Controlling Haemonchus in Australian Goats

06/05/2024

For those who are having a go with Bioworma ☺️

When can you stop feeding BioWorma?
You don't need to feed BioWorma if it is too cold for the worm eggs to hatch, so no worm larvae for the fungus to eat. However the definition of too cold varies with the species of worms you have on your farm. If you have barbers pole worms (Haemonchus) then eggs stop hatching if the daily maximums drop below 18 C . If you have Trichostrongulus (black scour worms) it is when daily maximums drop below 15 C or 12C depending on the species. If you have Teladorsagia (brown stomach worms) then daily maximums must drop below 8 C before the eggs stop hatching. See https://wormboss.com.au/roundworms-2/worms-on-pasture/

16/02/2024

📣 Do you want to maximize the effectiveness of your "drench" and ?

When treating your goat with an anthelmintic product, DO NOT treat all goats in the mob! 🐐 This increases the risk for "drench" resistance 🧬(a parasite's ability to genetically mutate and survive chemical treatment).

17% of study participants left at least 10% of the mob untreated.😿

Instead, use your evidence gathering tools (see previous posts) to select affected individuals that require treatment.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Sandra Baxendell.

14/02/2024

We know you love your , so make sure you are treating them for parasites effectively! ♥️♥️♥️♥️

19- 28% of goat caretakers in Australia had a faecal egg count done on the day of drenching, then 14 days later. 💩🪱

This is necessary for determining if your treatment actually works!

Have a quick read on how to perform a f***l egg count reduction test aka "drench" test for the next time you treat your goats. (Or, ask your local vet to do it for you 😄🩺)

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https://wormboss.com.au/tests-tools/testing-drench-effectiveness-with-a-drenchtest/

12/02/2024

Keen to maximise your ?

When treating for parasites, make sure you get a prescription from your veterinarian! 📝

35% of goat caretakers in Australia received a written prescription from a veterinarian for an anthelmintic/"drench" drug.

THIS IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT 😏

10/02/2024

What to expect when you're expecting ...? 😍🌹 Make sure its not worms! 🪱

19% of study participants started supplementing extra protein or energy about two weeks before kidding.

If you have mamma goats, 🐐 please make sure they have enough protein and energy! This will boost their immune system and help prevent parasites. 😄

👉 Chuck a follow for evidence-based, practical tips on how to control this common parasite in goats 🔔

08/02/2024

Buying new ? 😁😍

Make sure they haven't had issues with Barber's Pole Worm (BPW) or any of the drugs used for treatment! 😪

👉 29% of goat caretakers in Australia asked about the presence of confirmed or suspected "drench" resistance (a useless "drench").
👉 28% asked about previous BPW infection.
👉 24% inquired about potential BPW contact.

05/02/2024

Think you are a master? 💯

You probably are... However, maybe you don't know about this!

👉 Chuck a follow for evidence-based, practical tips on how to control this common parasite in goats 🔔

47% of goat caretakers in Australia scored coat condition (from 1-3; where 2 is average quality).

Poor hair coat can be a sign found in goats with subtle haemonchosis (the disease caused by Haemonchus contortus aka "Barber's Pole Worm") ①.

This method, used in conjunction with other methods of gathering evidence for Haemonchus infections, can be a useful way to determine if your goats are suffering from this disease.

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1. Drs. Sue Stehman MCS. Goat Parasites: Management and Control. ECA Symposium on Goat Health; June 3, 1995 Revised September 2004.

04/02/2024

What's the evidence for anthelmintic/"drench" doses for ?

⚠️ 4.2.2. Goats ".... it is generally recommended that goats be administered 1.5 times the sheep dose of levamisole and 1.5–2 times the sheep dose for other anthelmintics...."

➡️17% of the Australian goat caretakers that participated in our research used Levamisole at 1.5 x the sheep dose.
➡️23% used Ivermectin at 1.5 x the sheep dose.
➡️12% used Benzimidazole at 2 x the sheep dose
➡️6% used Eprinomectin at 2 x the sheep dose.

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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304401723000675?fbclid=IwAR2EIpgNh4lqpGzd0BBEDYbJbaD2BOoLQbl3cmvbCGD1o9aewapz8SGvWZw

The faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) remains the method of choice for establishing the efficacy of anthelmintic compounds in the field, includi…

03/02/2024

Want to optimise your ? 🫶🩺

18% of goat caretakers used an anthelmintic/"drench" drug that was tested to be > 95% effective using a faecal egg count reduction test. 💩

Want to know how? Check out: 👇

https://wormboss.com.au/tests-tools/testing-drench-effectiveness-with-a-drenchtest/

01/02/2024

Are you ready for the next tip for your ...? 🤩🐐

52% of Australian goat caretakers in this study confirmed the storage requirements on the label of their anthelmintic/"drench" product were consistently being met (i.e., not exceeding the maximum temperature or exposed to light).

🧪 32% calibrated the dosing gun using a measuring cylinder.

30% regularly checked the dosing gun to confirm it was not broken/damaged. 😱

🌡️ 📦 Make sure you store your chemicals appropriately (at all times!), otherwise your treatments may fail. 😞

30/01/2024

🚀 Want to maximise your and the effectiveness of your WHITE anthelmintics/"drenches"(benzimadazole/macrocytic lactone/closantel)?

15% of participants in this study reduced or restricted food 12-24 hours before treatment. 11% reduced or restricted food several hours after treatment. 🌿

This method leads to decreased transit time for digested food and increased contact time of the drug with the parasites.🪱

**NOT FOR PREGNANT/STRESSED ANIMALS OR WITH CLEAR DRENCHES (organophosphates or levamisole); DO NOT RESTRICT WATER!**

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1. Stephen Love KG. Managing worms in goats in NSW. In: Industries DoP, editor. primefactJune 2017.

28/01/2024

Keen to maximise your goat's ? ⚕👩‍⚕️

50% of study participants used a faecal egg count to select goats for anthelmintic/"drench" treatment. 💩

F***l egg counts, combined with FAMACHA (c), and body condition scores, are an evidence-based indicator to support targeted selective treatment with anthelmintics ①.

Goats that excrete a high number of trichostrongyle eggs (incl. Barber's Pole Worm) one time are likely to excrete a high number of eggs another time ②.

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1. Charlier J, Morgan ER, Rinaldi L, van Dijk J, Demeler J, Höglund J, et al. Practices to optimise gastrointestinal nematode control on sheep, goat and cattle farms in Europe using targeted (selective) treatments. The Veterinary Record. 2014;175(10):250.

2. Hoste H, Le Frileux Y, Goudeau C, Chartier C, Pors I, Broqua C, et al. Distribution and repeatability of nematode faecal egg counts in dairy goats: A farm survey and implications for worm control. Research in Veterinary Science. 2002;72(3):211-5.

25/01/2024

Want to optimize your 🛑🪱?

📣 Chuck a follow for evidence-based, practical tips on how to manage this parasite.

48% of participants in this Australian study used a worm control method sourced from wormboss.com.au. 📝🔍

This resource is incredibly detailed, free to access, and regularly updated.

23/01/2024

Do you have goats on your ? 🐐🌾🚜 Read this👇

43% of goat caretakers in Australia used a FAMACHA(c) card to identify and quantify anaemia (lack of red blood cells) in their goats.

Identifying the individuals affected by Barber's Pole Worm, BEFORE treating with an anthelmintic/"drench" leads to similar health improvements v.s. treating the entire herd.

This method leads to dose savings from 36-97%- saving you money 💰, energy ⚡, and effort 💪(1)!

For information on how to obtain a FAMACHA (c) card, send me a message.

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1. Walker JG, Ofithile M, Tavolaro FM, van Wyk JA, Evans K, Morgan ER. Mixed methods evaluation of targeted selective anthelmintic treatment by resource-poor smallholder goat farmers in Botswana. Vet Parasitol. 2015;214(1-2):80-8.

21/01/2024

🫵 Are you struggling with ? 🪱

57% of goat caretakers in Australia felt to body condition score (BCS) their goats (using the 5- or 9-point system).

This simple technique can help identify goats with gastro-intestinal nematode (GIN) infections, like Haemonchus contortus, or Barber's Pole worm ①.

There are other causes of a low body condition score, so it is recommended to use this method in conjunction with FAMACHA scoring, see next post :)

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1. Torres-Acosta JFJ, Pérez-Cruz M, Canul-Ku HL, Soto-Barrientos N, Cámara-Sarmiento R, Aguilar-Caballero AJ, et al. Building a combined targeted selective treatment scheme against gastrointestinal nematodes in tropical goats. Small Ruminant Research. 2014;121(1):27-35.

19/01/2024

Living your best ? 🐐 Or are you struggling to manage internal parasites? 🪱😞

👉 34% of study participants felt or looked for a soft swelling around the jaw. 👀

Submandibular oedema, or "bottle jaw" is a symptom that may become apparent in goats with haemonchosis (the disease caused by Haemonchus contortus) (1).

It occurs when the body has an abnormally low level of protein in the blood; this state is called hypoproteinemia.

This symptom is found with other diseases too so you must gather more evidence to ensure the problem in your goat is due to this parasite.

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1. Besier RB, Kahn LP, Sargison ND, Van Wyk JA. Diagnosis, Treatment and Management of Haemonchus contortus in Small Ruminants. Advances in Parasitology. 2016;93:181-238.

18/01/2024

46% of participants gave BioWorma to a goat they cared for, 51% did not, and 3% were unsure.

Bioworma is an in-feed oral powder supplement containing the fungus Duddingtonia flagrans that entraps and kills the larvae of Barber's Pole Worm (Haemonchus contortus). The fungal spores do their work inside the goat's p**p while it is sitting on the pasture.

Message for information on how to obtain this product.

Photo by Dr. Sandra Baxendell.

16/01/2024

THE RESULTS… ARE FINALLY HERE!!!

Firstly, I would like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who participated in my research project.

Your targeted educational brochure will be published here, as a PDF, shortly!

Please share this information to other goat caretakers and veterinarians.

If you have any questions, feel free to message or email me at [email protected].

INTRODUCTION

Haemonchus contortus is an intestinal parasite that affects goats, sheep, and camelids and feeds on whole blood ①. This parasite can kill over 40% of affected goats and cause weight loss of up to 6-12kg/year/animal ②. Goats evolved to browse high-growing vegetation. When allowed to graze grasses like sheep, they are more at risk for the disease ③. Haemonchus contortus adapts well to Australia's tropical, subtropical climates and areas with summer rainfall ②.

This study aimed to identify the knowledge gap between effective Haemonchus contortus control methods and their application and create a targeted educational brochure for Australian goat caretakers and veterinarians.

An anonymous questionnaire survey was published on google forms and distributed using Facebook and email addresses of goat and goat herd-associated clients at The Animal Hospital of Murdoch University.

KEY RESULTS:

DEMOGRAPHICS

- 80.95% (255/315) of participants cared for less than 100 goats.

- 45.4% (143/315) of participants kept goats for pets, 44.75% (141/315) milk, 38.73% (122/315) meat, 10.48% (33/315) fibre, and (39/315) another purpose.

- A map showing the locations of goat caretaker properties is attached.

INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION

- 58.41% (184/315) of participants consulted a veterinarian about anything related to Barber's Pole Worm (H. contortus), 40% (126/315) did not, and (5/315) were unsure.

- 37.14% (117/315) of participants used a worm control plan created by a veterinarian, 61.59% (194/315) did not, and (4/315) were unsure.

LEAST USED HAEMONCHUS CONTROL METHODS (7)

— 80.95% (255/315) of participants did not consult KIDPLAN about buck breeding values.

— 73.97% (233/315) of participants did not kill or remove a goat due to needing frequent anthelmintic treatments or consistently displaying high faecal/worm egg counts.

— 71.75% (226/315) of participants did not use a sustained-release multitrace element/vitamin ruminal bolus.

— 71.75% (226/315) of participants did not use the BARBERVAX vaccine.

— 69.21% (218/315) of participants did not use a nutritional plan created by a veterinarian or nutritionist.

— 67.62% (213/315) of participants did not perform a worm/faecal egg count or larval culture/differentiation every 4 to 8 weeks.

— 67.62% (213/315) of participants did not use copper oxide wire particle boluses.

COMMON CHALLENGES

A word cloud of themes assigned to the challenges many goat caretakers experienced with H. contortus is attached.

The size of the word directly corresponds to number of responses related to each theme.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

Many uncommonly used Haemonchus contortus control methods are simple, practical, and suitable for various goat herd sizes.

A good relationship with a veterinarian and education for goat caretakers and veterinarians is critical to access and optimize these strategies.

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1. Edwards EE, Garner BC, Williamson LH, Storey BE, Sakamoto K. Pathology of Haemonchus contortus in New World camelids in the southeastern United States: a retrospective review. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. 2016;28(2):105-9.

2. Arsenopoulos KV, Fthenakis GC, Katsarou EI, Papadopoulos E. Haemonchosis: A Challenging Parasitic Infection of Sheep and Goats. Animals (Basel). 2021;11(2)

3. Kearney PE, Murray PJ, Hoy JM, Hohenhaus M, Kotze A. The 'Toolbox' of strategies for managing Haemonchus contortus in goats: What's in and what's out. Veterinary Parasitology. 2016;220:93-107