DE-WORMING GOATS Goats are very susceptible to internal parasites, Worms feed on blood; if untreated, they causes anaemia and death. Infection reaches highest levels in summer. A simplified explanation of examination of anaemia is that the producer examines the inner lower eye membrane for coloration. Red to bright pink membranes indicates a very low worm load, Pink to light pink reflects the need to de-worm, White means anaemia exists and the goat needs immediate medical attention. The ideal wormer of choice can be Ivermectin 1% injectable given orally at a rate of 1ml per 25kg bodyweight. Occasionally goats also need to be dewormed with other dewormers like Albendazole,Panacur or Valbazen to get rid of tapeworms. Goats have a thin skin (relative to other ruminants) and very fast metabolisms. Back drenching goats with anthelmentics is dangerous and ineffective. Always deworm orally, even with those dewormers that say injectable . To get a better response from deworming: fast the goats (take them off grain/ hay but not off water) for at least 12 hours before deworming. Keep the animals in the same pen/pasture for up to 24 hours because they will be shedding worms in their faeces -- then move them to a fresh clean pen/pasture. Dewormer dosages should be calculated carefully. The difference between the effective dose and the toxic dose is very small. The saying that more is better is not correct with medications. Always seek help if you are not sure, before administering medications of any kind to your goat. Deworming feed additives and deworming blocks are available to be purchased. Unless the owner has the ability to feed each goat individually every day, these products might encourage worm resistance. The owner has no assurance of each goats having received an adequate dosage of the deworming medication. Least aggressive animal is usually the one who needs it most. So take the time to measure the medication and give it to each animal individually. These choices are something that each producer has to learn.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 17:23:55 +0000
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