This was making the rounds on Facebook. What do you think? It seems suspicious that all the horses reacted. I could understand if only one had a problem.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158018804049395&id=737284394&anchor_composer=false
UMMMM AHHHBBBSSOOOLUTELY!!! THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH ZIMECTRIN GOLD My guy was one of the ones.
This isn’t new news!
Suspicious source names on Facebook page, especially given the poor quality of the text.
Yes, there’s a known issue with ZimGold but this particular post looks fishy.
That FB poster has 26 people in common with me, including a lot of breeders. Not everyone is educated enough (or cares enough) to spell things properly 
The search function seems to have disappeared (for me at least), but there are at least 2 fairly long threads on how this has been a problem for a long time, and Merial ignores it, other than to have finally added a warning on their label
FWIW, I have a couple of friends who used ZG on their small herd (6-8) of horses, and who are at barns where ZG was used on the whole herd of 20+ and a very large % of those horses had reactions.
When there are multiple reactions in a herd/barn, it does make me wonder if there are similarities in the diets (obviously they are sharing the same or similar grasses and hays), to make them more susceptible to the carrier ingredients.
But yes, it DOES sometimes happen to multiple, or even all horses it’s used on in a given barn situation.
Definitely a real post. And yes, this is a known issue.
There have been a number of threads on this over the years. IIRC it is the gold coloring that is believed to be the culprit. Other wormers with the same active ingredients do not have the problem.
So EquiMax and Quest Plus have not had these issues? I usually use Equimax.
I was not aware that Zimecterin Gold had a problem prior to this post. I mean I’ve heard of adverse reactions but just assumed it was extremely rare- not a problem with the product.
Correct, Equimax has not had this issue. It’s not the ivermectin or the praziquantel.
The problem is in whatever carrier ingredients Merial uses with Zimecterin Gold (US) and Eqvalan Gold (CN).
I have used it in the past with no issues, but since hearing of this I went to Quest Plus instead. There is a risk with anything you give to your horses. Why some react and some don’t is the mystery.
Repeating what has already been said - this is known problem and has been a problem for a long time. My rough math says my horse had a reaction to it like 12 years ago now.
I do not understand why they do not modify their ingredients so this is not a problem.
I used in 2012 on two horses. My 12 year old Oldenburg mare reacted. Swollen tongue, checks and was foaming at the mouth. She stayed swollen for a couple of days. Was very distressing for both of us. If you google, you will see this is old news and plenty of horses have reacted. Product should be pulled.
While ivermetin and moxidectin are in the same macrocyclic lactone class of drugs, it’s still a good idea to alternate between the 2, using moxidectin in the Spring, and ivermectin in the Fall. And for the horses who can’t have moxidectin, Equimax is it if they want to target bots and tapes at the same time.
A rep at Equine Affaire told me that Equimax was developed in response to the problems with Zimecterin. I’ve used Equimax for years with no problems and never considered Zimecterin. My horse is a high shedder, and he gets Equimax in the spring and Quest Plus in the fall. I give him a tube of ivermectin midsummer and a fecal indicated that it killed the worms. Quest Plus is supposed to kill one stage of strongyles that regular ivermectin doesn’t. I’ve never heard of bots around here but tapes are common and don’t show up in fecals. I’ve always dewormed my own horse. I was using the BO’s every couple of months schedule but stopped that years ago. This protocol the vet recommended after the fecal that identified him as a high shedder.
Durvet with apple flavoring is the easiest for me to give him because it is more of a gel than a paste and he doesn’t slobber it out. The same rep said the Durvet that doesn’t say apple flavor has it, but not enough to label it as flavored.
I just want to clarify something, Zimectrin and Zimectrin Gold are two different products. Same company, they both have Ivermectin in them.
I have not heard of anyone having an issue with Zimectrin, just Zimectrin Gold.
Probably because many horses don’t react. I used to use it and never had a problem but switched to Equimax some years ago after reading about the problem here on COTH.
I also suspect some horses might have very mild reactions and are not detectable. I think the severe ones must be fairly limited (in total), although obviously if every horse in a barn reacted it would be pretty noticeable.
She’s not a “suspicious source,” she’s one of Canada’s top riders and trainers. The post is 100% accurate - nothing fishy about it.
May I recommend switching that around? Ivermectin kills dung beetles, and they are most active in the Spring. I don’t know the prevalence of them where you are, but I’m sure there might be some
Quest Plus is supposed to kill one stage of strongyles that regular ivermectin doesn’t.
Moxidectin kills encysted strongyles, and is more effective at that than a Power Pack, even when a Power Pack doesn’t encounter resistance
FYI - I had a sore on a lip after using QuestPlus. I’m now really careful to not get any on the lips.
It just floors me that they continue to sell it with these recurrent issues. I don’t know what other products Merial distributes but it makes me seriously consider a boycott (off to Google). So irresponsible.
On the other hand, for as long as this has been going on, I can’t believe people haven’t heard of the issue and avoid the product completely.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
