Goat Parasites

Responsible drenching of Goats
http://tinyurl.com/6ov7f

The Australian Society for Parasitology
http://parasite.org.au/
Good for pictures of parasites

Parasitology Research & Encyclopedic Reference of Parasitology
http://parasitology.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/login/frame.php

Sustainable parasite Control
http://www.worminfo.org/index.htm
Internal parasites are one of the most important causes of death and reduced production  in livestock in the developing world. This site provides access to information on the control of internal parasites in developing Asian countries. It is hosted by the partners involved in two research projects that aim to reduce the impact of parasites.

THE CONTROL OF INTERNAL PARASITES IN RUMINANTS
http://www.eap.mcgill.ca/AgroBio/ab370-04e.htm

Common Internal Parasites of Goats in Florida
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/DS164

RESULTS OF A DEWORMER RESISTANCE SURVEY IN OKLAHOMA GOAT HERDS
http://www2.luresext.edu/goats/library/field/miller03.pdf

Nutrition
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/livestockipm.html#nutrition
Nutrition plays a major role in how well animals are able to overcome the detrimental effects of internal parasites. In fact, the signs of parasitism can often be used as a symptom of some other problem, usually poor nutrition. In an article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1943, researchers showed that sheep placed on a high plane of nutrition were able to reduce their worm burden significantly and many of the sheep were even able to cure themselves.
By-pass Protein
Researchers in New Zealand have been studying the effects of by-pass protein on parasitized sheep. They have found that by increasing the amount of protein that is not degraded or broken down in the rumen, animals lose less weight than those animals that were not fed the increased level of by-pass protein. These researchers used fish meal as their source of by-pass protein. However, there are forages that also have an increased level of by-pass protein because they contain tannins. These include birdsfoot trefoil and lespedeza. The protein in native warm season grasses also has a higher level of by-pass protein.
Phosphorus
There is also research that shows that when the phosphorus level of the diet was at a level of .28% phosphorus on a dry matter basis, the weight gain of lambs infected with parasites was increased by 40% over those lambs fed a low (.18%) phosphorus level diet.

Goat Wormers
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/wormers.htm

Breeding for sustainable worm control
This web site provides detailed information on breeding for worm resistance as an  effective and sustainable means to control worms in sheep. It incorporates information from the Nemesis worm control research project. This page introduces breeding for worm resistance and links to further information.
http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=blank&id=SWCSustainableWormControl 

Ruminant worm eggs: Commonly found worm eggs (has photos - good for your fecal egg counts!)
http://www.rvc.ac.uk/review/Parasitology/RuminantEggs/Common.htm

Common Internal Parasites of Goats in Florida (photos of bottle jaw)
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/DS164

Factors affecting internal parasite control in ruminants
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/organic/organic_14b.php

Alternative Methods of Controlling Internal Parasites in Ruminants
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/organic/organic_14c.php

Condensed tannins - part of an integrated control strategy against gastro-intestinal nematodes in ruminants
http://www.fibl.net/english/research/veterinary-parasitology/tannins.php

Thiabendazole
http://www.elephantcare.org/Drugs/thiabend.htm
Thiabendazole is indicated (labeled) for the removal of the following parasites in sheep and goats: Haemonchus spp., Ostertagia spp., Trichostrongylus spp., Nematodirus spp., Cooperia spp., Chabertia spp., Bunostomum spp. and Oesophagostomum spp.

Efficacy of IVOMEC® (ivermectin) 1% Injection and DECTOMAX® (doramectin) 1% Injectable Solution Against Sarcoptes scabiei var suis
http://www.vet.ksu.edu/cdroms/merial/Swine/00023.htm

Comparing Pharmacokinetics of IVOMEC® (ivermectin) 1% Injection and DECTOMAX® (doramectin) 1% Injectable in Cattle
http://www.vet.ksu.edu/cdroms/merial/Ivomec.1/98031.htm

Calves treated with IVOMEC® EPRINEX® (eprinomectin) Pour-On gained significantly more weight that calves treated with DECTOMAX® (doramectin) 1% Injectable.
http://www.vet.ksu.edu/cdroms/merial/Evidence/11.mi81761.htm

This site is a new one (from Australia) that has lots of information on wormers and how to control worms
http://www.wormboss.com.au/ 

Fasciola hepatica (the sheep liver fluke)
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~parasite/fasciola.html

Identifying Liver Fluke Snails
http://tinyurl.com/78syk

INTENSIVE ROTATIONAL GRAZING REDUCES NEMATODE FAECAL EGG COUNTS IN SHEEP ON THE CICERONE  PROJECT
http://www.publish.csiro.au/?act=view_file&file_id=SA0401022.pdf  or http://tinyurl.com/9q78u

Comparing Alternatives for Controlling Internal Parasites in Dairy Goats Herbal vs. Chemical
http://www.apolonia.net/Holistic_Goats/analysis.html

Pasture and animal management for control of gastrointestinal nematodes. Daniel Miller*1 and T.M.Craig 2 , 1 E (Kika)de la Garza Institute for Goat Research, Langston Univ. OK, 2 Texas A &M University . http://www.adsa.org/jds/2002abs/jnabs61.pdf

Internal Parasite Control in Grazing Ruminants Joseph Tritschler Virginia State University
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/animalscience/sheep/wisline_03/parasite_control.pdf

Management of Barber pole Worm in Sheep and Goats in the Southern U.S. Joan Burke Research Animal Scientist USDA, ARS, Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center,  Booneville, AR
http://www.scsrpc.org/Files/Files/Misc/Producer%20publication.pdf
Supplemental feeding should not be overlooked as a means to control parasites. By  increasing dietary energy, protein, or both, lambs and late pregnant or lactating ewes  can become less affected by parasites. The health of the animal is improved and animals  consume less infected pasture. The body condition score (an index of nutrition; 1 =  emaciated, 5 = obese) should be above 2. A complete ration has been fed to lambs at the  Booneville station resulting in nearly complete reduction in fecal egg counts and reduced  anemia. More research is being conducted on this diet as a creep feed.

Some Tips
http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?type=faq&id=LivestockWormTreatment&stylesheet=divisionFaq 
The Key To Smarter Drenching You can help to maintain the efficiency of white (BZ) and  Avermectin-like drenches (macrocyclic lactones) by remembering a few points:

To kill worms the drug concentration must be above a "toxic" or "threshold" level. We  could call it the "killing zone".  The longer that this "killing zone" occurs then the more effective the drench will be.

Tip 1

Tip 2

TIP 3

Tip 4

Procedures for doing fecals
http://www.goatwisdom.com/chl0laboratory/genlab.html
http://www.imagecyte.com/parasites.html
http://fiascofarm.com/goats/fecals.htm
http://www.goatworld.com/articles/worms/course3.shtml
 

The following publications can be downloaded in full from the publisher for a fee:

Nutritional programming of young sheep to improve later-life production and resistance to  nematode parasites: a brief review http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA03051.htm  M. R. Knox, K. Deng and J. V. Nolan
Abstract
Nutritional supplementation, particularly with high quality protein, can increase the  resistance and resilience of sheep to infection with gastrointestinal nematode parasites.  Nonetheless, this approach to improved nematode parasite control has not been widely  adopted, probably because the cost of supplements is usually greater than the immediate  production benefits that are conferred. Evidence is presented to support the proposition  that long-term effects on liveweight, wool production, reproductive performance and  immunity to nematode infection can be programmed through strategic supplementation of  sheep during periods of nutritional scarcity. Where optimal efficiency of lifetime  production is desired, particular attention should be paid to ensuring that nutritional  needs are met and negative impacts of nematode parasitism are minimised during lactation  and around the time of weaning.

Anthelmintic resistance in sheep nematodes in Australia: the need for new approaches
http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA02229.htm
R. B. Besier and S. C. J. Love
Sheep worm infections increasingly threaten the profitability of the Australian sheep  industry as the prevalence and severity of anthelmintic resistance continues to rise.  Field experiments have demonstrated that the use of drenches that are of reduced efficacy  due to resistance can reduce wool production by 10% and significantly reduce sheep sale  value. The major factor in benzimidazole (BZ) and levamisole (LV) resistance, and in part  macrocyclic lactone (ML) resistance in Haemonchus contortus, is considered to be the  excessive frequency of treatment. In Ostertagia circumcincta, ML resistance appears to be  related chiefly to interactions between the environment and the time of treatment, where  resistant worms surviving drenches are not significantly diluted by worms acquired after  treatment. Resistance to the BZs and LV affects almost all Australian sheep farms, and on  most drench efficacy is now below a useful level. ML resistance is common in O.  circumcincta in Western Australia, and increasingly prevalent in H. contortus in summer  rainfall regions. Closantel resistance is a major threat to H. contortus control in  northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. The organophosphate naphthalophos,  especially when used in combination with other compounds, has proved useful although  variable in efficacy. It is essential that the sheep industry adopts approaches that  minimise reliance on chemical control, such as the breeding of worm resistant sheep, use  of specific grazing strategies for worm control and apply flock treatment tactics to  minimise further resistance development. New non-chemical technologies under development  are also expected to contribute to more sustainable worm control. Nutritional regimens  that minimise the impact of worm infections and enhance the immune response require  investigation and integration into sustainable control practices.

Nutritional programming of young sheep to improve later-life production and resistance to nematode parasites: a brief review http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA03051.htm  M. R. Knox, K. Deng and J. V. Nolan
Abstract
Nutritional supplementation, particularly with high quality protein, can increase the  resistance and resilience of sheep to infection with gastrointestinal nematode parasites.  Nonetheless, this approach to improved nematode parasite control has not been widely  adopted, probably because the cost of supplements is usually greater than the immediate  production benefits that are conferred. Evidence is presented to support the proposition  that long-term effects on liveweight, wool production, reproductive performance and  immunity to nematode infection can be programmed through strategic supplementation of  sheep during periods of nutritional scarcity. Where optimal efficiency of lifetime  production is desired, particular attention should be paid to ensuring that nutritional  needs are met and negative impacts of nematode parasitism are minimised during lactation  and around the time of weaning.

Impact of non-protein nitrogen supplements on nematode infected sheep
http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA03008.htm
M. R. Knox
Abstract
Inadequate nutrition and gastrointestinal nematode parasitism are major constraints to  livestock production. In livestock rearing enterprises that rely on low quality roughage  for the provision of digestible carbohydrate, the most critical nutritional deficiency is  often nitrogen. The provision of non-protein nitrogen in the diet can compensate for this  deficiency and enable increased productivity from the available feed resource. Numerous  studies have shown that increasing the supply of protein for intestinal absorption can  alleviate the detrimental effects of nematode parasites on production and can also result  in improved protective immunological responses to infection. In many situations, the  practical implementation of such a strategy for improved nematode parasite control is  hampered by the high cost and/or unavailability of high quality protein sources for use  as ruminant livestock feed. Evidence is presented from studies with young sheep to  demonstrate that supplementation with urea can achieve similar qualitative benefits in  reducing the effects and level of infection with parasitic nematodes to that achieved  with protein supplements. Urea–molasses blocks are a popular low-cost means of delivering  non-protein nitrogen and experimental evidence shows that the use of urea–molasses blocks  can have a beneficial impact on enhancing the resilience and resistance of sheep to  infection with nematode parasites. Consistent with other nutritional studies, urea  appeared to confer increased benefits proportional to increasing supplement intake as  shown by reduced pathological effects, parasite numbers and faecal egg output. It is  suggested that application of these findings in Australian pasture systems may require  revision of current systems for the delivery of non-protein nitrogen supplements to  increase the level of urea consumed.

Effects of protein supplementation of young sheep on resistance development and  resilience to parasitic nematodes
http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA03004.htm
J. W. Steel
Abstract
The influence of dietary protein content, particularly the supply of metabolisable  protein, on immunocompetence and on resilience to pathogenic effects during continuous
exposure of young sheep to infective larvae is reviewed for the most important abomasal  and small intestinal nematodes infecting young sheep in Australian grazing systems. In  lambs infected with Haemonchus contortus supplementary protein improves both development  of immunity and resilience in breeds of sheep that are susceptible to haemonchosis, but  in relatively resistant breeds dietary supplementation appears unnecessary. Recent  studies indicate that the increased protein requirements of Merino weaners parasitised by  H. contortus would be met by diets containing about 190 g crude protein/kg dry matter,  depending on the rumen degradability of the dietary protein source and level of feed  intake. Some evidence exists for an enhanced immune response to Teladorsagia circumcincta  in lambs receiving an increased supply of protein at the intestines.

Response to protein supplementation of lambs infected with Trichostrongylus colubriformis  depends on the metabolisable protein content of the basal diet and on the period of  exposure to incoming larvae. Where the basal diet only meets requirements for maintenance  or low growth rates, increased supply of rumen undegradable protein enhances immune  expression in terms of reducing faecal egg count and expelling adult worms, but does not  appear to limit the initial establishment of incoming larvae. Effects on growth rate and  wool production are most pronounced during the period of worm expulsion, indicating that  this phase of the immune response competes with production when nutrient resources, and
particularly protein, are limited.

Field trials in the Armidale region have shown that supplementation with protein meals of  Merino weaners, exposed to natural infection from pasture, can reduce faecal egg count  and improve resilience in terms of both growth rate and wool production. These effects  may persist for some time after supplementation ceases. Further work is needed to  determine the generality of these responses in other sheep-producing regions and  genotypes and to establish cost-effective supplementation strategies.