Why do you guys recommend S76?

[Domenic]

Frankly, I am a little bit angry because I just received a bottle of S76 and started looking on this forum for instructions on administration and I found numerous posts of people complaining about it. In the Air Sac Mites post in Health section one of the recommended treatments is S76. I read the post and people recommended S76 to someone who had sick birds, but why would you recommend something that isn't fool proof? I trusted the advice and am now stuck with a bottle of S76 that probably won't even help my birds. I know some of you will say I should have done my research, but my birds were sick and I wanted to get my order out as soon as possible, I didn't have a week to research. Now if I wanted to trade my bottle in for SCATT, it will take another week and my birds will probably become very sick. Has anybody successfully treated their SICK birds with S76? Or am I screwed?

[CandoAviary]

I only use S76 for ASM prevention/treatment. I have large flocks and it is much easier to treat the water than to catch each bird up and put 1 drop on their neck. When I raised canaries I used Scatt and treated each one individually.... but that was before S76.
Great product...don't know why you would be upset. Is it because of the 3 week,2 day treatment?
Are your birds sick with something other than ASM? Do they also have infection from them?
S76 isn't a cure all, it is to rid the bird of air sac mites.

[Domenic]

No I wasn't upset because the of the treatment regimen, I was just upset because I have been reading about numerous people who treated their birds with S76 to find that it did nothing. But Candace, if you say it works fine for your birds then I will definitely be in better spirits. I pray that it works for mine because I don't know how much longer than can go with ASM.

Candace, can I ask, what do you clean the bird cage (aviary, same thing) with when treating for ASM? Do you think vinegar can do the job? And how often do you clean the cage when they have ASM? My biggest fear is treating them only for them to get it again from an infected cage.

[CandoAviary]

The ASM live in the airways. The reason you treat for 3 weeks is that the eggs that were laid by the first mites will hatch and reinfect the bird. These are hatching inside of your birds body, they are expelled when they sneeze/cough so other bird get them. But usually treating the birds as perscribed will kill them when they hatch out. The reason for 2 day every week for at least 3 weeks. That way as the eggs that were laid by the ones you are killing will hatch out and then they will be killed before they can lay eggs again.You can repeat the whole process a few months later to make sure none have resurfaced.
I always clean my cages the same way...which probably will not work for you. I have many extra cages and I set up new branches, perches etc and move the birds. I then take the perches cups, etc out of the dirty one to be cleaned and the cage pan goes outside to a tub of bleach water to soak. I also line the dirty cages up and use a large sprayer filled with diluted chlorine pool bleach and spay them down. Then rinse and let them sun dry. These are stacked and ready for the next batch of cages I need to clean.
You could jut wipe yours down with a product called Vanodine. This is an iodine base cleaner and can be diluted a lot and it does not have to be rinsed. But it can stain. The ASM are not too much a problem in the cages. Those are bird skin mites that infect the cages. Do clean the feeding, water resepticles. Also clean with dilute bleach the perches that they wipe their beak on. Rinse and dry these all well.
Rest assure S76 works very well. If the birds have a respiratory infection along with them then you will need to follow with an antibiotic. Good luck.

[Sally]

Domenic, I am sorry you are upset with the advice you have been given, and I was the one to recommend S76 (or Iverlux, which is what I use and is basically the same thing). I have not had any problems with this product, but then I treat all my flock every 4 months so hopefully I won't have a problem with ASM.

The thing you have to remember is that most of the people on this forum are hobbyists. Even an avian vet will not diagnose over the phone, yet most of us ask the forum for help with health problems--I've done it myself. There is an avian vet in my area, but I chose not to spend the money, so I try to do it myself.

Rather than ask members how to administer a medication, follow the manufacturer's directions. S76 can be administered directly to the bird, one drop on the skin for 5 days. Most people who are catching up each bird use SCATT, as it only has to be administered 1 day. The treatments that are put in the water, such as S76 and Iverlux, take three weeks to complete, and so your birds will not be better overnight. And sometimes people find out that it wasn't even ASM that was wrong with their bird.

We each have to decide what is the best way to care for our finches. I have 100+ birds, so there is no way I would try to catch each one--I'd probably kill a few birds from stress. What works for me may not work for someone else. All you can do is read as much as you can, and then work out your own routine, what will work with your time and money.

[L in Ontario]

We can ask for and get lots of advice on this or any forum. But we each have to decide if and exactly how to use any of that advice for our own birds as each situation is individually unique.

[JohnBoy]

Sally, that is excellent advice you give. Thanks

[Domenic]

Domenic, I am sorry you are upset with the advice you have been given, and I was the one to recommend S76 (or Iverlux, which is what I use and is basically the same thing).

Sally, I am most definitely not upset with you or anyone on this forum. I was angry after reading this thread:
Click
I spoke with Joanne from ladygouldianfinch.com and she has been very helpful. I do apologize for lashing out at the advice given on the forum because it is almost always the best advice I find anywhere on the web and you guys always have so much experience and advice to bring to the table. I only got angry because I envisioned my birds suffocating because the medicine was not working on them. I am sure that if S76 is backed by Candace as well as other knowledgeable people on this forum, it will work fine and my birds will do okay. I do still pray that it works, and if it does I will become it's number one supporter. And Sally I hope that you don't think I am angry with you in any way, I really am not and I really hope I can come to you for advice in the future as I am still a novice in the very large world of finches.

[Brette]

You guys don't use Scatt? Worked for me.

[Sally]

Domenic, I must apologize to you, as I just went to that thread you linked, and there I am, saying that I had heard S76 didn't always work! I didn't even remember that thread--it was back in 2007. Of course that concerned you, as you were hearing two different stories. If there were problems back then with S76, they must be straightened out now, as many of our members use that product with success. Again, each person has to work out their own routine that works best for them. After rereading that thread, I'm interested in trying the ABBA product, since you just have to treat twice, 14 days apart. I have just finished week 2 with the Iverlux, and I still have to do 2 more days next week--it's a lot of work, even if it is just every four months. And I probably have enough Iverlux left for another whole treatment in four months, so don't want to waste that. Keep us posted on how your birds are doing.

[Gemma27]

Hi, depending on what sort of mites they have. I have used S76 with all my finches, canaries and cockatiels with great success and it treats mites and worms that you just add to the birds drinking water. I brought it from www.fabfinches.co.uk hope this helps.

[debbie276]

Gemma27
Just a heads up, you are responding to a post from 2009. You may not get a response if the member is no longer active. It's a good idea to check the date of posts.

[Sally]

Gemma27
Just a heads up, you are responding to a post from 2009. You may not get a response if the member is no longer active. It's a good idea to check the date of posts.

Also, sometimes the advice is outdated. I no longer treat preventatively for ASM every four months. That was the protocol I used at that time, but I have gotten away from that. I don't see any need to use S76, Iverlux, or Scatt on a regular basis. New arrivals are treated in quarantine and that is it.

[cindy]

Gemma27
Just a heads up, you are responding to a post from 2009. You may not get a response if the member is no longer active. It's a good idea to check the date of posts.

Also, sometimes the advice is outdated. I no longer treat preventatively for ASM every four months. That was the protocol I used at that time, but I have gotten away from that. I don't see any need to use S76, Iverlux, or Scatt on a regular basis. New arrivals are treated in quarantine and that is it.

I agree, our vet said if you follow a protocol for treating with preventatives in quarantine you should not have to treat on a regular basis with preventatives for ASM. I use Scatt or topical ivermectin 1% for 3 doses, each dose is 14 days apart... total treatment time 6 weeks. I do not retreat quarterly.

I know some that retreat monthly with s76, that is way too much to ask the bird's liver to process on a regular basis, besides the birds may not even have ASM to begin with. They do not live dormant in the birds.

[NRJ]

Hi just wanted to ask does S76 work for feather mites? or is it just for ASM??

Thanks