Just a note: PLEASE be aware of the decimal point in these various concentrations of Ivermectin. I have yet to use this method, but I am attracted to it because of the immense savings and because I feel manipulated and exploited by the vets and manufacturers for them to be charging as much as they do for the regular heart worm preventative. Do they think we won't know it is important if it isn't 120.00 for six months? Do they not realize that on many budgets this prevents rather than ensures dogs being treated? That being said, the dosage is tricky if you are not familiar with the divisions of a cc, percent concentrations, etc. I urge you to contact your vet regarding the dosage. If your small animal vet is uncooperative try your local large animal vet, they are usually more familiar with the livestock products anyway and every farm usually has a dog. The dosage difference between a .08% sheep drench and a 1% injectable concentration is 12.5 TIMES the concentration of ivermectin. That would be like you taking 25 aspirin! The 1% solution cannot be easily measured/used for average sized dogs without dilution by propylene glycol. Do not use water, as the ivermectin will not evenly disperse, making an accurate diluted measurement impossible. Higher doses are prescribed for things other than heartworm preventative, i.e. mange, etc short term. But though a fairly safe wormer, Ivermectin's function is as a neurotoxin and I would not want to habitually expose my dogs to that higher dose. A good dosage explanation is available here http://www.dogaware.com/health/ivomec.html This link's dosages were well in line with those given to my by my vet. Mine were a little lower because they were calculated for the exact weight of my dogs, (something else I like about doing my own dosage). It also addresses the collie sensitivity. Good luck and be safe.

Thanks all. I'd hoped you would post, Sleeperblues! I'm still unsure about having an IV with anesthesia for my left eye -- supposed to happen in two weeks. I don't believe I received any injection at the eye this time -- just a lot of numbing drops. It's not that I had a problem with the IV sedative, just that I wonder if it is really necessary. (If I was paying for this independently -- without Medicare and supplementary -- I'd be pretty upset that this is "routine".) On to another related question... I had the cataract surgery Thursday, so I'm now on Day Two with my new Toric lens. I do not have as good distance vision in my right, operated eye, as I have with my glasses correcting my left eye, and I have fuzzy middle distance vision. Maybe this will improve? Or, have I received the wrong prescription? I need to feel more confident before I have the left eye operated on. At the MD's office, my right eye tested well enough "to pass the driver's license requirements". BTW, my opthalmologist said he has often done surgery without the IV anesthesia, but only for people who can't tolerate or just don't want "drugs in their system". Eccentric -- I can really feel your pain at not being sedated. My first sinus surgery began before I was adequately sedated. This was in a teaching hospital with interns working under both surgeon and anesthetist. They were breaking my cheekbones to permit more drainage. (I don't think this is done anymore.) I gasped. The MD saw what was happening and yelled at the anesthetist. Great. Then I was given so much sedation that I could not move or speak. I was terrified I would choke to death on my own saliva. No one noticed this. In recovery, I gradually regained movement and just sobbed and sobbed. (Guess I could have used that darn Versed then, huh?)

Just to be clear I already said that I see the most potential for trouble with my daughter who was away for school, not because of her or anything about her personality or behavior, but simply because of the relative freedom she has. But I was also saying that, unlike other schools, they have (and enforce) a policy where you get expelled the first time; no second chances. And given how hard the kids work to get in, it serves as an effective (not foolproof) deterrent. I wasn't implying that good students don't do drugs; in fact esp among boys I would think the arrogance and invincibility that some of the star students have might make them over-confident about their ability to handle it? Two points above I really liked. One, do not trust them. I totally agree. I was a really good kid and a relative square but even I could not be trusted, lied about where I was sleeping, hid booze and ...etc.. Teens cannot be trusted, and that is why the plaintive "don't you trust me" (add puppy eyed look) doesn't phase me in the least. The other point above that is so true is that sharing honest experiences about raising teens is so helpful, but maybe because so much of parenting today is seen as a competition, people are just not very forthcoming. I do like the idea of a parenting youngs adults thread!

I would go the anesthesia route because it's not like getting knocked out for a major surgery. Here's my only experience with oral surgery. My dentist pulled a back molar but couldn't get the roots out, and the tooth on the other side of my mouth needed to come out also. Far back teeth so I didn't need an implant. So I had to get the work finished at the oral surgeon's office. I was dreading it. When I got to the surgeon's office they led me to a room with a dental chair. Nothing else looked like a dentist office except for the chair. It was actually a nice room! The nurses gave me an iv in my hand, and an hour later I woke up in the same chair with all the work done. I couldn't believe it! I was groggy but it went away by evening. I hate the after effects of anesthesia but this was different and I was completely knocked out.