Recently, an inquiry was made about the treatment of ear mites with ivermectin.
At that time, I said that I believed that ivermectin was only given orally or
subcutaneously to ferrets with severe infestations, but not topically (rioght
into the ear).
 
        Today I ran across an article (Bell, JA.  Parasites of Domesticated Pet
Ferrets.  Comp. Clin. Educ. Pract. Vet. 16(5): 617-620, which gives a dosage for
topical administration of ivermectin:
 
        Injectable ivermectin is mixed with propylene glycol at a ration of
approximately 1:20 - then 0.2 to 0.3 ml (4-6 drops) into each ear canal daily.
Ferrets on ivermectin for heartworm prevention should not have problems with ear
mites.
 
        Live and learn....
 
       Bruce Williams, DVM                 Department of Veterinary Pathology
       [log in to unmask]         Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
       (202) 576-2453/2454                 Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
 
[Posted in FML issue 0944]