Worms and parasites are a nasty mess with our animals. If we have not properly de-wormed our animals they will become unthrifty and sick. The next picture shows exactly what our animals and us, as our animal's managers, are facing.
This picture is known as "The Deadly Dew Drop." It is a photo micrograph of one dew drop on a blade of grass. In the dew drop you can see over 100 infective larvae of worms. Now, if this is just one dew drop, how many dew drops does a cow, sheep, goat or horse eat in a morning when the dew is on the ground? And how many infective larvae are they swallowing? Scary stuff, isn’t it?
This is why veterinarians are so intent on proper deworming. We all need to use the proper dose, route of administration and get it done at the proper time. Dose and route of administration can be found on the label of the product. If you have problems reading the labels, please, call your veterinarian and ask their advice. Timing is another story. Normally, I like to deworm cattle twice a year, spring and fall. By doing it at these times our animals will be fecal negative and allow them to get the most gain from the grass that we having growing.
Horses should be dewormed quarterly unless we have had problems with that horse or on that farm. Then we will be deworming every six to eight weeks. This is due to the fact that strongyle larvae will migrate through the cranial mesenteric artery, the main blood supply to the intestines of a horse, and cause either blood clots or aneurisms. The blood clots will cause mini strokes to the intestines and cause colic. If an aneurism ever ruptures, then the horse bleeds out and dies.
Sheep and goats should be dewormed according to FAMACHA. I also recommend having a few fecal tests run on the flock or herd once or twice yearly. This will make sure you are not getting any other worms in your herd. FAMACHA will only detect the barber pole worm, Haemonchus contortus. If you have not heard about this method, please, call your veterinarian or extension agent.
Dr. Tim O'Neill owns Country Veterinary Clinic in Farmington, Ark.
