Re: Can of Worms

[CMKSAGEHIL <CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com>]

In talking to one of the people who works for Fort Dodge, I think I understand
what part of the problem is with Quest.  Unlike ivermectin, which does not
work at all if it is underdosed (hence we actually encourage overdosing to
some degree) Quest has a much smaller safety margin and should not be
overdosed at all.  It still works fairly well if it is underdosed, with
possible exception of killing bots, if I understood correctly.

Also, because of how Quest is sequestered in fatty tissue, and since most
research is done on relatively sedentary horses, I would suspect that fit
horses getting Quest get a "bigger" functional dose because they do not have
as much fat to sequester it into.  Hence, if they are overdosed at all (and
most are Arabs that do NOT weigh 1150 pounds or even close, so would be
overdosed if they got the whole tube) they are kind of getting a double
whammy.  This is apparently why there were problems in minis.  I gather that
Ft. Dodge also does not recommend Quest for real geriatric horses.

Hope this answers some of the questions about it.

Heidi Smith, DVM--Sagehill Arabians (Oregon)