The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: ZacB on April 23, 2019, 07:31:50 am
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Apologies if your eating your shreddies while viewing this :eyelashes:
Noticed some white flattish sluggie looking things on a freshly laid lamb poo - suspect worms or fluke being shed as they were all treated with Benizmole approx 10 days ago following a recent worm count via Mole Country Stores -
We have received the egg count results back for your sheep.
They currently have a count of 350 strongyle eggs per gram & 200 coccidial Oocysts per gram. They have no nematodirus eggs.
The only one of these which you need to be concerned about is the strongyle results. As you have no previous worming history, you can start with a group one wormer, such as benzimole. This will cover your strongyle eggs as well as tape worm and liver fluke, if you wished to treat for this. After using this treatment, another count in around 10 weeks would allow you make sure the burden has disappeared.
Would appreciate some opinions on what exactly they are.
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I think they are tapeworm 'segments' they break off and leave the live worm intact. but if you wormed 10 days ago with a wormer that treats Tapeworm its probably the worms breaking up and dying.
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Looks like sheep tapeworm, which would seem to have been covered by the wormer you gave. I would have thought it would act quickly and the whole worms would have been ejected within 24-48 hours. So I would be asking the vet why you are seeing segments now.
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As I understand it, though, tapeworms aren't really a cause of concern: I had a whole (I assume, it was loooong) tapeworm come out of my ewe's bum last year :yuck:, and the advice I was given was not to worry about it.
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Tapeworm, nothing at all to worry about.
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I know we are told the sheep tapeworm is “of little economic importance” and not to worry about it, but these are my thoughts.
Other worms affect the meat, so reduce carcass value, hence have greater economic importance.
Some other worms cause diarrhoea, loss of condition, etc, so economic impact in keeping lambs for longer, feeding for longer.
However, a girt long tapeworm living in your gut must be taking in nutrients, which the farmer / keeper is paying for. Indirect costs and less than getting a leg condemned, but still a financial implication in my book.
However, a few sheep with a few worms that they can handle has to be balanced against the cost and stress of gathering and treating, the meds, using chemicals if that’s an issue for you, etc.
But in this particular instance, it is a concern that the flock were given meds which should have cleared out the tapeworm along with the more significant strongyles ten days previously. Therefore were the meds also not effective for other worms, as well as the tapeworms?
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Thanks for the reply’s.
Having just checked records it was actually 6 days prior to taking the photo that Benizmole was given - I’ve a date in the diary for the next worm check so we’ll see what the outcome is then.
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At least you get a reply! Sent mine off a couple of weeks ago, still no response
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Once worms die in the sheep they can take two weeks or so to be expelled in the poo so do not worry at finding dead worms for a while yet.
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Once worms die in the sheep they can take two weeks or so to be expelled in the poo so do not worry at finding dead worms for a while yet.
Well I’ve learned something today :). Ain’t TAS great :hug: