IVERMECTIN - how much for a wild?

[Scooterzmom]

I posted pics of one of my little black wilds earlier this week - suspecting either mange or pox - but since she's acting very normal and seems energetic I suspect more that it's mange. I'd like to give her some Ivermectin but I'm afraid some of the other squirrels might take the meds too. I guess, however, it wouldn't be so bad - would prevent them from catching it since it's very contagious. I just noticed today that Casper too has a swollen pink blotch over his left eye :sanp3

I was going to put some on a boo-ball - since they like the boo-balls - but my question is... how much should I give? Obviously I can't weigh the poor kids but they're about the size of a young adult grey (I suspect both are late teens).

What does the Ivermectin look like? I'm in horse country here, so I know the vets must have some.

[CritterMom]

If you are in horse country, walk into any of the places that sell feed/tack etc. and buy it off the shelf - it is not a prescription med. Maybe $10 tops for enough to dose about a thousand squirrels.

Empty the entire tube into an airtight container and stir it well. It separates in the tube so you can't just squirt a little out.

A dose is the size of an UNCOOKED grain of rice (which is very small).

[Nancy in New York]

I think that I would put it on an unshelled pecan. I have done this before, and they eat the whole pecan with no problem.
As CritterMom said the size of a grain of uncooked rice.

[astra]

I think that I would put it on an unshelled pecan. I have done this before, and they eat the whole pecan with no problem.
As CritterMom said the size of a grain of uncooked rice.
agree about the pecan. They may end up crumbling boo balls easily and not even eat the whole thing, but when it's on a nut - easy to know if they got the entire dose

[Scooterzmom]

:thankyou folks. Now I'm not sure where I would go for feed etc - new to this area, I'm completely lost here duhh :dono - but I know where the vet's clinic is at least :D

[Nancy in New York]

Chris sells it at squirrelsandmore, but that may take a while before you get it, and it's close to $40.00 without shipping...:dono
http://www.squirrelsandmore.com/product/1560/ivermectin-50-ml.htm

[CritterMom]

I think Chris' is the liquid, Ivomec, that needs to be WAY diluted with propylene glycol first, isn't it? I just checked Dover Saddlery online and theirs is less than $3.

Do you have Tractor Supply up there? They will have it. Google "horse supplies" in your town and see who pops up.

[astra]

i once used tablets that henryspets sells (if she still sells them).
They worked very well: 1 tablet = 1 dose: crush them first, dissolve in very little water (literally, a drop or two, just enough to make a thick paste) and mix with just enough almond butter (i used crunchy for extra thickness) and put it on a piece of bread.
I used bread to ensure that they eat all of the almond butter (because if I put that on a nut, most of them would eat the nut and ignore the butter blob), this way, they eat the a. butter blob and ignore the bread.
They always seem to eat the best part only of whatever i gave them, so i figured, let the medicated part be the best part.

[quagmire]

We had a wild backyard squirrel with mange a while back. Sliced up an apple, got the little guy isolated and put a small drop (rice grain size) of Ivermectin on the slice and made sure he got it. Two days later, did the same thing. The third time was two more days later. He cleared up in no time.

Good luck.

[Scooterzmom]

I found the Ivermectin. Thanks guys. Now all I have to do is see if she will show up today so I can give it to her. She (I think it's a she)always loves boo-balls. She has sat there and eaten every single one of them I offered her, so I think I'll put that tiny tab inside a boob-ball.

[babybleu]

I've treated some wilds with the ivermectin that I've bought at Tractor Supply and it works wonderfully. I ususally treat the first day and then 1 week later. I buy the apple flavored one and they usually don't have any problem with it.

[Scooterzmom]

Poxie was over today and she looked sickly, poor darling. She sat up in the tree, as if not daring to come down because the others were there and one was being a bully. :dono Looked like she was afraid of being bullied.

In the end, I managed to throw peanuts away from the tree - to lure the bully and the rest of the bunch away - and finally she did come down and I did manage to give her the walnut I had put the Ivermectin on (a dab the size of an uncooked grain of rice I put on it). I just pray that the treatment is not coming too late and that it's not pox. I've also been giving her boo-balls and blocks - to try and help boost her immune system. She's such a sweetie, she eats everything I toss for her.

I still haven't seen Casper. it's been over a week now. I'm sick with worry :(

Does anybody know how long before I should start seeing any improvement? Do they always need a 2nd treatment? I'm guessing we probably do, just so as to be sure we got all the larvae, right?

[Scooterzmom]

Thought I would update you all on Poxie's news.

I did get the meds - Acyclovir and Cipro - but I can't say I have any good ones yet, except that at least she still comes by.

Poxie is still looking real bad, poor thing. Today when I saw her I immediately prepared a special boo-ball for her; i.e. I took one, cut it in half and dug a little hole in the middle, put the meds in that and then topped the boo-ball with the other half (sorta like a candy filled with liquid) and I rushed outside with it. I called her and, here is the surprise, she rushed over!!! Came right up to me. Yesterday she didn't eat much at all, came by only once (around lunch time) and I thought she looked weak :( Today she actually took the boo-ball from my hand! I was so moved my eyes filled with tears since I know this could be a sign that she's getting desperate and must be terribly hungry to do that. I mean, I found it amazing that for knowing me so little, for such a short time that she has known me, she would do such a thing. My heart just broke at seeing her like this. I also gave her a nice piece of avocado - thinking she could use something like that as a buffer in her stomach. She just grabbed that and took off towards her nest with it. Didn't stay to eat anything else and that worries me. She also didn't return later today. :( I hope she'll be OK. Oh... in case you're wondering, i did wash my hands VERY thoroughly when I got back inside - don't want my home fussers to get that awful thing.

We've only been here 3 months now and while I have befriended a few of the local fuzzers, from afar (putting nuts and food out for them), with all the settling in and being busy trying to sell our previous home I had not had time to tame any of them enough yet to come eat out of my hand. It's a bitter-sweet twist of fate that Poxie would be my first one... and that makes her special, even more precious to me and I can't stand the thought of anything bad happening to her.

If she keeps coming only once a day, or if she comes over twice but only some 2 or 3 hours apart, I don't believe I can give her the meds twice a day as required - I would fear taxing her little system/stomach too much by doing so. I can only hope that at least whatever meds she does get into her will help. I still offer the HHBs too, hoping to help keep boost her immune system. I think I'll get some echinacae capsules too and sprinkle some on the boo-balls, what do you think? If that is OK, can someone tell me how much?