Ivermectin is one of the chemicals used to deworm horses. Ivermectin has long been effective, readily available and quite affordable for most horse-owner budgets (like $2-3 per dose).
As we all know by now, COVID-19’s arrival has caused various kinds of supply chain issues and price increases. While searching for Ivermectin online, its recent rise in price caught my attention. With the online retailers I visited, the price doubled.
While this rise still makes Ivermectin less costly than other chemical classes of dewormers, the price increase is sizable. More so if you have a barn full of horses to deworm.
Besides supply chain issues, I can’t help but think that part of the cost increase might have to do with some people believing that Ivermectin can help prevent/treat COVID-19. People are apparently buying and using horse dewormer for this purpose. I am currently seeing news reports of a stark increase in people poisoning themselves this way.
If you are interested in the details about why horse dewormer should only be used on horses, I found this very interesting and informative article on the subject. I hope the article gets disseminated far and wide. Both to save people from sickening themselves and to keep horse dewormer readily available within the equine industry at an affordable price point.
https://thehorse.com/1103489/why-you-shouldnt-use-ivermectin-to-treat-or-prevent-covid-19/
The Backyard Horse Blog 