Ivermectin poisoning?

[McKeownkd]

I thought I saw some evidence of mites on my girls. I looked up Ivermectin pour on dosages, and came across several that were in the 5 ml range which I gave to my girls on the backs of their necks. I continued reading and now realize that is WAY WAY WAY too much. I went out with a sponge and water and wiped off the backs of their necks. It’s been a few hours, they are acting normally and went in to sleep. Did I just kill my girls? How long until ivermectin toxicity becomes apparent? I HATE how there is so much contradictory information on raising chickens. Thank you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I looked up Ivermectin pour on dosages, and came across several that were in the 5 ml range which I gave to my girls on the backs of their necks. I continued reading and now realize that is WAY WAY WAY too much.

I'd be interested to see the links you looked at showing that dose, do you have those?


I don't think any of us can say 100% that they may not be affected by a dose that large. Signs of toxicity would be neurological in nature. I would not repeat the dose of Ivermectin.
In the future, I'd treat those that you overdosed with a Permethrin based poultry dust or spray. Treat housing as well.

Here's some reading that you may find helpful. Keep us posted.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/urgent-ivermectin-mishap.1530298/#post-25797724

 

[Hopeful homesteader]

I don't know what signs of poisoning would be but I did treatment my chickens with ivermectin pour on not long ago. I used disposable droppers, idk where to buy them as the came in a science kit I'd gotten from toys r us a while ago but for future reference the correct dosage is 4 drops for bantam breeds, 5 drops for standard breeds, and 6 drops for large breeds, my husband held the chickens while I parted the feathers and counted the drops. Hopefully you rinsed it off quickly enough that none of your chickens have any problems but in general with overdose the first signs would be organ failure not neurological so it might be helpful to look up symptoms of kidney, liver, heart, ect. failure in chickens individually to have a better idea of what to look out for.

 

[McChooky]

I thought I saw some evidence of mites on my girls. I looked up Ivermectin pour on dosages, and came across several that were in the 5 ml range which I gave to my girls on the backs of their necks. I continued reading and now realize that is WAY WAY WAY too much. I went out with a sponge and water and wiped off the backs of their necks. It’s been a few hours, they are acting normally and went in to sleep. Did I just kill my girls? How long until ivermectin toxicity becomes apparent? I HATE how there is so much contradictory information on raising chickens. Thank you.

I'm sorry about your chickens and hope they're okay! One of the regular side effects of giving Ivermectin to chickens that haven't been wormed is it can cause a massive die off of worms and cause a blockage.I hope wiping it off is enough to prevent your from getting a blockage because they got more than they were supposed to get. You can call poison control for pets and they'll tell you what the antidote is and what the side effects are.Edit:If you used the pour on it only kills external parasites .

 

[dawg53]

I'm sorry about your chickens and hope they're okay! One of the regular side effects of giving Ivermectin to chickens that haven't been wormed is it can cause a massive die off of worms and cause a blockage.I hope wiping it off is enough to prevent your from getting a blockage because they got more than they were supposed to get. You can call poison control for pets and they'll tell you what the antidote is and what the side effects are.Edit:If you used the pour on it only kills external parasites .

You are correct that Ivermectin can cause a massive worm die off IF the chicken is loaded up with worms. That is Ivermectin's primary purpose, a wormer. Once the Pour On is applied to the skin, it is quickly absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream.

I have used it years ago and stopped using it due to worm resistance in poultry, particularly large roundworms, and it is showing signs of resistance to poultry mites in certain areas of the country due to its overuse.

Overdoses in poultry can cause diarrhea, ataxia, then death in poultry. I do not know the overdose amount in chickens.
This is why I stick with Benzimidazoles when it comes to worming birds.

 

[McKeownkd]

Hi guys. I figured I would give a positive and uplifting update. First I made an error in my previous post. I did not give each bird 5 ml of ivermectin, it was .05 ml. BIIIIG difference! I did eventually get ahold of the ASPCA poison control and learned a lot.
First and foremost, the babies will be ok. They will have an upset belly and some diarrhea but that is all. .05 ml is still a high dose, too high but not high enough for serious side effects.
5 ml on the other hand would’ve likely led to death due to the poison hitting their neurological system. Poison control stated that would take anywhere from 48-72 hours to see serious side effects.
Though all chicken meds are used “off-brand” they were especially not fond of the ivermectinn pour on. They couldn’t go into much detail but I got the distinct impression that this is not a fan favorite when it comes to professionals. I for one, will not be using it again. The only thing recommended to me at home was to bathe the chickens with dawn dish soap and try to wash off as much of it as possible. Which is what I was doing at 1 am in my kitchen sink. So. Fun.

This is the ASPCA’s Poison Control number for anyone who might need it: 888-426-4435. It does cost $95 for an over the phone consultation but they were able to take the dosage, weight of the birds, etc.. and come back with very specific advice. They were knowledgeable and kind. Much kinder than the emergency vet I called who said “I’m not coming in, in the middle of the night, to babysit a bunch of chickens.” Understandable I guess, but still disheartening.

To address some of the comments above: I just dewormed them a few weeks ago with Fenbendazole so I’m not expecting a big worm count exodus. This (ivermectin) was because I suspected they had mites.

I do really wish, especially with the rise in backyard flocks that the FDA would approve dosages made specifically for chickens. It is incredibly stressful having to take medication advice through the grape vine as it were instead of from researched trials. I hope this changes in the future and a passionate vet writes a great chicken manual book.

In the meantime, thanks for your responses, support and understanding even as I recognize that this was my big screw up and could’ve ended much more seriously.

 

[dawg53]

Very good information. I hope your birds fully recover. You still have to treat the inside of coops, nest boxes and roosts. This is why Permethrin is recommended, dust or 10% concentrate. The 10% Permethrin concentrate has a 28 day residual efficacy.

 

[casportpony]

They will have an upset belly and some diarrhea but that is all. .05 ml is still a high dose, too high but not high enough for serious side effects.

Using the pour-on, that is not a high dose, that is the dose I would use on a 5-pound bird.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

First I made an error in my previous post. I did not give each bird 5 ml of ivermectin, it was .05 ml. BIIIIG difference! I did eventually get ahold of the ASPCA poison control and learned a lot.
First and foremost, the babies will be ok. They will have an upset belly and some diarrhea but that is all. .05 ml is still a high dose, too high but not high enough for serious side effects.

Oh good.
I'm glad you were able to ease your mind. I think they will be fine.

Ivermectin is dosed by weight, not drops.

Fwiw. 0.05ml on an adult hen doesn't seem to high of a dose.

Ivermectin Pour On max dose for Poultry (Chickens) is 1mg/kg which translates to 0.09ml per pound of weight, applied topically. So an adult 5pound hen would get a dose of 0.23ml. So, unless the birds all weighed less 1pound, the dose you administered at 0.05ml each should have been fine.
I use Pour On on my roosters twice a year at the dose of 1mg/kg and have not seen any issues at all.

Anyway, hope all goes well! Good luck

More info in case anyone is interested.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mites-lice-now-hen-growling.1242981/page-2#post-19965544

 

[McChooky]

You are correct that Ivermectin can cause a massive worm die off IF the chicken is loaded up with worms. That is Ivermectin's primary purpose, a wormer. Once the Pour On is applied to the skin, it is quickly absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream.

I have used it years ago and stopped using it due to worm resistance in poultry, particularly large roundworms, and it is showing signs of resistance to poultry mites in certain areas of the country due to its overuse.

Overdoses in poultry can cause diarrhea, ataxia, then death in poultry. I do not know the overdose amount in chickens.
This is why I stick with Benzimidazoles when it comes to worming birds.

Fortunately it worked when I used it to treat my flock for mites. I thought I might have to cull them.They were difficult to get rid of in my pallet coop.