Hamilton-area livestock feed and supply stores grappling with interest in veterinary ivermectin

At least two Hamilton-area animal feed supply stores say they have seen an increased interest in ivermectin, a livestock dewormer that's been linked to COVID-19 misinformation.

Health Canada put out an advisory late Tuesday about concerning reports of the use of veterinary ivermectin" to prevent or treat COVID-19.

The drug, which comes in multiple forms including that of an oral paste, is used to treat both internal and external parasites in livestock, such as horses, cattle and sheep.

A study co-led by McMaster University earlier this year also found ivermectin - as well as hydroxychloroquine - to be ineffective in treating those infected with the virus.

At Lowden's Feed and Supply in Smithville, general labourer Robert Blokhuis said there had been quite a huge increase" in people inquiring about the livestock medication. Customers have also come in and purchased it off the shelves, he added.

Blokhuis said the store has noticed that some customers will hint" that the medication is for their animals or specifically mention a horse that is sick.

But that's not typical behaviour for someone who actually has horses," he said.

According to Health Canada, the veterinary version of ivermectin, in high doses, can be dangerous to humans and could cause vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions, dizziness, seizures, coma and death.

Across the border, the Associated Press reports that ivermectin has been promoted by Republican lawmakers, conservative talk show hosts and some doctors, amplified via social media to millions of Americans who remain resistant to getting vaccinated. It has also been widely used in other countries, including India and Brazil.

On Wednesday, podcaster Joe Rogan, who has been dismissive of the COVID-19 vaccine, announced he had tested positive for the virus and was taking the medication.

Locally, Emily Pullin, a manager at Settlers Supplies in Sheffield, told The Spectator she hasn't had anyone come into the store asking for it to use on themselves, but they've seen lots of interest" in the product on their website, relatively speaking.

Pullin said between Aug. 19 and Sept. 1, at least 11 people had viewed the listing for Panomec, which is an oral paste dewormer for horses that contains ivermectin.

Those numbers alone made it one of the three most viewed products on their site, aside from straw and softwood pellet bedding.

That's way out of the norm," said Pullin. We have thousands of products here, and for people to be looking for ivermectin like that ... people are definitely searching for it online."

That increased demand, which is being seen across both Canada and the United States, prompted a proactive" memo to be sent to licensed livestock medicine outlets across the province on Wednesday.

The ministry has been made aware of potential issues with the supply of ivermectin products in Ontario," stated the memo, sent by the ministry of agriculture, food and rural affairs and obtained by The Spectator.

In the memo, the ministry reminded the outlets of their regulatory obligations" around the sale of ivermectin, confirmed spokesperson Stacey Edwards.

There are reports of people acquiring ivermectin for personal use in the belief that it can be used to treat COVID-19," read the letter. The livestock and equine formulations are not approved for use in humans and are marketed under a variety of brand names including Ivomec, Eqvalan, Panomec and Bimectin."

According to Edwards, licensed outlets are not allowed to sell livestock medicines for any purpose other than treating livestock, are asked to restrict sales to livestock owners only and are required to alert buyers of the medicine to any warnings on the labels.

Neither store has had issues with the supply of ivermectin as of Thursday, but keeping people from buying it isn't easy, admitted Pullin, even as they follow the rules.

We're not going around saying Show us a picture of your horse that has parasites,' right? We can't really do that," she said, describing their sales being similar to an honour system that typically involves regular customers but sometimes people off the streets.

If the store gets an idea" that someone is buying it for themselves, they won't sell it to them, she added.

It's pretty hard to hold someone to that kind of standard," she said. It's kind of an unusual situation ... people don't buy veterinary medicine to treat themselves, right? It's really off the chart."

-With files from the Canadian Press and Associated Press

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com