5 ms·

I’m a retired DVM. What you say is true, but I just want to caution anyone reading this that ivermectin is deadly for collies and many herding breeds. Rule of t

I’m a retired DVM. What you say is true, but I just want to caution anyone reading this that ivermectin is deadly for collies and many herding breeds. Rule of thumb is “white feet, do not treat.”

krustyburger 6y ago
Please don’t be offended, but I find this absolutely fascinating. Abstractly I know veterinary science is at least as complex as anything involving humans. But somehow I tend to dismiss just how much variability a veterinarian is expected to be able to account for.
- fsckboy 6y ago
  please don't be offended but if you find yourself saying "please, don't be offended", LPT, you can generally reword what you are about to say so it's simply a compliment instead of containing the negative messsage. You are impressed by how much variation a veterinarian must account for in a single species, and they handle multiple species.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
  - heyoni 6y ago
    Maybe he was about to write something else! Or word the same thing differently...
  - wizzwizz4 6y ago
    The “offended” would be “sometimes, I dismiss” – there's no way to re-word that to be less offensive (even though it isn't particularly offensive, I wouldn't think) without omitting it entirely.
- triceratops 6y ago
  I would imagine veterinary medicine is more complex than humans. Vets operate not just on different species, but on different different branches of the animal kingdom tree (reptiles, mammals, birds). But I guess maybe vets also specialize?
triceratops 6y ago
Thanks for the tip, I wasn't aware. Is this something I should flag to my vet? I have a herding breed dog but afaik the vet never did an ACB1 test. My dog has been taking the medicine for a long time though.
Shog9 6y ago
Good cautionary note, thanks. Yes, please, anyone looking to go this route should do their research first - I'm not kidding about the tiny doses required, they sell very dilute solutions for use in very large animals; a little dog potentially needs less than a drop!

krustyburger 6y ago

Please don’t be offended, but I find this absolutely fascinating. Abstractly I know veterinary science is at least as complex as anything involving humans. But somehow I tend to dismiss just how much variability a veterinarian is expected to be able to account for.

fsckboy 6y ago
please don't be offended but if you find yourself saying "please, don't be offended", LPT, you can generally reword what you are about to say so it's simply a compliment instead of containing the negative messsage. You are impressed by how much variation a veterinarian must account for in a single species, and they handle multiple species.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
- heyoni 6y ago
  Maybe he was about to write something else! Or word the same thing differently...
- wizzwizz4 6y ago
  The “offended” would be “sometimes, I dismiss” – there's no way to re-word that to be less offensive (even though it isn't particularly offensive, I wouldn't think) without omitting it entirely.
triceratops 6y ago
I would imagine veterinary medicine is more complex than humans. Vets operate not just on different species, but on different different branches of the animal kingdom tree (reptiles, mammals, birds). But I guess maybe vets also specialize?

triceratops 6y ago

Thanks for the tip, I wasn't aware. Is this something I should flag to my vet? I have a herding breed dog but afaik the vet never did an ACB1 test. My dog has been taking the medicine for a long time though.

Shog9 6y ago

Good cautionary note, thanks. Yes, please, anyone looking to go this route should do their research first - I'm not kidding about the tiny doses required, they sell very dilute solutions for use in very large animals; a little dog potentially needs less than a drop!