Effects of ivermectin-containing drug in recommended and increased doses on adult dogs and cats

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to study the effects of ivermectin-containing drug in recommended and increased doses on adult dogs and cats.Materials and methods. The drug tolerance on dogs and cats was studied on 24 clinically healthy animals that were divided into experimental groups of 6 animals each, according to the principle of analogs, at the Podolsk Experimental Production Base of the VNIIP – FSC VIEV. The drug was administered seven times with a 3-day interval at a therapeutic dose of 0.2 mg of ivermectin per 1 kg of body weight to the first experimental group; and 0.6 mg of ivermectin per 1 kg of body weight to the second experimental group. The overall health status of the dogs and the cats was monitored daily, and blood samples were taken on days 20 and 34 of the experiment to study some morphological and biochemical parameters. Statistical data was processed in Microsoft Excel 2016 using the paired Student's t-test for dependent samples.Results and discussion. The studied ivermectin-containing drug had no negative effects on the adult dogs and cats’ overall health status, physiological status and behavior, or morphological and biochemical blood parameters. When using the drug in a threefold increased dose, three dogs and one cat showed depression which spontaneously disappeared within 48 hours. In addition, the animals from the second experimental group developed an allergic reaction, decreased functional activity of the liver and kidneys, and metabolic processes intensity, and red blood system destabilization. On day 34 of the experiment, the above changes were absent in the dogs and the cats, which indicates the restored physiological and biochemical status in the experimental animals.