The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Derbyshire Hillbilly on September 06, 2017, 11:17:15 am
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Hi, i weaned my lambs around two months ago. At the same time i wormed them.
Last week i moved them into a field I'd done hay on which is green now - and gradually they've lost condition and are scouring pretty bad.
There are a lot of blackberrys in the hedges there - could it be that / the change of field which has upset them?
They look perfectly healthy in themselves.
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Most likely the wet leafy grass in which case they should dry up as they adjust . Could be worms so if you do a quick FEC they you'll know and can treat accordingly . Since you say they have lost condition maybe PINE , many lambs once weaned have mineral deficiency problems, a blood test will tell if any deficiencies , copper deficient can cause scouring , cobolt causes failure to thrive . While doing the FEC you could ask about fluke as this could also cause them to loose condition slowly .
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Fluke? Will be a lot of it around this autumn and winter given how mild last winter was and how wet the summer has been. The grass has a lot of water in it this time of year especially given the wet weather too so it could be that. We were lucky and got our last lambs away mid August so didn't need to fluke them but did my ewes last week with fasinex (only thing is watch the withdrawal period it's quite long).
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Thanks guys, i wormed with fasimec which has fluke treatment in it i think? I will get an FEC test though - are the ones from mole valley good enough?
A little update since posting - I've noticed a lot of little white fatty deposits in the droppings. They're not worms, more of a flake of white fleshy stuff. I'll attach a picture....
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That's segments of tapeworm. Worming with Panacur will get rid.
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Most likely the wet leafy grass in which case they should dry up as they adjust.
How long does that usually take though, Shep?
Some of ours are exactly the same as Derbyshire Hillbilly's. They've been scouring for six weeks now (i.e. ever since they were weaned). Exactly the same happened last year (https://www.accidentalsmallholder.net/forum/index.php?topic=78968.0), which I never really got to the bottom of. It seems to be the boys that suffer most, and strangely not all of them. It really checked their growth last year though, when I wanted them to 'finish'.
I've dropped a sample off today for an FEC, and if that comes back negative, will ask them for a blood test. Any other ideas are welcome though!
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Thanks, I didn't know they were tapeworm. I just looked and Fasimec Duo doesn't do tapeworm so I rang Mole Valley for some Panacur. They don't do that but said Benzimole does the same thing. Have you any experience of using this?
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http://www.scops.org.uk/content/Know-Your-Anthelmintics-2012.pdf (http://www.scops.org.uk/content/Know-Your-Anthelmintics-2012.pdf)
The above PDF document is almost like your worming bible... lists most wormers and what they treat. Not sure about benzimole but mvf staff are normally pretty knowledgable. It seems most white wormers treat tapeworm and benzimole has albendazole as the active ingredient which is a white wormer active ingredient. There's quite widespread resistance to white wormers though so it would be worth doing a FEC before and after worming to make sure it's worked ????????
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They were fasimec'd two weeks ago - would it be ok to use another wormer on them now?
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I used zolvix and dectomax (also a wormer but I used it for the scab prevention rather than worms) within a couple of days. Might be worth just checking with your vet though just on the safe side
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Tape worms are considered to be a very minor problem as far as internal parasite go , eggs and segments are common . Womble normally lambs scour on new grass for a week or so and don't noticeably loose condition , so if no worms or fluke eggs or COCCI in the FEC then you need to look at bloods for min deficiency eg copper / iodine / cobolt
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Thanks Shep, The vet has confirmed the clear FEC, so I'm going to have blood samples taken, and will report back in due course :thumbsup: .
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Hi everyone,
I've just given them the white wormer, hopefully it will prove successful. I don't have any scales so had to guess the weight - will it matter if I was say 1ml incorrect either side?
I'll get an FEC test to see what happens and whether a blood test needs doing, how long should I leave it before doing one?
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Hi Womble a clear fec on fluke eggs and cocci not just worms ? You could safely give double the dose and it is better to be on the high side than to UNDER dose as this leads to resistance . Normaly you retest about 2 wks after dosing to test efficacy , speak to vet . You can blood test anytime as this has nothing to do with worms or wormers