Originally Posted by
HRT4SQRLS
David, on the label of ivermectin it calls it a boticide among other things. Keep in mind these products are for cattle and horses. You can certainly kill bots in a cow or horse without a problem. They can easily absorb the dead larvae. That isn’t the case with squirrels. If you kill too many bots in a squirrel they will abscess and cause a potentially life threatening infection. I personally don’t use ivermectin for squirrels. I’m afraid of it because if you overdose it you have a dead squirrel. Many on TSB do use ivermectin without problems. I prefer Revolution (selamectin) because I feel it’s safer. I know that Revolution does NOT work when the warble is visible. It had no effect at all when used on very early bots. One year in the spring I dosed Susie with Revolution a couple times BEFORE the bot season. That year she had none. Was it the Revolution or just an off year? I don’t know. Based on ivermectin being a boticide it will certainly kill them but I’m not sure you want to. Just my opinion. Using it before the season would be a better plan IMO if you chose to go that route.
From the pics I think I see a couple empty warbles. Am I seeing that right? Usually by the next day the flesh has mostly retracted and heals quickly. I see 2 that will exit soon. It is a vile process but for the most part they are unharmed. Of course there are exceptions where intervention is necessary. From my perspective, I see a healthy squirrel that doesn’t appear compromised. He has a nasty case of bots where some have exited and others are soon to exit. If you think there might be an infection you can definitely treat with antibiotics.