Yet Another COVID Fail

When schools closed in March of 2020, I knew we were in for a world of hurt. I wrote about my fear that the drastic response to the virus was likely politically motivated. I still believe that. Whatever you believe, we are still feeling the effects of a national shutdown and likely will continue to do so for the next decade. Yesterday, I found yet another aftereffect of the lockdowns.

Dover's current price.

Before 2020, I was buying Ivermectin for around $2 a tube. By 2021, you couldn't find Ivermectin for horses because so much of it was being used to treat humans. There must still be a shortage because the cost of Ivermectin is now 500% of what it was just two years ago.

Riding Warehouse's current price.

My vet recommends using a dewormer at least twice a year, more if an Eggs Per Gram (EPG) shows a high enough positive number. His preferred time of year to dose is in the spring and then again in the fall after the first freeze. The problem is that we rarely get a freeze until winter and our fly season lasts for 10 months. It turns out that I typically worm in January and then forget to do it in late summer as I wait for a cold snap. It didn't get cold until after Thanksgiving this year.

Amazon's current price.

I was checking through my vet records and realized that I haven't used a dewormer since January. Oops! I placed an order for two tubes yesterday. They should be here by Saturday.

Maybe I'll remember to use a dewormer this summer. Probably not.