Parasite Control (Internal, parasites)

Signs of heavy parasite load

 Unthriftiness                                                                        

 Rough hair coat

 Pasty or watery feces      

 Pale membranes in inner eyelid (indicates anemia)

Bottle jaw: swelling under the jaw :

Links:

See http://www.barnonemeatgoats.com/wormsorno.html for photos comparing the eyes, mouth and backside of a goat with a heavy parasite load to the eyes, mouth and backside of a normal goat.  

Anti-parasite drugs (also called dewormers or anthelmintics)

Classes of Dewormers

(Mauldin)

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/antheltable.html 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.

Note: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

Testing for anti-parasite (anthelmintic) drug effectiveness  

Do a fecal exam before treatment and then again 7-10 days after treatment.  There should be a 95% reduction in egg count.  If not, there is resistance to the dewormer.  Change de-wormers and try again.  Reduce spring pasture contamination by deworming mid-winter.  Rest pasture between grazings.  Land that has been hayed off or cultivated should be parasite free.  Keep records.  Select goats that don’t have a high parasite load when breeding.  Don’t breed goats that have continuously high parasite loads. The following anthelmintics are approved for goats: Ivermectin, Levamisole, Thiabendazole.  All others are extra-label used and require veterinary oversight.  Decide on dose for whole herd by using your heaviest animal’s weight, NOT herd average weight.  After dosing, wait 48 hours before turning out into new pasture.  Clean area and disinfect.  (Craddock)

Two main types of parasites from the Trichostronguloidies family  

Ostertagia  and Haemonchus Contortus.  Ostertagia is a cool season parasite and is stimulated to produce eggs when temperatures reach 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  They can survive 30-90 days even in in hot, dry condition and can over-winter (especially in the southern U.S.) to hit in the spring.  The 4th stage larva ingested in early spring/summer will produce an infection in the fall if not stopped.  Haemonchus is a warm season parasite and is stimulated by temperatures above 51 degrees.  They prefer temperatures of 86-95 degrees F. so they will proliferate in the heat of summer.  They over-winter within the animal.  Haemonchus can produce more than 5000 eggs/female/day.  It can deplete as much as 1/10th of the total blood volume of an infected goat each day. (Hutchins)

Factors that affect the release of adult parasites

FAMACHA testing

A very cost effective way to handle parasites is to use a FAMACHA chart every 2-3 weeks, comparing it to the color of the inner, lower lid of the eye, to determine whether you need to treat an individual goat for Haemonchus Contortus (barberpole worm.). (Coffey, G, 12)

FAMACHA measure levels of anemia or blood loss due to parasites.

In most herds, a relatively small proportion (20-30%) of goats carry most of the worm load and shed most of the eggs.  Identifying those goats will enable producers to cull them from the herd, so that the lack of resistance is not passed on to the next generation.  It will also identify those who are resistant to parasites so they can be bred in order to strengthen the herd resistance.

With FAMACHA, goats with parasites will be identified and can be treated.  Those not needing treatment will not be subjected to unnecessary deworming.  This will not only slow the development of dewormer resistance, but will also save the producers money.
 
It is very effective to body score, weight tape and FAMACHA score once a month and chart it so you can see changes. 

The following illustration gives you some idea what the chart looks like.  The chart in this picture is deliberately not true to color, so do not use it for testing.  You must buy the chart.  The chart is about the size of a credit card and is covered in plastic, making it easy to carry in your pocket.  It is a very cost-effective way to determine the parasite load a goat is carrying.

      1         2         3        4         5

You hold the eye of your goat open, and compare it to the card in order to determine the famacha score.

Parasites (external) (see the " Fleas and Ticks" section of the Medical E-M page)

Paste medications 

Dewormers often come in a paste form, and are packaged in tubes, with a tip for insertion in the animal’s mouth.  As the handle is squeezed, the plunger forces out a pre-calibrated amount of paste. Have a helper hold the tube for you until you are ready for it. 

Method:

1. Back the goat into the corner and crowd its left side against a wall.  Encircle its upper neck with your left arm. Have your helper hand you the tube into your right hand.

2. Insert the thumb of your left hand into the goat’s mouth, and with a combination of prying and pushing, open it’s mouth wide enough to allow you to insert the neck of the paste tube with your right hand.  Be very careful not to get your fingers between the grinding teeth or you will be bit.

3. Insert the neck of the tube into the corner of the goat’s mouth..  At the same time, lift the goat’s head so that the goat is looking up at a 45 degree angle.

4.  Squeeze the handle, and allow the paste to move into the goat’s mouth.

5.  Remove the tube.  Hold the goat’s mouth closed, keeping the jaw elevated to 45 degrees and stroke the neck from jaw to top of chest.  This will encourage the goat to swallow the paste.  Watch her to make sure she has swallowed it.  She may try to spit it out.  If so, repeat procedure. (Batagglia, p. 447)

Poisonous Plants

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Quarantine

Reportable Diseases

The following suspected diseases must be reported to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's Animal Health Division, or to the state office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Veterinary Services within one day after finding evidence:

African horse sickness
African swine fever
Avian influenza
Bluetongue
Brucellosis
Classical swine fever
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Equine encephalomyelitis (Eastern and Western)
Foot and mouth disease
Lumpy skin disease
Peste des petits ruminants
Pseudorabies (Aujesky's disease)
Rabies
Rift Valley fever
Rinderpest
Sheep pox and goat pox
Swine vesicular disease
Tuberculosis
Vesicular conditions, including vesicular stomatis
Viscertropic velogenic Newcastle disease
Any disease that is foreign or exotic to Wisconsin

The following suspected diseases must be reported to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's Animal Health Division, or to the state office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Veterinary Services within ten days after finding evidence:

Sheep and Goat Diseases:

Caprine and ovine brucellosis (excluding B. ovis)
Caprine arthritis/encephalitis
Contagious agalactia
Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia
Enzootic abortion of ewes (ovine chlamydiosis)
Maedi-visna
Nairobi sheep disease
Ovine epididymitis (Brucella ovis)
Ovine pulmonary adenomatosis
Salmonellosis (S. abortusovis)
Scrapie