Parasite Control
• BIG problem (acquire a great variety of parasites, some common to sheep, goats, cattle, and horses)
• Stocking Density
➢ Alpacas: 5-7 animals per acre
➢ Llamas: 3-4 animals per acre
• Control must be tailored to each individual farm, what works on one farm may not work on one right down the road. Work with you local veterinarian to determine what problems you may have.
• Fecal examinations
➢ Identification of which parasites are present
➢ Sugar solution with centrifugation (Stoll’s) is the method of choice
➢ < 10 animals, test all
➢ >10 animals, test 10%
➢ egg count before deworming, then 10 to 14 days after; should be 90% reduction
• Sanitation! (dung piles, marshy areas)
• Pasture rotation, rest pastures
• BCS
• Deworming only part of program
• Gastrointestinal parasites
➢ Roundworms (strongyles, nematodirus, trichuris, haemonchus, ostertagia, etc.)
➢ Tapeworms
➢ Coccidia, Toxoplasma, Eperythrozoon
➢ Deworming
• frequency depends on stocking density, cleanliness of pasture, fecal egg counts; varies between farms
• Twice a year? (spring & late autumn); Every 3 to 4 months?; After rains; Peripartum?
• The dewormer used will depend upon parasites present:
• ***Fenbendazole (Panacur®, 10cc of 10% suspension per 100#)
• Oxfendazole (Synanthic®, 4 cc of 22% suspension per 100#)
• Albendazole (Valbazen®, 6 cc per 100#) NOT IN PREGNANT FEMALES
• For whips & nematodirus, give 3 to 5 days, re-treat in 6 to 8 wks.
• Ivermectin not effective on whips or nematodirus
• Meningeal Worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenius)
➢ Natural host = deer
➢ Intermediate host = snail
➢ Camelids are “aberrant hosts”, therefore clinical signs are severe
➢ Ingest snails/larvae, migrate through gut and travel to spinal cord
➢ Various neurologic signs—staggering, falling, depression, downer animals
➢ PREVENTION!!
• Pasture management (deer-proof fence?, deforestation?, molluscides)
• High-risk time of year
• What to use: Ivomec (1cc of 1% per 70# SQ) every 4 wks
Dectomax (1cc per 50# SQ) every 4 to 6 wks
THIS IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR PANACUR, ETC. |
