Sheep and parasitology
November 30, 2021
Our farm vet Emily attended a sheep and cattle parasitology course at SRUC in Edinburgh recently. Here is an insight in to what she learnt and current worming advice:
Autumn is the time of year to be reviewing your farm’s parasite risk and discuss housing doses of anthelmintic for worms and fluke. Using housing treatments prevents pasture contamination at turnout and removes the impact of a worm burden on appetite and daily weight gain. It is important to time your fluke doses correctly as some products will only be effective against mature fluke so a combination product isn’t always the right choice.
We are seeing a lot of lungworm this year so act quickly if you notice coughing in grazed cattle or even symptoms as subtle as condition loss, faster than normal breathing or reduced milk yields. Cattle are particularly susceptible in late summer and autumn after protection from long acting wormers has ceased. Parasite control is all about limiting the exposure of the most vulnerable animals to burdens of infective larvae on pasture via grazing management and appropriate anthelmintic treatments. However, with lungworm we also have an effective vaccine that can protect your cattle throughout the season.
Contact us for more information or to discuss the best parasitology protocol for your farm.