(Mauldin)
"Rates [for goats] are two times the cow dosage per
unit of body weight for all products except Lavisol at 1.5 times the cow
rate." Gastro-Intestinal Parasite
Survival Kit For Goats (2004) www.uky.edu/ag/animalsciences/goats/presentation/parasitekit0104.pdf
-Anti-parasitic drugs should
always be administered to sheep and goats orally (by mouth), even if a
pour-on or injectable product is used. (Schoenian,
Meat Goat) also ( Gastro-Intestinal Parasite
Survival Kit For Goats (2004) www.uky.edu/ag/animalsciences/goats/presentation/parasitekit0104.pdf)
-Resistance
to all dewormers is increasing. We will have to learn to control
parasites without them in the near future.
Three Approaches to
Parasite Control: Smart Drenching, Bliss Method, Hutchins Method
1) Smart drenching
Smart drenching is a method
that allows producers to balance production needs with the need to
preserve and prolong the effectiveness of the dewormers as long as
possible. Procedure for
smart drenching:
1.
Find out which dewormers work, by performing a fecal egg count
reduction test or a DrenchRite larval developmental assay.
2.
Weigh each animal prior to deworming.
Double the cattle or sheep dose when deworming goats for all
dewormers except Levamisole. Use Levamisole at 1.5 times the cattle/sheep dose
3.
Deliver the dewormer over the tongue in the back of the
throat with a drench tip or drench gun.
4.
Withhold feed 12-24 hours prior to drenching with
benzimidazoles (white dewormers such as Fenbendazole (Safeguard or
Panacur) and Albendazole (Valbazan), Ivermectin (Ivomec), Doramectin
(Dectomax), and Moxidectin (Quest 2% oral gel).
5.
Benzimidazole efficacy is greatly enhanced by repeating the drench
12 hours after the first dose.
6.
Simultaneously use two classes of dewormers if resistance is
suspected. (See http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/Anthelmintic%20Table.pdf
for a list of dewormers.) Drench only the animals that need treatment.
Use a FAMACHA chart to identify them.
7.
Use pasture management to control parasites.
8.
Remove small ruminants from pastures for 3-6 months to allow worm
larvae on pastures to die off.
9.
Alternate or co-graze pastures with horses or adult cattle.
10.
Maintain stocking rates of no more than 6-8 small ruminants per
acre.
(SCSRPC.org/files/files/misc/drenshin.pdf)
2) The Bliss Method of
controlling internal parasites
The Bliss method has 2 types of treatments depending
whether the goats have access to grass or not.
Where
goats have access to grass.
This includes goats
that are on
an uncemented lot or pasture, or where they are on a cemented lot, but
there are cracks in the cement with grass in them, or where the goats can
reach grass under the lot fence. In other words, anywhere where there is a blade of grass
available:
Deworm May 1, June 1, and
July 1 with Safeguard (block, loose mineral, paste or suspension. Goats
won’t eat Safeguard crumbles.)
If you use Safeguard in a
block form you should allow 3-10 days for treatment, depending on how
many animals are sharing the block. If
you have a lot of animals you have to let them have access to the block
longer to make sure they all have licked it adequately, otherwise the
bullies get treated and the shy goats don't.
After the first 3-10 treatment days are over, remove the block.
Then 3 weeks later put it out again.
Let them eat on it 3-10 days, and then remove it again.
Wait three weeks and put it out again, but this time just leave the
blocks out and let the goats eat it all down.
This three-month pattern treatment should take care of parasites
for the entire year.
If you use Safeguard in a
loose mineral form and you top-dress it, you should allow 3-6 days
for treatment. The advantage here is that you know when they get it, so you
can be sure they receive the full dose.
If your Safeguard mineral
is offered in the pens free choice, then you have leave it in the
pen 6-10 days because it takes 3 days just to make sure everybody gets
some. You don't want to
withdraw it before the last goat gets full treatment.
If you use the stronger
1.6% Safeguard pellets, cubes or crumbles, that is a one-day treatment,
but it is very expensive.
Safeguard 0.5% is the most cost-effective way to treat your herd.
There is a "4
dose" paste tube with a dial to set the dose, or you could use the
oral suspension with the gun applicator instead of the paste. The
suspension comes in 250 ml bottles.
Use the same pattern of
treatment no matter what form of Safeguard you use. Treat one week, wait three
weeks and repeat that two- step cycle for a total of three treatment
periods.
Where goats have no
access to grass at all.
Treat them once a year in December.
If you see worms at other times, test and treat as needed. Remember,
this applies only for goats that have NO contact with grass at all, even
grass that is sticking up in cracks in the cement. ANY contact with
grass requires the first treatment above.
(Parasite
reduction program from Donald Bliss, MidAmerica Agricultural Research,
3705 Sequoia Trail, Verona, WI 53593 (608) 798-4901
(See expended version at “Seminar Notes”-Parasites, on this
website.)
3) The Hutchins
approach to controlling worms on pasture
Quarantine new stock,
deworm them, do a fecal egg count and threat until the egg count is
reduced by 95%.
Keep worm eggs off
pastures. Deworm before
going on pasture and every 3rd week, 3 consecutive times.
Deworm prior to breeding,
deworm 2 weeks before or within 1 week after kidding.
Do not deworm the entire
herd. Deworm only those
animals having high egg counts of 100 or more eggs/gram of feces using the
direct count method with a microscope.
Or use the FAMACHA chart and treat only those animals with pale
pink to gray membranes of the lower eyelids.
Dry lot the goats for 48 hours during deworming. Fast the goats the
first 12-24 hours, then deworm and hold on dry lot at least 8-12 hours.
Clean the lot and if it is cement, disinfect it with Nolvasan
(available from Fleet Farm.).
When you have rain and
then drought, deworm the goats 3 weeks later.
Rotate pastures for
parasite avoidance. Subdivide
large pastures into small fields with movable fencing and graze goats for
7-14 days. Then move forward to a new area and do not re-graze for at
least 90 days, unless you mow it off.
In that case you can re-graze when the grass has grown back. Do not graze plants close to the ground.
Move the animals when the plant height gets low.
You can make use of pasture and still avoid parasites by grazing
April 15-July 1 on perennial pastures.
Then move to browse areas or graze only upright warm season grasses
60-90 days, starting July 1st.
Or move them to summer annuals such as sorghum sudan grass,
soybeans, or millet for 60-90 days. You
can bring goats back to the perennial cool season pasture from October to
end of grazing season. Watch
for resistance. If fecal
tests don’t show 95% reduction rate, you have resistance to the
dewormer. Use twice the cow
dosage/unit of body weight for goats on all products except Lavisol.
For Lavisol use 1.5 times the cow dose.
Administer dewormers by mouth only. Treat based on the heaviest
animal in the group. (Hutchins)
Other ideas about
parasite control
Move goats to a new area 24
hours after treatment. (Coffey, G, 13)
Rotational grazing is one of
the most successful parasite controls. (ADGA)
Newly weaned kids should go
on pasture that has not been used for 1 year, or That has been hayed since
last use, or where pasture has been alternated with row crops since
their last use. (Coffey, G, 13)
Cull those goats that suffer
most from parasites, to increase herd resistance. (Coffey,
G, 12)
Keep low stock density.
Never let goats overgraze an area.
Rotate pastures. Never
let goats eat below a 4”grass height. (Coffey, G, 5 and 11)
Testing for
anti-parasite (anthelmintic) drug
effectiveness
