Smallholders Worm Advice Service
goats ¶sites
Goats have low natural resistance to worms.
You've noticed they prefer to browse shrubs & eat from a height. Once their food has touched the floor - instinct says 'don't eat it', it might be contaminated with poo & worms.
Recommended testing frequency: 4 times per year
Best months: Jan, May, July & September
Switch the May date for 3-6 weeks after kidding to catch Doe's weakest immune system & cocci in the kids
Goat WEC: £14.50
for up to 5 named samples
Including fluke, coccidia and lungworm
This can be a mix&match of species across the farm
Free range herds at risk
diarrhoea
under the microscope
Free range herds at risk
ROUNDWORMS
aka the Nematodes:
Teladorsagia, Trichostrongylus, Cooperia, Oesophagostomum
SYMPTOMS
Diarrhoea
Lower milk production
Poor condition
Slow growth rate
Midline or jaw oedema
Death
Pale membranes due to anaemia
Eyelid membranes will go pale or white with anaemia
Pale membranes due to anaemia
haemonchus
aka Barbers Pole Worm:
Haemonchus contortus
SYMPTOMS
Anaemia
Weight Loss
Lethargy
Sudden death
Normal Poos
Segments passed in poo
Segments passed in poo
tapeworm
aka the Cestodes:
Monezia, Thysanosoma
SYMPTOMS
Look horrible when wriggling out - but surprisingly harmless!
Heavy burdens in Kids cause:
Anorexia
Reduced gut motility
Gut rupture & peritonitis
Primarily affects kids
Pasty diarrhoea with pot-belly
Blood or mucus in faeces
Primarily affects kids
coccidia
aka Coccidiosis:
Eimeria
SYMPTOMS
Mainly affects kids:
Diarrhoea (often pasty)
Blood & mucus in faeces
Skinny & weak
Abdominal Pain
Permanent gut damage
Healthy adults will often have coccidia in their faeces - interpret positive samples with care before using a coccidiostat
liver fluke
infected liver on the left
severe weight loss
liver fluke
LIVER FLUKE
aka Fasciola:
Fasciola hepatica, Fascioloides magna
SYMPTOMS
Anorexia & depression
Weakness & dry faeces
Increased respiratory rate
Ascites (belly fluid)
Colic
Sudden death
runny nose
coughing
worms in trachea
runny nose
LUNGWORMS
Dictyocaulus filaria, Muellerius capillaris, Protostrongylus rufescens
SYMPTOMS
Cough
Nasal discharge
Increased respiratory rate
Poor condition
Weight loss
cysts form around the organs
transmitted through dog faeces
cysts form around the organs
cYSTICERCOSIS
Cysticercus tenuicollis - the larval stage of the dog tapeworm Taenia hydatigena
SYMPTOMS
Mainly asymptomatic
large numbers cause liver failure:
depression
weakness
yellow pasty diarrhoea in very young kids
crypto under microscope
yellow pasty diarrhoea in very young kids
CRYPTOSPORIDIUM
aka Crypto:
Cryptosporidium parvum
SYMPTOMS
5-10 day old kids
active, alert & feeding well
very liquid diarrhoea
yellow diarrhoea
controltips
Good parasite control is about more than using a drug every 3 months,
you can reduce risk & use of anthelminthic drugs:
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do not graze with sheep (they share worms)
-
do graze with horses (they 'hoover-up' goat worms)
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Avoid previously flooded grazing
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Avoid mud-snail areas, eg by streams
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Encourage foraging behaviour
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Feed hay in a rack, never the floor
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Feed plenty of tree leaves
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Ensure access to tree bark
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Rotational graze
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Increase dietary protein in kids
-
Ensure new animals have a clear FEC
-
Be fastidious with food bowl cleanliness
Focus On: Coccidia
The dreaded coccidia!
Why is it such bad news?
This tiny parasite (Eimeria) infects the gut lining of young kids & lambs. The initial inflammation causes severe diarrhoea.
This inflammation then permanently scars, the animal will always be a 'Poor-Doer'.
The biggest problem - this scarring starts before shedding coccidia in faeces, so a positive test in a sick kid is already too late.
To add to this complex bug's trouble - healthy adult sheep & goats will have a normal population of coccidia living in their bowels - giving a positive test result when nothing is wrong.
As if that all wasn't bad enough - the treatment is difficult. No drug kills all the parasites. Decocquinate, Lasalosid and Monensin and Diclazuril will all help to reduce parasitic load, and should be used to treat in-contact kids & lambs.
Diclazuril (Vecoxan) can be given to all lambs or kids at 4-6 weeks of age on farms known to have a coccidia problem.
To add insult to injury - the bug is extremely difficult to kill in the environment. Sunlight & Ammonia are the only two things to kill this bug reliably.
The key to Coccidia Sucess? Prevention is Better than Cure.
Symptoms
-
Kids & lambs 1-6 months old
-
Brown, watery diarrhoea
-
Blood & mucus in faeces
-
Poor appetite
-
Dehydration
-
Weakness
-
Rough coat
-
Weight loss
-
Fading away & death
Treatment
Affected Kids:
-
Vecoxan 0.25mls / Kg by mouth, repeated after 3 weeks
-
Aggressive fluid therapy - orally with electrolyte solutions and/or subcutaneous saline
-
Antibiotics for secondary infection
-
Hand feeding
In contact kids:
-
Vecoxan 0.25mls / Kg by mouth, repeated after 3 weeks
Cleaning
-
Clear away all faeces & bedding
-
Try to encourage as much natural sunlight as possible - coccidi are killed by UV light
-
Get kids & lambs outside as soon as possible
-
Reduce stocking density
-
Clean everything with an ammonia based cleaner, eg superkill max.
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Change water buckets daily
Prevention
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Control build up of manure or waste
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Ensure good natural daylight
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Maintain low stocking densities indoors
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Keep water sources totally clear of faecal contamination
-
Clean indoor housing with ammonia before the start of lambing or kidding season
Known coccidia environments:
Treat kids & lambs with vecoxan (or similar coccidia treatment) at 4 weeks old, and at times of stress - weaning, moving
