MOXIDECTIN
Category Anthelmintic
Active ingredients Moxidectin
Guaranteed analysis Moxidectin 2 mg/ml
Available sizes 125 ml
Directions
Flock treatment – Dilute at the rate of 5 ml to 1 litre of drinking water and make available to the birds for 24 hours. The solution should be made fresh prior to use and provided in a clean drinking vessel. Remove all other sources of water
Individual bird treatment – 0.25 ml per 400 g (pigeon) body weight
Notes
Moxidectin is a clear, fully water-soluble palatable syrup. Added to the drinking water for 24 hours, it clears roundworm (Ascaridia spp.) and hairworm (Capillaria spp.) infection. It is also effective against all external parasites that feed off body fluids, including mites and pigeon flies (Pseudolynchia spp.). Moxidectin also eliminates airsac mites (Sternostoma spp., Cytodites spp.). It has a wide safety margin and is safe to use during racing and breeding. It does not affect feather quality and is safe to use during moulting. Moxidectin does not cause nausea and so the birds can be fed and loft-flown normally during treatment
Not to be used in birds producing meat or eggs for human consumption
Storage Store below 30C (room temperature) in a dry place
Moxidectin is regarded as the bird wormer of choice by most veterinarians. It is effective against roundworm, hairworm and any external parasites that feed off body fluids (i.e. mites, pigeon flies). It can be used during moulting, racing and breeding and can either be given in its concentrated form directly into the throat or alternatively diluted into the drinking water. It is also well absorbed through the skin and can therefore be applied topically, which is convenient for small birds such as canaries and budgerigars. The drug has a wide safety margin and birds can be fed and watered normally during its use.
Often how products work and how they were developed is really interesting. Moxidectin is no exception. There is a group of chemicals called macrocyclic lactones. Within this group are two sub-groups. One group is the avermectins. This includes ivermectin, which most fanciers would be familiar with. The other group is the milbemycins. The milbemycin group only contains two drugs, namely milbemycin and moxidectin.
Incredibly, ivermectin was originally isolated from the fermentative broth of a fungus called Streptomyces avermitilus. Researchers having found such a useful drug in one type of Streptomyces kept their eyes open for further species that might yield even more useful drugs. Eventually another was found in, of all places, a golf course in northern Victoria and it was from this that moxidectin was isolated.
Both ivermectin and moxidectin work by stimulating the release of an enzyme called GABA. GABA is a neurotransmission inhibitor. This means that it interferes with the normal transmission of a nervous impulse along a nerve. In roundworms and hairworms, ivermectin does this at the junction between the central (i.e. spine) and peripheral nerves, while in insects it exerts this effect at what is called the neuromuscular junction (i.e. the gap between the end of the peripheral nerves and the muscles). The result is that the parasite is paralyzed and dies. Moxidectin also acts at these two sites but at two further sites as well. Both drugs are metabolized by the liver, but moxidectin to a lesser extent, making it safer to use in birds with underlying liver problems such as Chlamydia, Salmonella or Herpes virus. When moxidectin and ivermectin are compared, moxidectin is more potent and is also more soluble in fat (i.e. lipophilic), which means that it is more persistent in the body, exerting its effect for longer. It is because of these reasons that moxidectin is often preferred over ivermectin.
Although older wormers have their use at times, each has problems. These include piperazine, (drug resistance, decreased worm clearance), fenbendazole (causes fret marks on feathers if used during moulting) and levamisole (vomiting and worm resistance). Moxidectin has none of these side effects.