Shelly Smith, the manager at ATV&V Tack and Feed in Las Vegas, Nevada, says her store is sold out of the horse deworming drug Ivermectin since it somehow became the subject of misinformation claiming it could treat and prevent Covid, Local 12 reports.
“I had a gentleman come in, he was an older gentleman, he told me that his wife wanted him to be on the Ivermectin plan. I immediately brought him over here, because at that time I had this sign hung up, and I told him this isn’t safe for you to take,” said Smith. “And he says, ‘well we’ve been taking it and my only side effect is I can’t see in the morning.’ That’s a big side effect, so you probably shouldn’t take it.”
The demand for the drug became so intense that Smith put out a warning sign for customers.
“Ivermectin will only be sold to horse owners — *must show a pic of you and your horse*” the sign reads.
“I don’t want people taking Ivermectin, horse wormer, because it’s horse wormer. This is not for humans to take, this is to treat parasites in horses,” said Smith.
Speaking to Local 12, Dr. A.J. Mancha of Desert Pines Equine Center agreed.
“It can have a lot of serious consequences in people and in actually some veterinary species as well, especially if the correct dose is not administered,” Mancha said. In animals, we see a lot of neurologic disease, so seizures, coma, death, if it’s overdosed. A lot of people that own shepherd dogs will be familiar with this. They’re very sensitive to this drug and it can kill them. So, any time these drugs are used in an unintended manner, there’s a really high likelihood of complication, and it’s just not safe.”
