Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 12:47 am Post subject: Good to Know - Zimmectrin Gold
Quote:
Forwarded from email, I am not the author.
Since many of us are having the 'spring thing' done on our equines I
didn't want to wait to get this out to everyone.
On Monday, April 28th, I had a vet come to vaccinate my horses. He
also administered a paste wormer, Zimecterin Gold. He used a paste
instead of the gun administered liquid wormer, both produced by Merial,
due to a national recall on the liquid wormer. It is precipitating out
and some horses were getting no dose or 5X the dose. So Merial sent
many cases of Zimecterin Gold. After the vet left I went past my horse
and noticed that his mouth was partially open. Looking closer I saw a
very large swelling inside his mouth on the same side as the wormer was
given. At first I thought it might be an allergic reaction (I've never
used this product). My horse's head was lowered and his eyes closed. He
was very lethargic and had small hemorrhages on his gums, which were
pale. I called the vet and treated my horse with antihistamine and
bute. Some time later I checked on the internet for allergic reactions
to this product and was surprised to see several incidents of not
allergic reactions, but CHEMICAL BURNS from this product. I then
checked my donkey and he did not have swelling but did have a burn on
the inside of his mouth. The other horse was ok. The vet returned and
gave my horse IV dex. He was unaware of the problem. Reactions to the
muzzle and mouth (redness, peeling skin, sloughing skin, rotting odor,
swelling) are the most common but ulcers and colic have also been
observed. When I spoke with the Merial rep, his answer was, 'we know
about that', and he seemed almost disinterested. Even if you have
successfully used the product before, your equine can still react.
Obviously most equines don't react but I don't think the risk is worth
it since there are many other products available.
Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 1:07 am Post subject: Follow up
Quote:
Thank you Charmian! I will be sure to pass your information along. And thank you for taking the time to investigate.
Sincerely,
Valerie Breeding
Dr. Wright wrote:
Hi Val,
Can you please pass on this information regarding the concerns with Zimectrin Gold? Thank you,
Dr. Wright
Mountain Horse Medical
Neither myself nor Dr. Hendrix had seen or heard of this reaction, so we were pretty concerned. I contacted the Merial representative directly, and she confirmed with me that yes, they do on very rare occasions see this reaction with Zimectrin Gold.
The only product directly comparable to Zimectrin Gold is Equimax, which is made by Pfizer. I contacted the Pfizer rep and she said that this is not a reaction they have had with the Equimax. The active ingredients in both the Zimectrin Gold and the Equimax are the same (ivermectin and praziquantal combination) but the carrier is different, so they are assuming that the reaction is from the carrier. The Merial rep also emphasized that this reaction is unlikley if the product is put back on the tongue instead of in the cheek pouch. Actually, bute past can do the same if it is put in the cheek instead of on the tongue. Of course, any damage in the mouth like this is reason for alarm.
Both of these products treat tapeworms, which is important to include once or twice a year in your deworming program, particularly if the horse is on a well-used pasture. You can also treat tapeworms with a double dose of pyrantel paste (such as Strongid paste). Daily Strongid C also seems to take care of tapeworms.
As a point of interest, certain generic brands of the liquid ivermectin were recently recalled due to inconsistency in the product, but this did not include the Merial brand of Eqvalen (liquid ivermectin). The unavailability of any liquid ivermectin at this time seems to be related to supply rather than the recall, but we can't seem to get a clear answer on that point.
Bottom line? I would just use the Equimax (instead of the Zimectrin Gold) in the spring and fall when it was time to treat tapeworms.
Hope that helps,
Charmian Wright, DVM
Mountain Horse Medical
Park City, UT 94098
435-649-6273
Original Message:
I thought all my horsey friends should have this important information!
This is something that was forwarded to me, so if it is a repeat for
you, I apologize!
Valerie
Since many of us are having the 'spring thing' done on our equines I
didn't want to wait to get this out to everyone.
On Monday, April 28th, I had a vet come to vaccinate my horses. He
also administered a paste wormer, Zimecterin Gold. He used a paste
instead of the gun administered liquid wormer, both produced by Merial,
due to a national recall on the liquid wormer. It is precipitating out
and some horses were getting no dose or 5X the dose. So Merial sent
many cases of Zimecterin Gold. After the vet left I went past my horse
and noticed that his mouth was partially open. Looking closer I saw a
very large swelling inside his mouth on the same side as the wormer was
given. At first I thought it might be an allergic reaction (I've never
used this product). My horse's head was lowered and his eyes closed. He
was very lethargic and had small hemorrhages on his gums, which were
pale. I called the vet and treated my horse with antihistamine and
bute. Some time later I checked on the internet for allergic reactions
to this product and was surprised to see several incidents of not
allergic reactions, but CHEMICAL BURNS from this product. I then
checked my donkey and he did not have swelling but did have a burn on
the inside of his mouth. The other horse was ok. The vet returned and
gave my horse IV dex. He was unaware of the problem. Reactions to the
muzzle and mouth (redness, peeling skin, sloughing skin, rotting odor,
swelling) are the most common but ulcers and colic have also been
observed. When I spoke with the Merial rep, his answer was, 'we know
about that', and he seemed almost disinterested. Even if you have
successfully used the product before, your equine can still react.
Obviously most equines don't react but I don't think the risk is worth
it since there are many other products available.
Jo Stoddard
Please pass this message along to any other horse owners to prevent
additional injuries. Thanks.
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