Controlling Internal Parasites in Small Ruminants Sheep Goat

Controlling Internal Parasites in Small Ruminants Sheep & Goat Toolbox

Small ruminant overview Goats • • Prefer to browse Selective eaters Like to roam Can handle some toxins other livestock can’t • Like variety Sheep • Prefer to graze close to the ground • Like to roam • Enjoy many weeds

Introduction to parasites • Biggest concern for small ruminant producers • Costly – Treatment costs – Reduced animal performance – Death • Parasites have developed resistance to dewormers • Parasites can be managed

We cause problems • We force them to eat close to the ground • We crowd them • We cause parasite resistance – Deworming too often and incorrectly • We create environments where parasites thrive • We don’t keep them in good enough condition • We “baby” our animals – keep animals that we should cull

The problem: parasites Photos courtesy of Dr. Jean Marie Luginbuhl, North Carolina State University

Primary parasites • Barberpole worm – Haemonchus contortus • Brown stomach worm – Telodorsagia (Ostertagia) circumcincta Picture from www. sheepandgoat. com • Bankrupt worm – Trichostrongylus colubriformis • Coccidia – Eimera sp. Diagram from www. sheepandgoat. com

Parasite life cycle • Parasite larvae ingested • Adults make residence in the body • Adults lay eggs • Eggs passed in feces • Eggs hatch and larvae crawl up blades of grass • Animals ingest larvae (repeat cycle) Diagram from www. sheepandgoat. com

Parasitism • Practically inevitable • Should be managed so that parasitism is not evident • Young animals most affected • Does/ewes affected last month of pregnancy & around kidding/lambing

Signs of parasitism • • Loss of condition Rough hair coat Bottle jaw Low energy

Signs of parasitism (cont. ) • Pale mucous membranes – Indicates anemia • Scours, diarrhea • Death

We cannot rely on drugs alone! • Parasites are becoming resistant to drugs – Particularly sheep & goats • Parasites are already becoming resistant to the newest anthelmintic drugs • We are running out of drugs! • Anthelmintics should not be overused – Increases resistance • Other methods must be used in conjunction with anthelmintics

Causes of resistance • Frequent deworming – No dewormer is 100% effective, 100% of the time – Frequent deworming increases the rate resistance develops • Deworming all animals, regardless of need – Increases rate of resistance – Costs more $$$$$ • Under dosing – Leaves more of the strong worms • Deworming and moving to a clean pasture

What do we do? • Pasture management – Sanitation – Avoid over-grazing • • • Animal management Animal selection FAMACHA© Smart Drenching Other techniques

Pasture management • Should be the primary technique • Monitor Forage Height – Research indicates that most larvae can only travel about 2 inches off the ground – Grazing close to the ground increases parasite ingestion Pictures from www. sheepandgoat. com

• Stocking Rate • Overstocking causes: – More worm deposits – Animals forced to graze close to manure • Multi-species Grazing – Small ruminants, cows, and horses

Animal management • Immune System – Healthier animals have fewer problems – Provide good nutrition • Select resistant animals – Select a resistant buck/ram – Select resistant breeds Picture from: ansi. okstate. edu Provided by Dr. An Peischel • Goats: Spanish, Myotonic, Kiko, not Boer • Sheep: Hair Sheep, Florida Native • Cull – Animals needing more treatment – Animals depositing a lot of eggs (FEC)

General management • Sanitation – Keep feeders and water free of feces – Keep areas where animals congregate as clean as possible • Carefully chose, isolate, and de-worm new animals

FAMACHA© Classifies animals based on level of anemia 1 -5 scale • 1 -not anemic • 5 -anemic Treat 4’s and 5’s Sometimes 3’s Photo from www. sheepandgoat. com

FAMACHA© • Must be trained by a veterinarian • Keep records • Cull animals repeatedly treated • Treat less, save money!

Smart Drenching • Find out which dewormers work – Talk to your local veterinarian • Weigh animals prior to deworming – Don’t under-dose • Deliver dewormer over the tongue, in the back of the throat • Withhold feed 12 to 24 hours prior • De-worm only animals that need it! Photo from http: //bedford. extension. psu. edu

Other techniques: copper wire • Copper oxide wire particles (COWP) have been proven to be an effective method of controlling H. contortus (barber pole worms) in sheep & goats • COWP can be an effective component of a holistic parasite management strategy. • Should not be the only method of parasite management http: //animetal. com. tr

How to use COWP • Purchase copper boluses – Copasure©, available in 12. 5 g and 25 g boluses • Obtain smaller gel capsules – Available at your local pharmacy or health food store, also available from veterinary supply at times. • Repackage cattle bolus into smaller gel capsule to make 0. 5 g dose – Size 1 gelatin capsules filled 1/3 full – Size 3 capsules filled 3/4 full • Administer bolus with a pill gun designed for pets or wooden dowel with PVC pipe

How it works

Copper oxide wire particles • Animals should receive no more than • Four (if 0. 5 or 1 g is used) or • Two (if 2 or 4 g is used) Per worm season • Effective in reducing abomasal (H. contortus) worms only and not intestinal worms. • COWP should not be the only method used for controlling internal parasites.

Other techniques: condensed tannins • Effects of tannins vary depending on type, concentration, and the animal consuming the tannins. • Potential positive effects: – Increase in by-pass protein – Reduction in bloating, increased milk production – Reduction in internal parasite numbers, egg output, & hatchability. • Potential negative effects: – Reduced intake and reduced digestibility, leading to a decline in animal productivity. – Negative effects are seen more often when CT concentration is high (above 55 g CT/kg DM in the forage)

Other techniques: condensed tannins Condensed tannin (CT) content in different forage species. * (Adapted from Min and Hart, 2003 and Min et al. , 2005). Forage CT, g/kg of DM %DM Birdsfoot trefoil 48 4. 8 Big trefoil 77 7. 7 Sanfoin 29 2. 9 51 -84 5. 1 -8. 4 0. 5 . 05 Sericea lespedeza 46 -152 4. 6 -15. 2 Perennial ryegrass 1. 8 0. 18 Chicory 3. 1 0. 31 Crabgrass/tall fescue mixture 3. 2 0. 32 Sulla Lucerne (alfalfa) *The standard used for analysis will affect the results. For these studies, a Quebracho standard was used.

Condensed tannins: Sericea lespedeza • High-tannin forage • Scientifically proven to reduce parasite loads in sheep and goats. • Research has shown that Sericea is effective against internal parasites when grazed or when fed in dried forms, such as hay or pellets.

Other techniques • Garlic • Nematode-trapping Fungus – Fungus traps parasite larva in the feces – Not commercially available yet • Vaccines – Not available yet

Conclusion • Parasites are the biggest problem for sheep and goat producers • No technique is 100% effective • Several techniques should be used • Select for resistant animals • Do not over-treat (causes resistance!) http: //www. flickr. com/photos/mikeboehmer/147 0921528/in/set-72157602227248322/

For more information • See ATTRA publications at www. attra. ncat. org • Managing Internal Parasites • “Tools for Managing” series: • Copper Wire • Sericea Lespedeza • Animal Selection • Pasture Management • American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control at www. acsrpc. org

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