Wormers / Dewormers for Goats
- Wormers:
- Fecal
Testing
- Supplies needed to do your own fecal testing
- Step-by-step instruction how to run your own fecal tests
- Flotation Solution- How to make your own
- Photos of Parasite Eggs/Oocysts found in Sheep and Goats
- Article: Worms: Misdirected Hysteria?, By Sue Reith
- Article: Comparing Alternatives for Controlling Internal Parasites in Dairy Goat- Herbal vs. Chemical, By Crissy Orr
- Herbal Wormer: Holistic/Natural method of parasite control
Worm related information:
NOTE: Some people say wormer and some say dewormer. They are the same thing
DO NOT underdose chemical wormers. In most cases (but not all), it is better to give too much than not enough. Please note that the dosages for goats is sometimes much more than what it says on the label, if you underdose, you are wasting the wormer and helping the worms to build up resistance.
Always weigh your goat before administering any wormer and make sure to give the correct does for the weight of the goat. To calculate the weight of your dairy goat, please refer to my weight chart.
People get confused about "rotating" wormers. If you give a different wormer every time you worm, this builds up a resistance to all your wormers very quickly. It is best to stick with one wormer until it is no longer effective, or you could use the same wormer for at least a year, and then the next year use a different one.
- The way these work is that they are essentially poisons. What you are doing is poisoning the parasites in order to kill them. When you are using a chemical wormer, you are administering enough poison to kill the parasite but (hopefully) not enough to kill the host (in this case, your goat). Because of this, be especially careful when worming sick animals, because their resistance is already weakened due to their illness.
- Not all chemical wormers are safe to give to pregnant animals.
- The use of chemical wormers is contrary and counterproductive to holistic health care.
When to worm when using chemical wormers:
- When necessary, but try not to overworm. Fecal testing is the best way to determine when to worm chemically. If you do not test, you might want to worm every two months or more often if needed.
- Always worm a new goat the day they come onto your farm since you have no idea of what kind of care they received before coming to your farm.
- ALWAYS WORM A DOE THE DAY AFTER SHE KIDS. You do this because the stress of kidding lowers her resources making her more susceptible worms and also, the hormones released at kidding can "arouse" dormant parasites that may be in her system.
- If you see "rice" in the goats poops (these are tapeworms).
- If the goat seems thinner than she should be.
- Also refer to my Health Care & Vaccination Schedule
- Molly's Herbals Worm Formula (the wormer that I designed and formulated) works holistically in multiple ways.
- By expelling live worms: the worms hate being around the herb so much they would rather leave the host than be around the herb. Because of this, you may see worms in the animal's poops after they have been wormed.
- By killing and expelling the parasites.
- By helping the animal build a stronger immune system so they can more easily fight an infestation.
- Working as a preventive: By helping the animal build a stronger immune system so that they can resist the parasite and thus not become infected in the first place. Healthy animals are much less likely to get infected than unhealthy ones.
- There has been no evidence to show that worms build up resistance to this herbal system like they can do with Chemical and Drug wormers.
- Molly's Herbals Worm Formula is a two part system and is safe to administer to pregnant animals.
- What about other herbal wormers? I really can't speak about them specifically because I didn't formulate them.
Here are a few general notes:
- They may or may not be designed to work in the above mentioned ways.
- Many herbal wormers and worm products contain laxative herbs such as Psyllium. The idea behind using laxatives is to flush out parasites by loosening stool and stimulating bowel movement. However, I believe this approach adds stress to the animal's system and may lead to laxative dependency.
- Many herbal wormers contain Wormwood and should not be given to pregnant animals.
When to worm when using herbal wormers:
- Every week on a continuing bases. Do not discontinue in the Winter.
- Extra herb may be giving if the situation warrants it.
- Always worm a new goat the day they come onto your farm since you have no idea of what kind of care they received before coming to your farm.
- Always worm a doe the after a she kids. You do this because the stress of kidding lowers her resources making her more susceptible worms and also, the hormones released at kidding can "arouse" dormant parasites that may be in her system.
- pale (or white) gums
- dull coat
- diarrhea
- lower milk production
- clumpy stools
- off feed
- fluffed hair
- listlessness subnormal or slightly elevated temperature
- rumen failure
- dehydration
- chronic coughing (lung worms)- dry cough, especially after running or other exercise.
- "bottle jaw" (severe infestation)- swelling under the jaw.
You can run your own fecal samples
(or have your vet do them), to really know when to properly worm your herd, and what wormers to use. This way you worm only when it is really necessary, which not only helps worms not build resistance, but also saves time and money.
How worms build resistance:
Worms can build resistance to the Chemical wormers. Usually this happens because the wormer being used, is used over a long period of time and at improper dosages. The amount of wormer used is not enough to kill all the worms, but enough to help many of them build resistance. Also, over a long period of time, using the same chemical wormer, there are bound to be "strong" worms that survive the worming, these guys for, some reason, have built a resistance to that particular wormer and pass this on to their offspring (survival of the fittest). So, if a chemical wormer is used for over a long period of time, there is bound to be resistance. How long a period is totally dependant on the particular situation and management practices.
Goats have worms. It's a fact. There is no shame in this for the breeder. It's the amount of worms that is the issue. A healthy animal can resist a worm infestation because his system resources are strong and fight the worms and the worms cannot get a foothold. It is when the animal is poorly managed, or under some sort of stress (which contributes to illness and dis-ease) that the worms get a foothold and cause an infestation.
This is where herbal remedies differ from chemical ones. Herbs work with the body, to build and strengthen system resources, and so the body is strong and can resist and fight dis-ease. Herbal wormers not only expel worms, but they also strengthen the body so that worms cannot get a foothold.
How old the animals are when they are brought to your property really does not make a difference to the worms or their resistance, even if you have never had animals on your property before. Even a 1 month old kid is going to be carrying worms of some sort and these worms came from somewhere. It is good practice to worm all animals immediately when they are brought onto your property, so as to reduce the worms that they are bound to shed and let loose on your property. As a practice of "polite management", I always worm every animal I sell the day they are to leave my farm to go to their new home.
Wormers Used on Goats
Chemical Wormers:
I've removed the dosing information on the various chemical wormers from my site because it was very old a outdated and I was no longer confident of it's accuracy.
I only use my own Herbal Wormers these days.
Important Note on Chemical Wormer Dosages for Goats:
Goats metabolize wormers differently than other animals; drugs clear their system faster. As a result, goats require higher doses of wormers for effective treatment. Most of the wormers available for use on livestock are not labeled for use in goats and so are not labeled with the correct dose for goats. For a treatment to be effective, you need to use the correct dose. Please note that most of the doses given for goats on this site are "extra label. (Extra label means that the dosage given for goats differs from that found on the bottle and/or the Food and Drug Administration has not cleared their use in goats)
Click here to read an interesting article comparing herbal wormers to a chemical wormer.
Herbal Wormer / Dewormer
Molly's Herbals Original Worm Formula System
After much research into herbal wormers and wormer compounds for goats, dogs, cats, horses and other animals, I have found that most of the herbal wormer and dewormer products available on the market today indicate that they should be used weekly, and are safe for pregnant and lactating animals. These formulas all contain Wormwood, which is not considered safe, by Herbalists, for use while pregnant and not recommended for use while breast feeding. (Please read these extended safety notes regarding Wormwood.) Since herbs are not drugs, herbal wormers and worm formulas do not legally have to carry milk withdrawal information or pregnancy warnings. Since some other herbal wormers and worm formulas say they are safe, they are either: taking advantage of this loop hole; they are either mistaken as to the safety of Wormwood (perhaps mistakenly thinking that all herbs are safe in all situations); or these formulas contain so little Wormwood that they will not be effective for the use they are intended. Wormwood is a herb, and not a drug, and it has not been officially studied by the FDA to discover if there is should be a milk withdrawal time or whether it is safe for pregnant animals. Because of this, you can legally say there is no official safely issue, but research into the use of herbs will show you it should not be use on pregnant humans, or animals.
Wormwood is a safe dewormer when used properly, but the continuous, long term use of small doses of wormwood, (every week- exactly how other wormers and worm compounds prescribe it) can be harmful to an animal's kidneys, liver and nervous system. Wormwood can be used safely on animals in larger doses, on an occasional basis (every 6-8 weeks). Because of this I originated a new concept in herbal worming methods, and I created a new system using two herbal worm formulas that work in conjunction with each other: the Formula #1 Herbal Wormwood Formula and the Formula #2 Herbal Weekly Worm Formula.
Most herbal wormers, dewormers and worm products also contain laxative herbs; my formulas do not. The idea behind using laxatives is to flush out parasites by loosening stool and stimulating bowel movement. However, this approach adds stress to the animal's system and may lead to laxative dependency. If constipation is associated with a worm infestation (which very rarely happens) you could administer Slippery Elm, which aids in lubricating the digestive tract without pulling needed fluids from the body.
Molly's Herbals Worm Formula: The original two part system, works holistically in multiple ways.
By expelling live worms: the worms hate being around the herb so much they would rather leave the host than be around the herb. Because of this, you may see worms in the animal's poops after they have been wormed.
By killing and expelling the parasites.
By helping the animal build a stronger immune system so they can more easily fight an infestation.
Working as a preventive: By helping the animal build a stronger immune system so that they can resist the parasite and thus not become infected in the first place. Healthy animals are much less likely to get infected than unhealthy ones.
There has been no evidence to show that worms build up resistance to this herbal system like they can do with Chemical and Drug wormers.
Molly's Herbals Worm Formula is a two part system and, when used as recommended, is safe to administer to pregnant and lactating animals.
Click here for the instructions on how to use my Original Formulas and to purchase.