Worming goats

[PotterWatch]

So we are picking up our goats soon and are almost ready for them. I want to worm (or I guess deworm, lol) them after they get here since I know it is going to stress them out. What should I buy and what form does it come in? I'm also trying to find out how much probios I should give them. We bought the gel and it says to give 5ml to a newborn goat, so how would that translate to two mini-manchas? Is there a chart somewhere that will tell me the dosage/weight? Thanks!

 

[enjoy the ride]

I would ask the breeder what she is using right now. They will probably be pretty stressed moving so I wouldn't try anything really harsh right away unless I thought they were so wormy that they were in danger.
I use Ivomec Plus a lot because I have a wet area with liver fluke issues. Maybe in SO Cal this would not be a problem.
There are places that have a great deal of resistance to various classes of wormers. But I would think that Ivermectin (either liquid for stock or paste for horses) would be a good general choice.
A lot of people are using Cydectin now. Do you have a vet in your area you could ask for the most effective one there? Also what wormer you use can be limited by pregnancy- some wormers are harmful to fetus development at certain times. And the amount for each wormer varies with the animal's weight.

If not the horse wormer Ivermectyin (I use at three times the weight on the syringe) then I use a regular syringe without a needle to put the liquid wormer on the back of the tongue.

I have heard nothing good about herbal wormers unless the animal is pretty worm free to start with. If you want an herbal, someone else is going to have to give you info.

One good site to use is Dairygoatinfo.com - they have a section that covers lots of wormers.

 

[FarmerChick]

Cydectin is what I use
or Ivermec for rotation of worming

go to


http://www.tennesseemeatgoats.com/




right hand column, got to health management Articles. Has every single possible worming info ever needed!

Also don't use white paste wormers on preg goats. Causes abortions definitely.

best of luck with the new arrivals! They are a hoot!

And be sure they have their CDT shots also.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Ok, FarmerChick, quick question.

At what age do we start worming? We don't need to worry about worming the baby yet do we?

Also, should we worm the adults or not? The people we got them from back in August said they fed them a bit of tobacco of some sort to worm them

 

[FarmerChick]

1 month old on my kids is their first worming and first CDT shot

adults, yes worm. I do every 3 months cause I have tons of goats. If you have less you can get away with worming like every 5-6 months.

anything that grazes, yes, worm. they ingest all kinds of things..LOL

 

[PotterWatch]

I know my goats have been wormed on a regular basis by the breeder I am buying from. Should I hold off on worming until after they kid?

 

[FarmerChick]

if they were wormed within 3 mos. then I would hold off until the newborns arrive. Since they are preggo, do not worm with a white paste wormer. Causes abortions.

about 1 month after kidding, then worm Momma and kids.


I linked a site for you previously. Please read some of it. It has every bit of info you could ever imagine about goats...LOL..I learned goat farming from those articles.

 

[enjoy the ride]

I've not had so much trouble with worms and kids as cocci. For that I do preventative every month.

 

[FarmerChick]

this is one article from the site I mentioned


long read I am afraid...LOL...but that site is priceless to me.


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.

 

[PotterWatch]

FarmerChick, thanks for that great article and link. I have bookmarked it and will try and get through it before my girls arrive!