Treatment for Liver flukes

[BiddyBiddy]

I noticed some unusual yellow watery poop on my dropping’s board yesterday. I Found more today and took a sample to a local vet. He found Liver Flukes! He does not usually treat chickens and did not have the wormer on hand to treat for them. Also he said that if he were to get it for me it would be quite expensive ($350) to get enough for 15 chickens as he recommended treating the whole flock. He said to try to find another source. What options do I have? I called my local Tractor Supply and they said they do not carry Praziquantel (the wormer this vet told me to get). Are there other names for this medication? Where can I find it? And I need dosage info. Please help!!!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Are there other names for this medication?

CDC in humans says the one you mention or albendazole
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/liver_flukes/index.html

Merk for poultry...
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...itions-of-poultry/fluke-infections-in-poultry

This source suggest Flubenvent as a *possible* treatment... noting to follow up with the prescription your vet recommended if it doesn't work... maybe you can find it at a regular pharmacy for cheaper... my vet's mark up is quit a bit and I can get some things at Walgreen or Costco for almost half the price. They will still have to write the RX... but they don't usually have an issue... if they can match the price they will. Sometimes they cannot as their source is not as affordable.

Yes, I too would treat the whole flock if I was going to. If I thought I couldn't... then I might cull the one who was identified... to stop possible spreading... BUT everything I read so far suggest that it comes from an intermediate host like beetles, dragon flies and such... that are being consumed.

If I could only afford the medication to treat the single bird... then I might quarantine and do just that.

Sorry I can't be more help. Thank you for sharing... I haven't heard of this before and appreciate the learning.

 

[casportpony]

I think albendazole treats liver flukes in all mammals, so maybe it would treat poultry too?

 

[casportpony]

If your vet thinks praziquantel will treat liver flukes you could try using Equimax horse paste, it has ivermectin and praziquantel, just call him and ask these two questions "praziquantel, how many milligrams per kilogram?" and "how many days?".

 

[dawg53]

Valbazen or Equimax will treat liver flukes. You can find Equimax at any feed store in the equine section. Valbazen will probably have to be ordered. Jefferspet.com is the cheapest I've found.

 

[BiddyBiddy]

If your vet thinks praziquantel will treat liver flukes you could try using Equimax horse paste, it has ivermectin and praziquantel, just call him and ask these two questions "praziquantel, how many milligrams per kilogram?" and "how many days?".

I’m not confident he’ll know the answer. He’s just a local cat/dog guy. Also, does anyone know how long the eggs will be inedible after treatment?

 

[dawg53]

We eat eggs after using Valbazen, still here typing after all these years. However if you suspect that you or a family member might have a reaction to the residue in the eggs, toss them.
As far as Equimax goes; besides containing praziquantel, Equimax also contains Ivermectin. Ivermectin stays in the blood for about 30 days. If you have a dog and use a monthly wormer such as Heartgard, it contains Ivermectin or a derivative of Ivermectin, it's good for 30 days.
I've tossed eggs for 2 weeks after using Zimecterin Gold and/or Equimax and ate eggs afterwards with no adverse effects.

 

[BiddyBiddy]

We eat eggs after using Valbazen, still here typing after all these years. However if you suspect that you or a family member might have a reaction to the residue in the eggs, toss them.
As far as Equimax goes; besides containing praziquantel, Equimax also contains Ivermectin. Ivermectin stays in the blood for about 30 days. If you have a dog and use a monthly wormer such as Heartgard, it contains Ivermectin or a derivative of Ivermectin, it's good for 30 days.
I've tossed eggs for 2 weeks after using Zimecterin Gold and/or Equimax and ate eggs afterwards with no adverse effects.

What about dosing? I have a variety of sizes from a tiny silkie to a big fat jersey giant. I’ve weighed them all last night. They range from 900g to 3.2kg

 

[dawg53]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the metric system. All I know is that ML's are the same as CC's.
What wormer do you want to use?

 

[BiddyBiddy]

Sorry, I'm not familiar with the metric system. All I know is that ML's are the same as CC's.
What wormer do you want to use?

It looks like my local Tractor Supply has Zimecterin Gold Equine Paste in stock. It’s 0.26oz per tube has 1.55% Ivermectin and 7.75% Praziquantel