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  Discussion on Zimectrin pulled off the shelves???
Author Message
Member:
Annknigh

Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 2:42 am:

I was in my local State Line tack shop yesterday and could not find the regular Zimectrin on the shelves. I asked the manager and she said that she was told by corporate to pull Zimectrin and Quest off of the shelves. Zimectrin Gold and other brands of ivermectin were on the shelves. She said that corporate said that they were pulling Zim and Quest off the shelves because they were linked to causing colic. Has anyone heard anything about this? I am in Dallas Texas. I dont know if it is a local thing or nation wide.
Member:
Redalert

Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 10:49 am:

Nothing to report here in Georgia,Ann! However, I have always had problems when administering Quest, so I quit using it. Keep us informed on how things progress...
Nancy
New Member:
Aletao

Posted on Saturday, Jan 15, 2005 - 6:30 pm:

Our local store pulled Quest because they are carrying ComboCare & they feel that people won't want Quest...
As far as Zimectrin causing colic...I haven't heard anything to that effect.
Member:
Imogen

Posted on Sunday, Jan 16, 2005 - 6:59 am:

Hi Nancy

I find the Quest gel is too stiff in the tube. You have to very carefully start it off by pushing it a short distance so a little bit (2-3 mm) protrudes BEFORE you try to put it in the horse's mouth. Sometimes you mess up and half the expensive tube ends up on the floor. Is this the problem you had?

All the best

Imogen
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Jan 16, 2005 - 7:56 am:

I have heard nothing about this and think the employee has the story mixed up. One trick to getting pastes and gels to work properly is to be sure they are kept at room temp before administering, when very cold they do get tough to push out.
DrO
Member:
Redalert

Posted on Sunday, Jan 16, 2005 - 10:33 am:

Actually, I had two horses to have mild colic episodes(no diarhea, just discomfort), two times in a row(same horses both times) when I used Quest. I switched to the Combo Gel, and had one of the same horses to colic(mild)on this product...the other horse is not here any more(so cannot say what she would have done on the Combo Care), and the one that colicked has gastric ulcers(possibly making him sensitive?)
Nancy
Member:
Imogen

Posted on Monday, Jan 17, 2005 - 5:25 am:

I imagine room temp in Ireland in winter must be a bit colder than North Carolina, Dr O... I suppose I could put them by the Rayburn stove to warm up next time. Thanks for the tip!

Best wishes

Imogen
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Monday, Jan 17, 2005 - 4:51 pm:

Make sure they get no warmer than "tepid" to the touch, too much heat may break down the active ingredient. I stick them down in my shirt under my coat as I go out.
DrO
Member:
Kcovell

Posted on Friday, Jan 21, 2005 - 7:06 am:

I read a post from someone that after giving Zimecterin Gold to their horse he got blisters in his mouth and his mouth was swollen. This person also said a couple of her other horses had mild blistering in their mouths, but not a severe as the other horse. She contacted the company who gave her the type of answers that don't really answer your questions, but told her to call out a vet and they would pay the bill.
The person she talked to at the company said they had had some people call about a problem, but would not elaborate.
I just found out after her vet checked her horse she (vet) then contacted the company who admitted that there have been other horses in the US with the same reaction, yet they did not put a warning label on the package.
The vet was also concerned about stomach problems.
Most of us have used this wormer, but I would recommend checking the inside of your horses mouth to see if there are any blisters if you are going to continue to use it.
KC
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jan 21, 2005 - 7:44 am:

Hmmm I can think of one way mouth blistering might occur (though I have not heard or such a reaction): what if the horse had just received a huge load of bot larvae in the mouth and the ivermectin killed them off?

Otherwise it seems extremely unlikely this is related to the Zimectrin, if there had been a bad lot made at the manufacturer there would be thousands of such reports. I quess local tampering with the product is possible. But there are many reasons for such blistering and find mild blistering of the gums in horses a common event, and moderate blistering not rare in horses. When moderate to severe, foxtails are a common problem.
DrO
Member:
Kcovell

Posted on Friday, Jan 21, 2005 - 6:30 pm:

Hey DrO
You know I'm going to have a question and that is why would the company say they were going to pay for the vet if they did not know there was some type of problem?
I've used Zimecterin Gold only once and didn't notice any problem, but I didn't look in my horses mouths to see if any of them had any blistering.
If I learn anymore I'll let you know and I might even call the company myself just because I'm the suspicious/curious type.
KC
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jan 22, 2005 - 8:41 am:

KC, companies are responsive because they know how quickly untrue internet rumors can spread and effect sales. They find it better to follow up such stories and get the truth out as quick as possible. And the truth is hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of doses of Zimectrin gold have been given by now without problems. When a product is used this widely it is going to be common to paste a horse and then have illness follow. Horses get sick all the time. The question is did the dewormer cause the problem. Careful research and expereince suggest this would be rare.
DrO
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