It's Barber's Pole time!
Monday, 15 December 2008
By Max Newport, Bay of Islands Veterinary Services
 | | Lambs and goat kids are worse off with a Barber's Pole infestation. | Yes, with this warm wet weather, Barbers Pole (Haemonchus) worm infestation will become a problem in ewes, lambs, goats and alpacas.
This worm is able to reproduce in a very short time, as short as 18 days when the weather is warm and humid, and takes great delight feeding on blood from the fourth stomach (abomasum) in your sheep. All classes of stock are susceptible, but the worst are lambs and goat kids. Signs of Haemonchus infection are: the sheep are slow to drive, some may collapse, and there is rapid breathing and very pale membranes as there is little blood left in the most affected animals. There may be a scour, however worm numbers can build up so rapidly, a scour may not have time to develop before the animals die from lack of blood. All this sounds extreme, but at least there are several options for good control. Most combination drenches will kill the established population in your animals, but some more specific products will continue to kill incoming larvae. Genesis Ultra oral is a combination drench, containing Abamectin, and Closantel. The Abamectin works as normal genesis, killing all susceptible worms that are present, and the Closantel works by binding to proteins in the blood, and is there to stop incoming larvae developing for up to six weeks. Genesis Ultra also has the advantage that it kills liver fluke as well! There is a 56 days meat with-holding period for Genesis Ultra, so you will need to consider that when drenching lambs. Closal is combination of Closantel and Albendazole. It works to control infections of susceptible worms to Albendazole, plus gives sustained protection against Haemonchus for up to 4 weeks post drenching. There is a 28 days meat with-holding period for Closal. There are longer acting products available, such as Bionic Capsules, Cydectin long acting and Dectomax injection. Each product has different properties, but most have significant meat with-holding periods so will be of little use if you are picking Lambs to go. If you have selected replacements, then the long acting products will be of value to you. Remember to booster vaccinate your lambs, as they are likely to succumb to Pulpy Kidney if they have not received their booster. Proudly sponsored by Bay of Islands Veterinary Services
Paihia (09) 402 8584
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