Milbemax prescribed to rough collie

Hi everyone

I got a rough collie pup recently and our vet prescribed milbemax for her.

I gave the pup the wormer and she had no adverse effects, it was only afterwards I read the label which warns it can be dangerous for collie breeds and I remembered reading that rough collies have a problem with some medications and that it can kill them.

At this point I'm basically wondering if this means my dog is ok with this medication? or is it possible if I continue her worming treatment with this medication, (I have more in the pack), could it build up in her system and make her sick? I know the problem they have is with removing it from the brain so it seems continuing treatment with milbemax could be very dangerous.

I will ask my vet about it at the next appointment but I figured there may be some rough collie owners who can advise, as I don't really trust the vets knowledge about it at this stage.

I wouldn't use it, just to be on the safe side.

Ask your vet can you change it for something else!

Have you dog DNA tested for MDR 1-the gene responsible for the adverse reactions, it can be done by"buccal"swab(swab taken from the inner cheek of the dog)& sent off to the Laboklin then you will know whether it is safe to give to your puppy

Thanks guys, I will ask my vet is there a safer drug I could swap for.

Is the test expensive? We're not exactly rich, already finding the vax and neutering costs quite expensive to deal with. We didn't specifically seek out to adopt a rough collie which is why this is not a cost we were allowing for.

There is a very long list of potentially dangerous medications. Does anyone know of medications that are safe for collies? Such as wormers and spot on treatments etc, the kinds of things we'll likely have to use on a regular basis.

Any info or other peoples previous experiences are very much appreciated, thanks

I alternate between Drontal Plus and Panacur granules.

For flea spot ons I use Frontline and Stronghold, although I'm thinking of looking in to Advantage.

We have working sheepdogs here and I would never give them Milbemax. In fact, if I were you I would be telephoning the vet to advise them of their error in prescribing them for your dog.

We always used either Drontal or Panacur and these are both safe for collies.

Thank for the replies

I think the vet realized his error because he called me twice asking did I have pet insurance and if the pup was ok...I think he just didn't want me realizing he'd made a mistake so came up with a fake reason to call. I didn't realize his mistake until after the calls or I'd have mentioned it.

I will definitely be saying it to him at the next appointment and will ask about swapping for one of the other treatments mentioned here, it was their mistake so I think they
should be ok with swapping medication.

My lad (Border Collie) always had Drontal and Frontline and didn't have any adverse affects.

Personally, I wouldn't use the Milbemax again just to be on the safe side. Your vet should not have prescribed it

Sorry JoeDeeUk I just realized the price is on the link to laboklin, and that you can do it yourself, I'll discuss this with my husband and see if we can find the funds for it. Have you used this service before?

And thank you Brierley, I think I will switch to Drontal or frontline from now on, just to be safe.