Smallholders Worm Advice Service
SUBMISSION FORMS
£16..50 FOR UP TO 5 NAMED SAMPLES
£2.00 ADD-ON SAMPLES
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POST-TREATMENT SCREENING
POST TO: EMILY AT TOMTEBO, NICKLEY WOOD, ASHFORD, KENT TN26 1LZ
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Results will be emailed within 7 days
(80% are complete within 48 hours)
2024: Sorry, our books are full - we can't take on any new clients
If you have sent us a sample before - then please continue to send your samples to Emily as usual
SHEEP ¶sites
SUBMISSION
FORM
A small-holder's flock needs a bespoke worming program. The commercial herd-medicine approach doesn't apply when every individual is important.
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Recommended FEC frequency: 3-4 times per year
Best Schedule Non-Breeding: Jan, May, Aug-September
Best Schedule Breeding: Late Pregnancy, 4-8 week old lambs (Ewe & Lamb poo for Cocci), May-June (esp lambs - for nematodirus), August (everyone for Barber Pole, Lungworm & Roundworm)
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Sheep 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
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odema under jaw
diarrhoea
Poor condition or low milk yield
odema under jaw
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
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SYMPTOMS
Anaemia
Weight Loss
Lethargy
Sudden death
Normal Poos
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Segments passed in poo
Segments passed in poo
tapeworm
aka the Cestodes:
Monezia, Thysanosoma
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SYMPTOMS
Look horrible when wriggling out - but surprisingly harmless!
Heavy burdens in Lambs cause:
Anorexia
Reduced gut motility
Gut rupture & peritonitis
Pasty diarrhoea with pot-belly
Blood or mucus in faeces
Pasty diarrhoea with pot-belly
coccidia
aka Coccidiosis:
Eimeria
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SYMPTOMS
Mainly affects lambs:
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
Seasonal changes
lifecycle
infected liver on the left
Seasonal changes
LIVER FLUKE
aka Fasciola:
Fasciola hepatica, Fascioloides magna
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SYMPTOMS
Anorexia & depression
Weakness & dry faeces
Increased respiratory rate
Ascites (belly fluid)
Colic
Sudden death
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nasal discharge
worms in trachea
runny nose
nasal discharge
LUNGWORMS
Dictyocaulus filaria, Muellerius capillaris, Protostrongylus rufescens
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SYMPTOMS
Cough
Nasal discharge
Increased respiratory rate
Poor condition
Weight loss
cysts form around the organs
cysts form around the organs
cYSTICERCOSIS
Cysticercus tenuicollis - the larval stage of the dog tapeworm Taenia hydatigena
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SYMPTOMS
Mainly asymptomatic
large numbers cause liver failure:
depression
weakness
yellow pasty diarrhoea in very young lambs
yellow pasty diarrhoea in very young lambs
CRYPTOSPORIDIUM
aka Crypto:
Cryptosporidium parvum
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SYMPTOMS
5-10 day old lambs
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 goats or camelids (they share worms)
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do graze with horses (they 'hoover-up' sheep 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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Rotational graze
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Increase dietary protein in lambs
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Ensure new animals have a clear faeces check
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Be fastidious with food & water bowl cleanliness
Focus On: Coccidia
The dreaded coccidia!
Why is it such bad news?
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This tiny parasite (Eimeria) infects the gut lining of young lambs. The initial inflammation causes severe diarrhoea.
This inflammation then permanently scars, the animal will always be a 'Poor-Doer'.
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The biggest problem - this scarring starts before shedding coccidia in faeces, so a positive test in a sick lamb is already too late.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Symptoms
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Kids & lambs 1-6 months old
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Brown, watery diarrhoea
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Blood & mucus in faeces
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Poor appetite
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Dehydration
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Weakness
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Rough coat
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Weight loss
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Fading away & death
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Treatment
Affected Lambs:
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Vecoxan 0.25mls / Kg by mouth, repeated after 3 weeks​
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Aggressive fluid therapy - orally with electrolyte solutions and/or subcutaneous saline
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Antibiotics for secondary infection
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Hand feeding
In contact lambs:​
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Vecoxan 0.25mls / Kg by mouth, repeated after 3 weeks​
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Cleaning
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Clear away all faeces & bedding
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Try to encourage as much natural sunlight as possible - coccidi are killed by UV light
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Get kids & lambs outside as soon as possible
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Reduce stocking density
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Clean everything with an ammonia based cleaner, eg superkill max.
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Change water buckets daily
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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
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Clean indoor housing with ammonia before the start of lambing or kidding season
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Known coccidia environments:
Treat kids & lambs with vecoxan (or similar coccidia treatment) at 4 weeks old, and at times of stress - weaning, moving
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