better and showing signs of going the other way. Fearing I was going to loose her (she has become a pet now) and more as a last resort I put the tiniest dab of ivermectin horse paste in with her antibiotic. Expecting the worst the next morning, to my surprise she was roaming around, eating and other than some panting appeared to be on the mend. As she continued to recover I waited a day and gave her another small dose. By the 3rd day she was fully recovered. Maybe the only side effect is she is eating like a horse and determined to put back on some weight ! I have given ivermectin for 30 yrs. to my dogs and farm animals but if it hadn`t been for the recent news stories about curing covid I would have never considered it. Wonder what else it will cure.