Author Topic: Worms getting the better of me! (Read 2307 times)

Hillview Farm · « **on:** August 18, 2014, 07:24:04 am »

I'm going to say sorry now for the long post, I need to give you all the details!

So end of July I had a lamb suddenly loose weight big style followed by a couple more. I took a FEC ofhe really bad lamb and gave her a dose of vecoxan as I had a feeling it was cocci! Count came back with 1800epg for roundworm and 23k!! Epg of cocci so under instruction I vecoxan'd the group and gave them an ivermectin based clear wormer for the round worm.

Two weeks later lambs started scouring so I did a pooled count for the group and an individual count for rhe worse scouring lamb.

Group came back at 450epg roundworm and 250epg cocci.
Individual came back at 750epg roundworm and less than 50 cocci.

Wormed again the scouring lambs for roundworm.

How long should the scouring take to stop? I'm now worried they have wormer resistant worms although I've never wormed before or had aby issues and the ground they are on as we moved farms this year hasn't had any stock on it for quite some years!

Obviously I will be talking to my vet this morning but if anyone could share some advice it would be great!
Anything I've missed?

Foobar · « **Reply #1 on:** August 18, 2014, 07:31:07 am »

You haven't said whether the lambs were moved onto a different pasture at any point?

Me · « **Reply #2 on:** August 18, 2014, 08:22:19 am »

You either have a very high pasture challenge, you gave the wormer incorrectly (eg. wrong dose per weight etc) or you have resistant worms.

Did you treat all incoming stock with Zolvix and keep off all grass for 48 hrs? Or did they go straight out? Not just the breed affected - all stock?

Backinwellies · « **Reply #3 on:** August 18, 2014, 08:46:46 am »

the most common resistance is to white wormer (though it does exist to clear as well) so this is not likely.... especially as the land has been sheep free for a long time .... will be interesting to hear what vet suggests.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #4 on:** August 18, 2014, 09:11:35 am »

Weigh the heaviest lamb - stand on bathroom scales holding it, then weigh yourself and subtract. Dose them all to that weight. Calibrate your dosing gun, to check it's delivering the correct amount. Put on the same ground for 24-48 hours after worming then move to pasture that's not been grazed (for the longer the better). Used to be that sheep coming onto your holding were drenched with a white and a clear drench. Zolvix could now be substituted.

Me · « **Reply #5 on:** August 18, 2014, 09:20:49 am »

Pre-Zolvix we did trials on a failing sheep farm in Scotland and found triple resistance which effectively finished the sheep farming enterprise there so I would advise a quarantine drench with Zolvix rather than the combination idea... though one day no doubt a Zolvix resistant worm will survive and prosper

Hellybee · « **Reply #6 on:** August 18, 2014, 06:21:57 pm »

Give em a multi fit dose too x

shep53 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 18, 2014, 07:38:58 pm »

I assume your vet has asked for a worm egg count to check that the wormer has worked , ivermectin is a good wormer with a residual effect for about 2wks unlike white or yellow wormers which have no residual effect , vecoxin also has no residual effect so cocci are picked up quickly after use . If the lambs intestines are badly damaged it may always have a problem .