Ivermectin is the most used veterinary antiparasitic worldwide. There are thousands of generic brands for livestock, horses and pets. It is used in all imaginable formulations: pour-ons, feed additives, drenches and injectables for livestock, oral pastes and gels for horses, tablets, pills, etc, oral suspensions and injectables for pets, etc. It is both used alone or in combination with many other active ingredients.
It is effective against roundworms (gastrointestinal, respiratory, renal, in the skin, etc.) and depending on the delivery form and the dosage also against a number of external parasites such as lice, mites and various myiasis. However, it is ineffective against tapeworms and flukes, and at the usual use recommendations it doesn't control e.g. fleas, stable flies, mosquitoes, horse flies, multi-host ticks (e.g. Amblyomma spp, Dermacentor spp, Haemaphysalis spp, Ixodes spp, Rhipicephalus spp, etc.) and several other external parasites. In the last years it has been increasingly used in many countries against cattle ticks (Boophilus = Rhipicephalus microplus) and horn flies (Haematobia irritans), but efficacy against these parasites is often mediocre and insufficient.
The following table reproduces some usual dosing recommendations for ivermectin issued by manufacturers or documented in the scientific literature. They may not be approved in some countries.
- Click here to view the article on Ivermectin dose for Dogs
- Click here to view the article on Ivermectin Dose for Cats
| Dosing recommendations for HORSES & LIVESTOCK |
||
| CATTLE | ||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Oral | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg. Covers most of the important cattle roundworms |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 3,15%) | Roundworms | 0.63 mg/kg. Efficacy slightly higher that with 0.2 mg/kg, but longer protection |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 4%) | Roundworms | 0.80 mg/kg. Efficacy slightly higher that with 0.63 mg/kg, but longer protection |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Dermatobia hominis | 0.2 mg/kg. About 5 weeks protection. |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Psoroptes ovis | 0.2-0.3 mg/kg 2x with 14 days interval |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Sarcoptes bovis | 0,2 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Boophilus microplus | 0.2 mg/kg. No knock-down effect. Control is usually incomplete (<95%). Residual effect <7 days, depending on the formulation. Higher doses (up to 0.8 mg/kg) do not accelerate tick drop, but global efficacy may reach 100% and residual effect may reach up to 4 weeks, depending on dose and formulation. |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Lice (excepting Damalinis bovis) | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Hypoderma spp | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Topical (pour-on 0,5%) | Roundworms | 0.5 mg/kg. Covers most of the important cattle roundworms |
| Topical (pour-on 0,5%) | Mites (Chorioptes, Psoroptes, Sarcoptes) | 0.5 mg/kg. Needs 3-4 weeks for mites to disappear |
| Topical (pour-on 0,5%) | Boophilus microplus | 0.5 mg/kg. No knock-down effect. Control es usually incomplete (<85%). Residual effect <7 days |
| Topical (pour-on 0,5%) | Haematobia irritans | 0.5 mg/kg. Usually incomplete control (<80%), protection 3-4 weeks |
| Topical (pour-on 0,5%) | Damalinia bovis | 0.5 mg/kg. Lice-free animals only after about 1 week |
| Topical (pour-on 0,5%) | Dermatobia hominis | 0.5 mg/kg. About 5 weeks protection |
| SHEEP | ||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Oral (0,08%) | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg. Covers most of the important sheep roundworms |
| Oral (0,08%) | Ectoparasites | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Oral (0,08%) | Oestrus ovis | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg. Covers most of the important sheep roundworms |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Ectoparasites | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Oestrus ovis | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Psoroptes ovis | 0.2 mg/kg. Rep after 7 days |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Psorergates ovis | 0.2 mg/kg |
| GOATS | ||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Oral | Demodex caprae | 0.67 mg/kg/week during 12 weeks |
| Oral | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg. Covers most of the important goat roundworms |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg. Covers most of the important goat roundworms |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Muellerius capillaris | 0.2 mg/kg, rep after 3 weeks |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Oestrus spp | 0.05-0.2 mg/kg |
| SWINE |
||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Oral (0,08% premix) | Roundworms | 0.1 mg/kg. Covers most of the important swine roundworms |
| Oral (0,08% premix) | Metastrongylus apri | 0.3 mg/kg |
| Oral (0,08% premix) | Haematopinus suis | 0.1 mg/kg |
| Oral (0,08% premix) | Roundworms, Sarcoptes scabiei | 2 ppm in feed (ad libitum) during 7 days |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Roundworms | 0.3 mg/kg. Covers most of the important swine roundworms |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Metastrongylus apri | 0.02 mg/kg are enough |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Stephanurus dentatus | 0.5 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Strongyloides ransomi | Prevention of colostral transmission: 0.3 mg/kg 1-2 weeks before birth |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Sarcoptes scabiei | 0.3 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Haematopinus suis | 0.1-0.5 mg/kg |
| HORSES | ||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Intramuscular | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg |
| Intramuscular | Setaria equina | 0.3-0.5 mg/kg |
| Intramuscular | Strongyloides westeri | Prevention of lactogenic: 0.2 mg/kg the day of birth or slightly earlier. |
| Oral (paste 1,87%) | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg. Covers most of the important horse roundworms |
| Oral (paste 1,87%) | Sarcoptes scabiei | 0.2 mg/kg, rep after 1-2 weeks |
| RABBITS | ||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Roundworms | 0.1-0,4 mg/kg |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Psoroptes cuniculi | 0.2-0.4 mg/kg, rep after 14 days |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Cheyletiella spp | 0.2-0.5 mg/kg 2-3x with 11 days interval |
| SOUTH AMERICAN CAMELIDS | ||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Roundworms | 0.2 mg/kg |
| CHICKEN | ||
| Delivery | Parasites | Dose (against ivermectin-susceptible parasites) |
| Intramuscular | Roundworms | 0.2, 2 y 8 mg/kg gave NEGATIVE results in layers |
| Oral | Roundworms | 0.2 y 0.8 mg/kg gave NEGATIVE results in layers |
| Subcutaneous (sol. 1%) | Ascaridia galli | 0.3 mg/kg |
DISCLAIMER: Liability is denied for any possible damage or harm to persons, animals or any other goods that could follow the transmission or use of the information, data or recommendations in this site by any site visitor or third parties.
Dosing recommendations for antiparasitics depend on national regulations. National regulatory authorities determine whether a product is approved for a given indication, i.e. use on a particular host at a specific dose and against a specific parasite. Check the labels of the products available in your country for specific information on approved indications.
In most finished products, efficacy and safety depend not only on the amount of active ingredient(s) but also on their formulations (i.e. the type and amount of so-called inert ingredients), particularly in injectables and in topical pour-ons and spot-ons. These inert ingredients can significantly affect the pharmacokinetic behavior (e.g. absorption through the skin or from the injection site, distribution within the body, spreading throughout the body surface, etc.). Generic products usually contain the same amount of active ingredient(s) as the original product, but often in quite different formulations. In many cases, the curative (therapeutic) efficacy of the different formulations is quite comparable, but the protective (prophylactic) efficacy that determines the length of protection against re-infestations may be rather different
- Click here to view the technical summary of this active ingredient.
- Click here to view the safety summary of this active ingredient
- Click here to view the list of all technical summaries of antiparasitic active ingredients in this site