De-Worming Goats

[FarmerChick]

Just more info out there for anyone interested. Gives good info.

I know there isn't alot of goat owners among us, but if anyone is considering owning or might just be interested in these types of articles, I am just posting for general info for everyone.




De-Worming:

Frequency of de-worming ("worming," in goat producers' vernacular) depends upon the wetness/dryness of the area, population density in pens and pasture, when does are scheduled to kid, the breed and condition of the goats, and a host of other things.

This article will describe how we handle worming (and vaccinations) at Onion Creek Ranch near Austin, Texas, where average annual rainfall is 30 inches or less in a normal year. Our breeding operation is management intensive, so we worm every 90 days at a minimum. We double check this need by collecting fecal samples randomly and doing our own fecals, but every 90 days for worming has proved to be a constant for us.

The wormer of choice for the last ten years has been Ivomec 1% cattle injectable, given orally at a rate of one cc per 75 pounds body weight (1 cc per 75 lbs.). Seldom do we have to vary from this prescription. Occasionally goats with dairy influence (including Boers and Boer-crosses) need to be wormed with a *white* wormer like Safeguard or Valbazen to get tapeworms. However, the Tennessee Meat Goats have consistently responded well to the Ivomec given orally.

All goats should be wormed at the same time. Using a contrast-colored PaintStik crayon (hot pink shows up well), mark the forehead of each goat as worming progresses so that animals are not wormed multiple times. This also saves money, as de-worming medication is expensive. Keep the animals in the same pen/pasture for 24-48 hours, because they will be sloughing worms in their feces, then move them to fresh, clean pen/pasture.

Kids should be wormed the first time at one month of age. Worming kids at an earlier age won't hurt them, but it is a waste of time and money, because they don't begin to eat solid food until they are about three weeks old. Kids become infected with stomach worms as they browse/graze the ground for plant materials or pick up infected goat pills as they "mouth" everything in sight. The life cycle of worms is three weeks, so de-worming again at two months of age is recommended.

Wormer dosages should be calculated carefully. Some wormers can be double- or tripled-dosed without problem, but others have a very narrow margin of safety. Tramisol, for instance, which is widely used in West Texas on large herds of goats, has a very narrow margin of safety. The difference between the effective dose and the toxic dose is very small. The premise that "more is better" is not correct with medications. Always consult a knowledgeable goat vet or a producer with extensive experience in raising goats before administering medications of any type to your goats.

There are essentially three classes of wormers:



1) Avermectin (Ivermectin) the "clear" de-wormers; Dectomax falls into this category.

2) Benzimidazoles (Valbazen, Safeguard, Panacur, Telmin, Synanthic, Benzelmin, Anthelcide, TBZ) the "white" de-wormers. Warning: Do not de-worm pregnant does with Valbazen. It can cause abortions.

3) Imidothiazole (Tramisol, Levasol)

Goats have thin hides (relative to other ruminants, such as cattle) and very fast metabolisms. For these reasons, this writer recommends against the usage of back pour-on wormers for goats. Several producers maintain that their goats have sustained permanent neurological damage because back pour-on wormers were used on them. Since there are several classes of wormers available , "an ounce of prevention" is worthwhile.

Performing your own fecals can save money on wormers by telling the producer when it is time to de-worm. At the very least, random routine fecal examinations can stretch the time between wormings. There is an article entitled "How To Do Your Own Fecals" on my website.

Diatomaceous Earth is currently a popular product which some people believe acts as a de-wormer. As of this date, every study which has been done on the de-worming efficacy of DE has proven that it is not effective against internal parasites. If you are one of those people who believe in DE with an almost religious fervor, please do both yourself and your goats a favor and also use an ethical de-wormer from the list above. It may be that DE will allow longer stretches between de-worming. Currently there are several tests being done on DE, the results of which are not yet available. Until a controlled study proves DE's effectiveness against internal parasites, please do not rely on it solely as a way to keep your goats de-wormed.

There are food additives and worming blocks which can be purchased for de-worming goats. I recommend against using either of these methods. The producer has no assurance of each goat's having received an adequate dosage of de-worming medication. And the least aggressive animal . . . the one least likely to go to the worming block or fight for food . . . is usually the one who needs it most. So take the time to measure the medication and give it to each animal individually.

The easiest way to give oral de-worming medication to a goat is to draw it up into a syringe, remove the needle, straddle the goat (facing the same direction as the goat), lock your legs around its middle and place your feet in front of its back hooves, open the mouth with one hand (watch those back teeth), put the syringe into the side of the mouth as far back as safely possible, and push the syringe. If you used feed to entice the goats in order to catch them , make sure it has been chewed and swallowed first, or expensive de-wormer mixed with feed is going to fall from the goat's mouth onto the ground.

If you are injecting de-worming medication, make sure you have a bottle of Epinephrine on hand for use if the goat goes into shock. You only have seconds to save an animal in shock. IM injections in the hip should be given from the side, not the rear, to avoid hitting the sciatic nerve. There is an article on my website instructing how to give injections properly. Check with a knowledgeable goat vet to determine if the injection can be given subcutaneously (SQ -- under the skin) to avoid damage to muscle tissue. Although some people give injections in the neck, I personally do not recommend this. I am always concerned about the possibility of hitting a blood vessel or artery. Injecting air into a vein will kill the animal.

Gel-type wormers generally come in tubes dosage-calibrated for large ruminants. If you use them, you are going to have a difficult time correctly gauging dosage, thereby wasting a lot of product (and money).

Goats are dry climate, sparse vegetation animals. If you raise goats in areas of extreme wetness or standing water, the fight against worms will be continual. Goats are not near as *resistant* to worms as are cattle.

I believe that the majority of worm infestation occurs because some producers do not adhere to a strict de-worming schedule and do not do routine fecal checks. And I believe that the cost of the de-worming products has a lot to do with this approach. However, it is very shortsighted. Losing a quality animal to worms is both a huge economic loss and a very slow death.

External Parasites:

The most common external parasite is lice. If you treat your goats for worms on a regular basis, conduct routine and random fecal checks, and still have rough-coated looking goats, chances are they have lice.

Lice come in two types: blood-suckers and non-blood-suckers. Determination can only be made under a microscope. The blood-sucking lice are the most dangerous, pulling the goat down to an anemic condition which can result in death. Lice look like grains of white rice in amongst the hair coat of the goat.

Regardless of type, obtain a product like Synergized De-Lice and apply it topically on the back of the goat from base of neck to base of tail. Follow the directions carefully. The dosage is quite small and usually only has to be done one time. Vendors such as Register Distributing (www.goatsupplies.com), Jeffers (1-800-JEFFERS), Caprine Supply, and Hoegger Supply carry de-licing medications.

For kids under three months of age, use a kitten-safe flea powder or spray. The adults' product is too strong and dangerous to use on kids. Take care to cover the kid's eyes, ears, nose, and other mucous membranes. Check with a vet before using adult de-licers on pregnant does.

I have had only two cases of lice in ten years and I successfully treated the lice-infested animal only rather than the entire herd.

Overeating/Tetanus Vaccinations:

For once we have products actually made for goats! CD/T is a combination vaccine which provides long-term protection against Overeating Disease (Enterotoxemia) and Tetanus.

Kids should be given their first CD/T vaccination at one month of age. This is shortly after they have begun to eat solid food, their rumen has started to develop, the milk stomach has begun to shrink, and the immune system is up and running. This vaccination can be given earlier, but it is not likely to be helpful, and thus a waste of money. Give each kid two cc's (2 cc's) subcutaneously (SQ -- under the skin). This is one of the few medications which dosage is the same regardless of goat's weight, size, sex, breed, religion, race, or national origin. A booster vaccination (also 2 cc's SQ) must be given in 28-30 days. So plan on giving the second CD/T vaccination when the kid is two months old.

Don't be surprised if a lump develops at the injection site. This is the immune system's reaction to the vaccine and means it is working. Sometimes this lump goes away and other times it remains. To minimize its appearance, consider vaccinating the kid in the loose skin under the front leg where it meets the body (analogous to our armpit).

Every goat must receive an annual booster injection of 2 cc's SQ to renew the protection afforded against Overeating Disease and Tetanus.

If you acquire adult goats and you are not positive that they have been vaccinated against Overeating Disease and Tetanus, give them the two-shot series . This is a very inexpensive vaccine. BarVac CD/T and Fermicon CD/T are two well-known brand names. This vaccine must be kept refrigerated and freezes at very high temperatures, so in winter, turn the temperature control on your refrigerator "up" to avoid freezing. Do not use it if the bottle has frozen. When using the bottle in the field, keep it in a cooler or on an ice pack.

Most medications have a statement on the label recommending that they be used in their entirety once opened. This is not necessarily true and is the manufacturer's way of protecting itself from liability. To prevent contamination of the bottle's contents, put a single needle into the bottle and change syringes each time medication is drawn.

 

[2dream]

Thanks Karen, I have printed that out and started a Goat Care Notebook.

 

[enjoy the ride]

One of the things here is liver flukes due to the wet weather we have- I use Ivomec Plus due to that.

 

[Sherrynboo]

I use Cydectin to worm my dairy doe. It is some nasty stuff but very effective. I lost my other dairy doe last spring from not giving enough cydectin and also using the Ivomec which was ineffective. This was just after kidding so I guess the parasite load was very heavy. I have tried the Molly's herbal wormer but the goat didn't like it and I really didn't want to fool around with it and lose her as well so I went back to the Cydectin.

Sherry in GA

 

[Beekissed]

FC, I found this article in SHEEP mag and, since it mentioned goats, was wondering if this could be an alternative method of chemical management of worms?


Managing Your Worming Program

When do you worm animals? If you wait until your animals show physical signs of parasites, you're already way too late. It's something akin to closing the barn door after the horse gets loose. Physical signs can include rough coat, diarrhea, going off feed, weight loss, staggering when walking, bottle neck and pale or white gums and eyelids, a sign of anemia. Waiting for those signs to show before treatment is like waiting for the ceiling to fall in as a sign it's time to fix a leaking roof.

Many producers have found that worming every animal early and often seems to get the problem under control. However, this is merely a temporary cure. No wormer on the market will kill 100% of the parasites in an animal. When they worm "early and often," all they are doing is selecting for resistance. The worms that survive the treatment impart resistance to their offspring and eventually the wormer that worked so well a couple of years ago doesn't.

So, they switch to a product with a different mode of action that works at first but soon fizzles out also. Ever hear of "survival of the fittest?" That's what happens when you use the same family of wormers repeatedly over a period of time.

There are many different brands of wormers, but all fall into three "families" depending upon their chemical make up. It's just a matter of time before all current products are ineffective as parasites build resistance to them. The more often you use a product, the sooner resistance will develop. As you can see, depending upon chemical products for parasite control is a temporary measure at best.

There's the dilemma; if you don't worm you have problems and if you do worm repeatedly, it quits working and you still have problems.

I raise sheep and my mother raises goats, so I'm experienced with all of what I've written. With my operation, parasite control is very manageable. Yes, parasites are a problem, but actually rather minor.

In my pastures, I have a large number of paddocks; move the sheep promptly with fairly long rest periods and try to leave an average stubble height of four inches.

I have hair sheep, a breed with good tolerance to parasites due to their ancestry in humid, tropical regions favorable to parasites.

I usually worm all lambs two to four times a summer starting in May before symptoms are noticeable. Last year was a dry year and I wormed early born lambs once and summer lambs three times. Adult animals are not wormed and in the past, any animal that needed worming was culled from the flock.

This type of management does two things:

It selects for individuals tolerant to parasites, and
While they do harbor some worms, these worms make up a reproductive pool with genes sensitive to current wormers. This dilutes the frequency of resistant genes being present in succeeding generations of worms.
If I worm the ewes, I then select for resistant worms that produce resistant offspring.

I rotate anthelmintic families yearly to reduce the possibility of building a resistant population because rotating drugs with each treatment speeds the development of resistance. Use all three families consecutively and you've selected for resistance to all three in short order. Keep it up and eventually you'll have worms resistant to all products available.

My mother hasn't selected for parasite tolerant breeding stock, doesn't rotate pastures, must worm adults and kids and now must use the most potent product of the Ivermectin family available. When it fails, I don't know what she's going to do. On the other hand, I still get good results with Levamisole, one of the oldest and possibly least effective products around.

Be wary when you purchase animals, especially those from farms or sellers you are unfamiliar with.

If you're not careful, the purchase price could also include a belly full of resistant worms at no charge. There are methods of "cleaning" an animal out, but you should talk to your vet concerning this matter.

Summary

So there you have it. Don't worm your animals just because a magazine ad or I said to. Talk to your vet, weigh the advantages and disadvantages and know what end result you want.

Pharmaceutical agents are a good source of information about their particular product, but keep in mind they sell drugs for a living. Talk to your vet for a more realistic, down-to-earth view before choosing a particular product. If you think you have resistant worms, a fecal egg reduction count or larval development assay should be considered. The latter will cost around $150, and while pricey, a jug of non-effective wormer or dead animal can easily exceed that amount.

I know people who quit raising sheep altogether because of animal losses and the time and expense involved in parasite control. It doesn't have to be that way. I see parasite problems as the result of a series of management decisions. Change the way you look at parasite control and I bet the outcome will be much easier to live with.

 

[Beekissed]

Also wondered if you had ever heard of using Basic H to worm livestock? Joel Salatin only uses this method and has great success and I would like to try it with all my animals as well to see if I can worm without all the chemicals leaching into my soil from their manure deposits.

 

[FarmerChick]

2) Benzimidazoles (Valbazen, Safeguard, Panacur, Telmin, Synanthic, Benzelmin, Anthelcide, TBZ) the "white" de-wormers. Warning: Do not de-worm pregnant does with Valbazen. It can cause abortions.

****This is the only wormer I am very careful with.

I use Cydectin and rotate with Ivomec and all that.

I always would use a chemical wormer. I would not raise grazing animals ever without a chemical wormer. Just me but honestly, you need ALOT of pasture to rotate and try to out run infestations. Usually doesn't happen.....I have all my animals on worming schedule and never lost one to worms.

BUT---I never heard of Basic H.....what is that?

Unless you do a fecal and see what your parasite load is per animal, then you can never be certain they are one step from dying. Grazing animals are picking up constant nasties all the time.

After I worm, I leave my goats in a side pasture so they can poop them out and not be in the other pastures they will be grazing. I leave them in the side worming pasture for 1 week about.....then move them off and let that pasture sit for the next worming.

for me, chemicals is the way to go on worming. I had 120 goats at one time and you just can't take the chance the infestations get to a level where you lose the herd....and believe me you can.

BEE---one thing I learned, goats die very fast. You never truly see what the problem is til it is too late. I had some "perfectly" healthy to the eye animals be dead in the morning after eating up a storm at feeding time? With not a sign of any trouble? Without an autopsy I couldn't say what did them in....maybe a heart attack??--LOL-LOL---I don't have a clue.

BUT basic vaccinations (CDT shots for goats), basic worm schedule, basic care, giving feed with glucose before kidding, all make for a safe chance me critters live long.

 

[Beekissed]

Basic H is a soap~biodegradable, nontoxic, all-natural. Active ingredients are two plant enzymes. Joel Salatin uses it to worm all his livestock and has found its effective on all types of worms. I guess farmers have been using Basic H in this manner for a long time, though it has not been recommended for this by the manufacturers.

Mr. Salatin mixes it with their drinking water when he wants to de-worm...it only takes a tiny amount, like 1 tsp. per gal., I think. He says it has even worked on liver flukes for animals who had not responded to vet prescribed wormers.

Rotational grazing doesn't take as much land as you might imagine, it just takes a little more time moving animals to each rotation than does traditional grazing. I've grown quite interested in rotational grazing as a way to improve pasture without having to overseed to obtain nutritious perennial growth. I plan to implement it in a small way on my own acre+ to see if it has the potential to improve the nature of forage for my birds and sheep.

 

[FarmerChick]

I checked out Basic H on the internet....while I have not had enough time to truly check into it.......WOULD I use that as my sole wormer...NO

Me, I have to know more before I would ever take my animals off a wormer schedule.

I saw where there is no studies showing claim to it being a proven wormer....I saw some studies that said it didn't work well in a cattle herd from the Colorado agri. dept...

of course I saw a bunch of great claims about it also.


SO I WILL be looking into it more.

Soapy water....hmm...it said that alot of animals cut water consumption cause the water was nasty probably.....the test said cattle drank X amt. and then cut back water consumption after adding the Basic H and that cost comparison was the same basically in treating an animal.

So right now, no I wouldn't do this. I wouldn't change my ways cause I have live animals doing fine...LOL

will I look into it...definitely!!

Pasture needs to rest at least 70 days in between rotation to have maximum benefit for parasite elimination. Alot of smaller farms rotate faster cause they have to with limited land.....so that doesn't help the true effect that rotation may provide.

 

[Beekissed]

I think it helps that Joel Salatin follows all his ruminants with birds on pasture. Says this helps eliminate reinfestation of a lot of parasites for his animals. He tries to mimic natural situations as much as possible, so birds following ruminants is how it occurs in nature. It makes for a faster rotation of his grazing...I think he moves his herd every two days!

The more I read about his farming practices, the more I would love to try them out. He even gears his breeding programs to have calves when the deer would have them, as this is when the grass has the most nutrients available for mothers and babies.

I think he also supplements his grazing with brown seaweed at certain times of the year. I'm going to look into this whole seaweed thingy.....