The levamisole will kill the worms, and for a particularly heavy infestation you may wish to siphon clean the bottom to remove any dead organic material. Here I will split up a quarter teaspoon on a coffee saucer with a razor blade into 10 sections by eye, then store in 2 inch. Thus helping the fish to expel the worms. I still feed the fish during treatment and I soaked their food in an Epsom Salt solution. 3/4tsp Epsom Salt dissolved in 1/2 cup water. 1)Use a pipette to just saturate food. I used a shot glass. 2)Let soak in and feed to fish. Try to feed fish directly, like limit exposure to water.
Major Uses
Levamisole is an antiparasitic and immune stimulant that is used to treat many kinds of nematodes in cattle, sheep, and goats. It is also used in swine to treat ascaris suum, oesophagostomum spp., strongyloides, stephanurus, and metastrongylus. This drug has also been used in dogs as a microfilaricide for treating dirofilaria immitis.
Common Precautions
Levamisole is a very effective antihelminthic drug (antihelminthic drugs are drugs that treat helminths, also known as parasitic worms). Generally, 3 treatments a few weeks apart is all it takes to rid your fish of camallanus worm infection. Usually, just hours after the first treatment, the infected fish will begin to expel the worms. LEVAMISOLE HCI 8% powder Levamisole is an often recommended medication for treating parasites, especially camallanus worm. Unfortunately this medication must be dosed low enough to keep the fish safe and it does not always kill the parasites. More often than not it will only paralyze the parasite. This is why it is critical to dose carefully and to do the recommended deep gravel vacs to clean.
Levamisole Dosing For Fish
Levamisole should not be used in animals that are lactating, animals that are severely debilitated, or animals suffering from severe renal or hepatic impairment. Caution should be exercised when administering to cattle experiencing stress caused by vaccination, dehorning, or castration. It should not be used as a dirofilarial adulticide.
Some common negative side effects experienced by cattle taking levamisole include foaming at the muzzle, and hypersalivation, excitement or trembling, and lip-licking and shaking of the head. Patients may also experience swelling at the site of injection. Sheep have been observed experiencing transient excitability while on levamisole. Depression, hyperesthesia, and salivation may be experienced by goats. Other possible side effects can include vomiting, diarrhea, panting, agitation, shaking, immune-mediated anemia, dyspnea, agranulocytosis, pulmonary edema, erythroedema, erythema multiforme, epidermal necrolysis, mydriasis, and lethargy.
Levamisole For Fish Treatment
Levamisole should not be used in animals with a known allergy or hypersensitivity to the drug. A veterinarian should be contacted immediately if an overdose is suspected, the symptoms of which include hypersalivation, hyperesthesias and irritability, CNS depression, clonic seizures, dyspnea, collapse, urination, and defecation.
Storage
Levamisole should be stored in a container that is resistant to light, childproof, and sealed tightly. Refrigeration is generally recommended, but it should not be allowed to freeze. Medication should be kept in a location where it will not be reached by children and pets.
Administration
A common dose of levamisole for dogs is .5-12 mg/kg administered once, three times a day, or three times a week depending on the condition being treated. For sheep and goats, a normal dose is 7.5-8 mg/kg. For cattle, a typical dose is 3.3-11 mg/kg administered with food. For swine, a normal dose is 8 mg/kg with food or water. Should a dose be forgotten, it should be administered as soon as possible. If it is almost time for the next dose, the missed dose should be skipped and the regular medication administration schedule should be continued.
Levamisole Hcl For Fish Tanks
Doses may vary in different species, when the drug is given by a different route or concurrently with other medications, and with regards to a patient's age, breed, and health status. A veterinarian's dosing instructions and/or those printed on the medication label should be followed closely.