parasite control

The best way to avoid parasites is to keep your animals from being contaminated.  Animals acquire parasites by eating grass or feed contaminated by infected manure. 

Camelids have some natural parasite resistance. 

• Llamas and alpacas dung in piles.
• Llamas (and goats, too) prefer to browse, or eat taller weeds that are off the ground. 
• Through grazing, alpacas (and sheep, too) resist parasites by becoming immune to them, although alpacas acquire less resistance than sheep.

The greatest parasite problems occur when camelids, especially llamas, are combined with sheep and goats, and are forced to graze short pastures. 

Keep parasites off of your pasture by confining any animals away from grass (in a stall or dry lot) for at least 72 hours after worming.  During this time, the infected/dewormed animal will be shedding parasite eggs.  (Worming an animal, and then turning it immediately back onto the same pasture may help some heavily parasitized animals, but does very little for long-term control.) 

Fecal egg exams can help you answer these questions:

• Does my animal have parasites?
• If so, what kind? (Haemonchus, or abomasal, and Trichuris, or whipworm, are the most significant.)
• Is my wormer effective?

How do I make my pasture free from parasites?

• Remove all camelids, sheep, and goats from the pasture for a period of 6 months during the winter, or 3 months in the summer.  Summer heat and dryness are more deadly to parasties in Indiana than winter conditions.
• Graze horses or cattle to "vacuum" parasites off the pasture.  Few parasites are shared with cattle, and none are shared with horses.
• Cut the pasture for hay.
• Clean up camelid dung piles regularly.

There is some genetic resistance to parasites, so keep that in mind when selecting herd replacements.

Preferred Wormers:

• Panacur/Safeguard (fenbendazole) 2X horse dose.  Very safe, but some resistance; does not get hibernating (hypobiotic) larvae.  Treatment for whipworms:  3 days in a row.
• Pyrantel 2X horse dose
• Ivermectin:  Injectable, 2X horse dose if oral, or sheep drench.  Treats hypobiotic larvae.
• Valbazen sheep dose.  Do not use in first 1/3 of pregnancy.
• Cydectin--topical.  Apply with infusion pipette to get through wool.

Hold animals away from grass for 72 hours after worming, to expel worm eggs and prevent animals from picking up new parasites, before turning onto clean pasture.

© 2006 New Ross Veterinary Services

Web Site Maintained by PMB Enterprises