pbfloyd wrote:
ok thanks.. my next quest is about safe guard. thelittleblackbook says that a 50 pound dog would require 69cc of safeguard with proper dosage. and a 65 poun dog would require an 89cc dosage.. thats more than double what my vet says at 2cc per 10 ounds once daily for 3 days.. i buy my own sae guard now lik you buckshot and mix it myself but still use my vets dosage.. so whats the proper dosage?
Well, I had previously posted a link to what the current
Merck Veterinary Manual cites as the correct dosage for
fenbendazole (Safe Guard). You can read it for yourself what the dosage is.
It's not a matter of "knowing your dogs," it's a matter of
staying current on the dosages for the various medications. You can "know your dog" all you want, but that doesn't mean you will understand the correct dosages of the various drugs to give them. You have to read-up on these drugs to gain that knowledge. More than that,
you have to stay current and realize that dosages change over the years.
Speaking of books, since I published my first book 15 years ago, more than 11 drugs have changed their dosages. Cephalexen, for example, used to be given 2-3x per day ... now it is given 3-4x per day. (Double-dosed.)
Pyrantel pamoate (at 50mg/ml) used to be dosed at 1 ml per 20 lb ... now it is dosed at 1 ml per 10 lb. (Double-dosed.)
And, as I relayed on the previous page, Safe Guard (10%
fenbendazole) used to be given once daily, now it is given
twice daily, at 1 ml per 4.4 lb, 3 days in a row. (Again, double-dosed.)
Your vet probably got his degree many years ago. His books of reference (and thus his beliefs) were probably created many years ago also. Back then, his dosage was probably correct. But now, it is no longer considered correct.
Your vet has to stay current on medications also. If he has outdated reference material, his prescription amounts will be likewise outdated.
In fact, the previous versions of
Merck Veterinary Manual likewise contain now-outdated information. That is why the company updates its own book every 4 years, to stay current! What was true and accepted back then for many drugs very often changes, even doubles. Again, this is why it is important to stay current. BACTERIA AND PARASITES CONTINUALLY
BUILD RESISTANCE TO THE DRUGS WE MAKE FOR THEM. What worked last year won't necessarily work this year. Heck, penicillin (what used to be a miracle cure back in the day) is now ineffective for over 75% of the bacteria out there. The bacteria have built resistance to it, which is why scientists are forever looking for new and better ways. Penicillin is now all but useless, except to a few still-sensitive pathogens.
Just because a person has memorized a dosage he read a few years ago doesn't mean that dosage is still correct today. A person has to keep reading the latest info in order to
stay properly-informed. That was the point of my original post.
Hope this clarifies,
Jack
.