Preventative Ivermectin Treatment

[gina]

I am going to start the monthly Iverlux (in the water) treatment to prevent a reoccurrence of ASM. The full treatment is 2 days in a row for a total of 3 treatments each a week apart. Is the preventative the same or just 2 days of Iverlux in the water done once?

[Jan]

Why monthly?? I have been using this product for a very long time and I only do the treatment every 6 months.

[gina]

The breeder who I got my finches from does her aviary monthly as a prevention, as well as another local breeder. I believe I've also read some posts on the forum referring to monthly prophylaxis.

[debbie276]

I remember when we were told to do it yearly, then it became twice a year, then quarterly. It blows my mind that now they are now recommending monthly! And I also heard that some treat every 3 weeks!!
I'm sorry but I think this has gotten WAY out of hand!!
JMO

[cjkrit]

Be very careful to use these medications too often. They also have their adverse side-effects and furthermore you could end up with a resistant strain of worm or myte amongst your birds.

I would agree with every 4-6 months at the most.

[nixity]

If you're doing it monthly with Iverlux that means the birds are being medicated 3 out of 4 weeks of every month out of the year - so, what, if there's 52 weeks in a year you're forcing meds down their throats for 40 of those weeks.

Sounds like a superb marketing ploy to get you to spend a fortune on unnecessary medicating

I don't even consider Iverlux/Ivermectin to be highly effective any more because this whole ASM thing has been so blown out of proportion.
Most people don't even realize that probably 98% of supposed "ASM" cases/infections are never even confirmed, they're always speculated - the birds are treated and "get better" so it's anecdotally assumed that's what the problem was.

*sigh*

I truly believe if you're concerned about ASM then the best regimen is SCATT twice yearly.
But truthfully - I have never had a confirmed case of ASM in any of the 5+ years I've bred/owned Goulds and at one point I had a flock of nearly 80 birds.

It's not as prevalent as you'd think.

[Sally]

Excellent post, Tiffany! I have noticed a huge increase in the number of posts from people with ASM problems, and I wondered if maybe many of these were cases where the birds didn't even have ASM at all. My personal opinion is that any of us can go overboard with preventative medications. I do not like to use very many medications, because unless I am certain what is wrong with the bird, I can be misdiagnosing and harming the bird with the wrong medication. I certainly would never treat preventatively for ASM more often than twice a year. Since I don't have Gouldians or canaries, the two species most susceptible to ASM, I don't even do it that often, though I used to. All new birds are SCATTed during their quarantine.

My personal opinion is that most birds, given a healthy diet and proper housing, do not get sick very often. Yes, they die from time to time, but since finches have a fairly short lifespan compared to other birds, that is to be expected. I just accept that I will lose some, and that is the way it is. It may sound cold, but I have gone thru the trials of trying to save a bird, only to lose it anyway. So the most I usually do for mine is give them a heat lamp and minimal medications. If I was SURE my bird had ASM, I would treat at that time.

[debbie276]

I don't even consider Iverlux/Ivermectin to be highly effective any more because this whole ASM thing has been so blown out of proportion.
Most people don't even realize that probably 98% of supposed "ASM" cases/infections are never even confirmed, they're always speculated - the birds are treated and "get better" so it's anecdotally assumed that's what the problem was.

I couldn't agree more!!!

[debbie276]

I have noticed a huge increase in the number of posts from people with ASM problems, and I wondered if maybe many of these were cases where the birds didn't even have ASM at all.

Exactly what I've been thinking. Then when the bird dies (because it had a respiratory infection and wasn't treated) everyone jumps in and says the mites died clogging the birds airways or it died from a secondary infection. Maybe, just maybe the "secondary infection" WAS the infection.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking these things

[lovemyfinch]

I have noticed a huge increase in the number of posts from people with ASM problems, and I wondered if maybe many of these were cases where the birds didn't even have ASM at all.

Exactly what I've been thinking. Then when the bird dies (because it had a respiratory infection and wasn't treated) everyone jumps in and says the mites died clogging the birds airways or it died from a secondary infection. Maybe, just maybe the "secondary infection" WAS the infection.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking these things

I have to admit that all my birds are Scatted on arrival and afterwards I have recently started treating the entire flock with Iverlux in the water once a year (Scatt just made no sense when I would have to remove bird by bird from the aviary-there`s just too many now )

[gina]

Thanks for all the great posts /opinions. My husband (vet )was against monthly treatment of something that wasn't there or was subclinical anyway. One of my Gould's was clicking then little sneezing and not singing. Treatment has seemed to clear it up. My plan now is to treat symptomatically or q 6 mos. as a precaution. Hopefully the breeder I am dealing with won't end up with resistant birds. She seems like a very diligent and concerned Finch lover.

[lou]

The more you give the faster you'll run out and have to buy.Push the product.
You should look at aviaries and see just how clean he/she keeps them. Do the smell test, the bird room should smell fresh and not stuffy, most of the time the environment is what causes the problems in the first place.
Lou

[6finchfriends]

I am very new to keeping finches but already had a AMS scare. My little finch was breathing heavily, mouth open and I heard a clicking. But since I couldn't get any Scatt except online I started a Erythromycin regiment. In two days he was remarkably better and at the end of the 5 day treatment he was cured. It wasn't ASM at all! If I would have treated him for ASM he would have died and I would have blamed the meds.~ maybe(?). Or I would have treated all of my finches for ASM when they didn't have it at all! It seems from reading posts that some people do blame the meds when they were treating the wrong thing and their bird died. I also noted that a lot of the internet sites selling ASM medicine are pretty vague on symptoms that could (obviously because it happened to me)be many things like respiratory infection. I'm just very happy that people on FF did not tell me to rush out and treat for ASM. My little society finch is happy and healthy today! Just my two cents...

[lou]

Trish, you will lose some, no matter what we do, it happens. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, just my thoughts.
Lou

[debbie276]

There is an easy way to diagnose air sac mites yourself, no need to medicate just because.
http://www.geocities.com/bjbills1/ASM.html