Author Topic: Cost of wormers (Read 5243 times)

Roxy · « **on:** June 25, 2014, 01:14:04 pm »

I have wormed the kids, and now want to treat for cocci .....but will not have enough to do them all. Been looking at the price of cocci stuff, and its mega expensive. As I am cutting back on my animals, its unlikely I will need a full bottle. No one near enough to share with, and sheep farmers use theirs as they have more animals. Before I order, does anyone know who is the cheapest to buy on line. Cost me a fortune for wormer, so do not want bankrupting any further!!

Kymw90 · « **Reply #1 on:** June 25, 2014, 01:34:29 pm »

Have you tried wilderstore.com? Its in spain but reputable and I remember seeing cocci stuff on there. I actually treated my two in an emergency with chicken coxoid because the girl had blood in her poo and it was clearly cocci and she was beginning to go pale. So I took about 2ml and diluted in a syringe and got it down her throat, 1 a day for 5 days and it cleared it right up. I'm not saying its something everyone should do as a regular thing or a treatment but if you have a particular goat that is not looking good, defo buy some coxoid for chickens and give it. Could save their life

Dogwalker · « **Reply #2 on:** June 25, 2014, 09:34:20 pm »

Have you tried your vet.
Mine will dispense vecoxan in small amounts as required.
Last year I had a big syringe full, this year a 100ml bottle, about £10 I think it was.

little blue · « **Reply #3 on:** June 28, 2014, 10:33:09 pm »

ask round the vets Roxy - I emailed the one on Ashbourne Airfield to see if disbudding charges were more reasonable (they were, but still outrageously expensive!)

You can ask without being registered!

We had something last year, not too expensive, for cocci / worms / prorumen, just enough for what we needed

Roxy · « **Reply #4 on:** June 29, 2014, 01:03:56 am »

My last bottle of cocci stuff came from the vets, and was big money, and I have more kids and lambs this time. Plus, my vets is now a 24 mile round trip, so cost of fuel too. Local vets where I used to be, are right funny and want to see the animals when you ask for something. No other vets nearby unfortunately.

jinglejoys · « **Reply #5 on:** June 29, 2014, 12:20:13 pm »

Yes Roxy another con by vets because they have the monopoly
Last time I wormed my goats I tried to do it the legal way to see what happened.Took samples in,got told it was the commonest name for worms and no sign of Cocci so then got told I'd have to use Decox!!!!!
Told them DECOX was for cocci which they had said I did NOT have and then told I'd have to ttake it up with Bayer...pointed out BAYER MADE DECOX I DID NOT HAVE COCCI so then they said they'd have to go away and ask.Came bacck and said I'd have to use Panicrap (Er yes well any idiot can point to that as it is the commonest one used...don't need a vet for that information!) I pointed out that they had already been told my goats were rezsistant and I the reason I was wasting my time with a vet was because I was going through the correct coarse to get another wormer which was what I was legally required to do.
Absolutely no help they said I'd have to go to the local Farm (Huh thats a joke!) supplies.THAT place that has school kids serving who know nothing about farming and is more interested in the ride on mower electric gate alpaca brigade,will not sell me anything because I have goats which have nothing on Licence....so much for following the rules no wonder no one keeps proper goats anymore!!

Roxy · « **Reply #6 on:** June 29, 2014, 03:29:01 pm »

Its no wonder goat owners are confused about wormers - when the vets seem to be too!!

It has always surprised me that I go to the vets, ask for wormers, and the girls says she needs to ask the vet. Whispered conversation out back, then back comes receptionist and vet, looks at me, says yes, fine. Girl taps out sticker with my name and address, picks up bottle from shelf and sticks her sticker on it. Says its for sheep use. Hands it to me, and then takes my card and charges large sum of money.

Yet, I can drive to our local farm supplies. Ask girl behind counter for exactly the same thing, and she plonks it on the counter without a word. I never mention its for goats. And its cheaper than the vets.

Y

jinglejoys · « **Reply #7 on:** June 30, 2014, 11:36:07 am »

Well as the vets make money everytime they sell it there's the reason they campain to keep it (Like horses passports,there's three lots interested to fleece you there,the vets,the breed societys and the passport agency)

Anke · « **Reply #8 on:** June 30, 2014, 03:24:41 pm »

Why do you need to treat for cocci? Do you have an outbreak? I only treat for it if and when one of them scours (and by the time they are 3 months old they have natural immunity anyway).

Yes Vecoxan is big money, but you can give it to very young kids as part of their bottle (or drench the 5ml or so they need into them) and it works quickly and painless. If you keep the bottle out of light, and within normal temperature range it should last for ages...

Some vet will dispense a couple of 100mls, so should be much cheaper.

It really doesn't help to bash the vets all the time - most sheep farmers know their stuff now and only use the vets when they are really stuck - as a goatkeeper you have to do it too. Get yourself John Matthews "Diseases of the goat", it's all in there.

Roxy · « **Reply #9 on:** June 30, 2014, 03:44:30 pm »

Yes, I do have to treat for cocci. Two years ago, for the first time in all my years of goat keeping we got it among the kids - but only the Anglo Nubians. I have had tests on my adult goats this year, and it showed a higher than average cocci in some of them. Although the kid and lambs are showing no signs, the vet has advised me to go ahead and treat anyway. My stock are late born, so not yet three months.

Yes, I am familiar with John Matthews and his book. He was most helpful when I spoke with him after the vets mess up, and our new vet carries this bible in the car with her, and does say she finds it a Godsend.

Anke · « **Reply #10 on:** June 30, 2014, 04:00:05 pm »

Unless your kids are scouring there is no need to treat, if you treat them preventatively without any signs of an actual outbreak you only slow their natural development of resistance to BAD cocci down.

I have had a high cocci level in my goatlings a couple of years back (took part in a testing programme o test were free) - but no symptoms at all. As there are good and bad cocci you don't know without a detailed test for specific strains of cocci present if you have too many of the bad ones...

I have had it in lambs a few years back, but on advice of the vet not treated routinely after that - never had another one. As my kids are inside until they are about 8 weeks old, they do pick it up in the shed sometimes and THEN I treat all of them in that pen/age group. I have found it's the ones that have not had maybe the full dose of colostrum that are most likely to get it (both in lambs and kids).

Roxy · « **Reply #11 on:** June 30, 2014, 04:36:44 pm »

Thank you for that info, Anke. When I got the outbreak, obviously I did not realise until the kids involved started scouring. I just assumed now, that I should treat them, rather than wait and see if they got it. But it appears that is not right, so thank you for enlightening me.

From what the vet said, the cocci in the adult goats will not cause them any problem. Cannot identify which one it is, as we sent in a random selection of droppings. Although I had labelled whose was whose, they tested them as one, to save costs I assume.

My kids have been out during the day from a week old, but come in to a field shelter at night.

So it looks as if I may as well not bother with the cocci drench.

shygirl · « **Reply #12 on:** June 30, 2014, 06:51:44 pm »

is cocci something to worry about? i wasnt really aware of it til this thread.
is it similar to what poultry get, and get medicated feed for?

ballingall · « **Reply #13 on:** June 30, 2014, 11:41:03 pm »

Quote from: Roxy on June 30, 2014, 03:44:30 pm

Yes, I do have to treat for cocci. Two years ago, for the first time in all my years of goat keeping we got it among the kids - but only the Anglo Nubians. I have had tests on my adult goats this year, and it showed a higher than average cocci in some of them. Although the kid and lambs are showing no signs, the vet has advised me to go ahead and treat anyway. My stock are late born, so not yet three months.

We find that bringing in different goats- ie if you bought in any stock 2-3 years, it seems that different holdings can have different strains of cocci. A new goat might bring in a strain they are relatively resistant to, because it's been on their home premises for years. But your own goats might not be as resistant to that strain, and it could cause an outbreak. The reverse can be true as well, and sometimes it's the newer arrived goat which gets sick.

It's what we have noticed anyway.

Beth