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• The number #1 health concern for small ruminants

• Small ruminants are more susceptible to worms than other animals

• All animals have some worms

• Profit loss due to cost of dewormers and

decrease in animal production

• There are only a few FDA approved dewormers for small ruminants

More susceptible

Weaned animals

Late born animals

Yearlings

High producing females

Periparturient females

Thin animals

Geriatric animals

Unadapted animals

Stressed animals

More resistant

Mature animals

Dry animals

Pets

Mature wethers

Animals in good condition

Fat animals

20% of your herd expels 80% of the

parasite eggs on your pasture!!

Internal – a parasite that lives inside another organism

1. Helminths (multi cellular)

• Nematodes (roundworms)

• Cestodes (tapeworms)

• Trematodes (flukes)

2. Protozoa (single cell)

• Coccidia

• Giardia

• Cryptosporidium

• Haemonchus contortus (barberpole worm)

• Trichostrongylus (bankrupt worm)

• Telodorsagia (brown stomach worm)

• Paralaphostrongylus tenius (meningeal worm)

• Bunostomum (Hookworm)

• Cooperia (Small intestinal worm)

• Nematodirus (Threadneck worm)

• Oesophagostomum (Nodule worm)

• Strongyloides (Common threadworm)

• Trichuris ovis (whipworm)

• Lungworms

Mouth of Haemonchus contortus Worms in abomasum sucking blood

• Blood suckers

• Prolific egg layers (1,000s/day)

• Short, direct life cycle (21 days)

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Feces

• Eggs

pass in

feces

• Eggs develop into larvae on pasture

when the weather is warm and wet

• Infective larvae (L3)

move up blades of grass

2-3 inches

• Adult worms live in the stomach and intestines

• Can go into hypobiosis during winter/summer

http://www.goatbiology.com/animations/haem.html

• Bottlejaw

• Sudden death

• Anemia

• Weight loss

• Weakness

• Pros

• Reduces the number of anthelmintic treatments

• Reduces dollars spent on anthelmintic treatments

• Identifies susceptible and resilient animals

• Cons

• Spend more time on monitoring animals (monthly)

• Only useful when Haemonchus contortus is the primary parasite

• Affect the

abomasum and

small intestines

• Cause a decrease

in performance and

diarrhea

• More prevalent

during cooler

months

• Seen in mixed

infections with

Haemonchus

• Located in the small intestine

• Can grow to be several feet long

• Absorb nutrients from the digestive tract

• Tapeworm eggs are eaten by pasture mites and transmitted to goats when they graze

• Worm segments can be seen in feces

• Generally non-pathogenic

• Benzimidaoles are used for tapeworm control

http://www.goatbiology.com/animations/moniezia.html

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• Indirect life cycle

with a snail as the

intermediate host

• Mostly a problem in

the Gulf States and

Pacific Northwest

• Symptoms include

anemia, weight loss

and bottle jaw

• Can’t be seen in

fecal float

• Treat with Valbazen

Three Classes (based on chemistry, mode of action) 1.Benzimidazoles 2.Macrocyclic Lactones 3.Nicotinic antagonists WORMS HAVE BECOME RESISTANT TO DEWORMERS !!

Products • Fenbendazole - Safeguard ® (G) • Albendazole

- Valbazen ® (G & S) • Oxyfendazole

- Synantic ®

(G) = FDA approved for goats (S) = FDA approved for sheep Extra-label drug use

• Broad spectrum • Wide margin of safety • Do not administer

Valbazen to pregnant animals (first 30 days)

Products • Levamisole - Tramisol® (S) - Levasole® (S) - Prohibit® (Small margin of safety) (S) • Morantel

- Rumatel® (feed additive; adult worms only) (G) - Positive Pellet® (G)

• Pyrantel - Strongid® (adult worms only)

Products • Ivermectin - Ivomec® (S) • Doramectin

- Dectomax® • Moxidectin

- Cydectin® (S)

• Broad spectrum • Wide margin of safety • Effective against biting

external parasites

• The worms have built up resistance to the chemicals due to overuse and misuse

• Do not underdose (get an accurate weight)

• Do not rotate dewormers every time

• Do not treat everybody (use FAMACHA)

• Perform a Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test 10-14 days after treatment

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• McMaster’s Procedure uses 2 or 4 grams feces in saturated salt solution

• The eggs float in a microscope slide

• You count the eggs and calculate the # eggs/g feces

• Use in conjunction with FAMACHA

Trichostrongyle-type (Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus spp., Teladorsagia spp. )

Coccidia Tapeworm (Monezia) Whipworm

• Only deworm animals with a FAMACHA score of 3, 4 or 5

• Always get an accurate bodyweight

• Dose goats at 2x the sheep and cattle dose except with levamisole (use 1.5 x sheep dose)

• Drench animals in the back of mouth over the tongue so they don’t spit it out

• Fast for 12 hours before dosing

• Make sure to follow withdrawal times

• Cull any animals that you have to deworm often because they will pass this

trait to their offspring

10 species known to infect small ruminants; species specific

Symptoms include dark, foul smelling diarrhea, weight loss, weakness, dehydration

Usually seen in young, just weaned kids that are stressed

Coccidia damage the lining of the intestines and lead to poor feed utilization

• Keep your barn, water buckets and feeders free from fecal contamination

Coccidiostats (in feed) slow down shedding of coccidia • Decoquinate (Decox®) (G & S) • Lasalocid (Bovatec®) (S) • Monensin (Rumensin®) (G)

Treatment (extra-label) • Amprolium (Corid®) in the water or

drench each goat individually for several days in a row • Sulfadimethoxine (Albon® or Di-Methox ®)

External – a parasite that lives on the blood of the host and lays eggs on their hide or in their nose

• Can cause irritation (rubbing/scratching), decreased weight gain and milk production, hair or wool loss, respiratory distress and also transmit diseases

• Keds (wingless, parasitic flies)

• Lice (chewing and biting; species specific; common in winter)

• Ticks (seen around ears)

• Mange Mites (feed on the skin or burrow in skin)

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• Treat the whole flock after shearing

• Treat mange mites and lice twice (2 weeks apart)

• Products (sprays, dips, pour-ons)

• Always follow withdrawal times

Ked Tick Lice

Nasal Bots

• Larvae of the non-biting fly Oestrus ovis

• Live in the nasal passages and are then sneezed out

• Cause nasal discharge and head shaking

• Treat with Ivermectin drench

Fly Strike

• Adult flies lay eggs in the wool and tissue around wounds

• Larvae burrow under the skin and feed on secretions

• More prevalent in hot, humid weather

• Scrub area with soap and then spray or dip

• Feed your goats adequate energy and protein

• Use resistant breeds in your program

- Hair sheep, Katahdins, Kiko

• Rotate pastures

- Don’t graze pastures below 2-3 inches

- Rest pastures for 6-12 months

• Graze sheep or goats with cattle or horses

• Let animals browse in woods

• Plant high tannin forages

- Sericea Lespedeza, Birdsfoot trefoil

• Herbal dewormers have NOT been shown to be effective