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EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH HAEMONCHUS CONTORTUS (BARBERPOLE STOMACH WORM)

The single biggest enemy of goats (other than predators) is the Barberpole Stomach Worm. A Strongyle, this worm is also known as Haemonchus contortus.

Almost everything with goats begins and ends with H. contortus. because this worm kills red blood cells that carry oxygen to all of the body's organs, resulting in DEOXYGENATION of the goat's entire body, including heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, kidneys, brain, and muscles. A wormload depletes blood volume as well as the body's blood oxygen levels. The result is a horrible, oftentimes lengthy, and always unnecessary death.

Stomach worms feed on the goat's blood and kill red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to body tissues to keep them functioning. When tissues in the brain, heart, lung, liver, kidneys, etc are oxygen-deprived, the goat develops breathing problems,  its digestive system  begins to shut down, quits working, its muscles get weak and it cannot stand, and the brain is unable to communicate that the goat needs to eat , drink, walk, urinate, and perform other vital activities essential to life. Worms also cause internal bleeding, resulting in death from internal hemorrhaging.

 De-worming does not mean that it worked. The first thing I learned when I began raising goats in 1990 is that most de-wormers don't work because people have over-used or mis-used them,   developing worms that are resistant to multiple classes of de-wormers.

Even if the FAMACHA score is good, you must do fecals or get fecals done, because FAMACHA doesn't tell the entire  story.  There are always worms in the goat that haven't reached the point in their life cycle where they have hatched out and begun consuming  blood. FAMACHA only reveals the damage already being done by the current crop of blood suckers.

THE ONLY WAY YOU KNOW THE WORM LOAD IN YOUR GOATS IS TO REGULARLY PERFORM FECAL COUNTS USING A MICROSCOPE AND McMASTERS SLIDES.

If a goat is anemic from a heavy wormload, de-worming isn't enough. You have to give daily SQ injections of Vitamin B 12 (red injectable liquid, available through Jeffers with a valid prescription) vet prescription only) and Red Cell oral iron supplement  for 30 consecutive days.   Both items are available through Jeffers, 1-800-533-3377, though  a prescription is required for the injectable Vitamin B12.  Do NOT use oral vitamin B12.  It takes a long time to rebuild red blood cells. See my article titled Doing Your Own Fecals is Easy on www.tennesseemeatgoats.com (Articles page).

Worms are where 99% of all problems with goats start and end. When the goat develops a wormload, then the immune system is compromised and other illnesses appear. Proper nutrition and monitoring worm load by doing random fecals every month and de-worming as needed will head off almost all illnesses in goats.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas   6.1.26

WHY ARE STOMACH WORMS DEADLY TO GOATS?

Haemonchus contortus, the barberpole stomach worm, feeds  on the goat's blood, killing red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to body tissues to keep them functioning. When tissues in the brain, heart, lung, liver, kidneys, pancreas, bladder, muscles,  and other organs are oxygen-deprived, the goat has difficulty breathing, its digestive system slows down and it quits eating, its muscles get weak and it cannot stand, and its brain can no longer properly function, making the goat "foggy" or "brain dead" when it comes to performing essential activities like eating, drinking, walking, urinating, etc. Worms  cause internal bleeding, resulting in death from hemorrhage.

"Bottlejaw" is common terminology for edema (soft tissue swelling) under the goat's jaw (not on the front of the neck) that is a clear sign of heavy wormload.  This swelling is caused by hypoproteinemia (low blood protein, especially albumin) which causes fluid to leak from the blood vessels in surrounding tissues.  The barberpole stomach worm is the primary cause of  Bottlejaw in goats.

When I tell people who contact me that their goats are wormy, they often say, "but I just dewormed."  De-worming does not mean that it worked.   I have been raising goats since January 1990, and one of the first things I learned is that most de-wormers don't work because people have over-used them, resulting in "super" worms that are resistant to multiple classes of de-wormers.

When people tell me that the FAMACHA score is good, I tell them to get fecals done, because FAMACHA doesn't tell the entire story. (Better yet, learn to do your own fecals.)  There are always worms in the goat that haven't reached the point in their life cycle where they  begin consuming blood. FAMACHA only reveals the damage already being done by the current crop of blood suckers.

THE ONLY WAY YOU KNOW THE WORM LOAD IN YOUR GOATS IS TO DO FECALS using a microscope and McMasters gridded slides.

If a goat is anemic, just de-worming isn't enough. You have to give daily injections of Vitamin B 12 (red-colored injectable liquid  only available via prescription) and Red Cell oral iron supplement  for 30 consecutive days.  Both products are available from Jeffers 1-800-533-3377.   It takes a long time to rebuild red blood cells. See my article on Anemia on the Articles page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com for details.

Worms are where 99% of all problems with goats start and end. The triad of NUTRITION, WORMS, and INFECTIOUS DISEASES becomes a deadly cycle. Proper nutrition and monitoring worm load by doing random fecals every month and de-worming as needed will head off almost all illness in goats.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, Onion Creek Ranch, Texas 6.1.26

DEWORMING BASICS

Haemonchus contortus (barberpole stomach worm) is the primary internal parasite causing illness and death in goats. This worm has a short life cycle, produces many generations per year, sucks blood causing anemia, kills red blood cells that carry oxygen to internal organs including muscles, and kills goats. (Coccidiosis, another internal parasite, is a protozoan which does not respond to dewormers and requires completely different medications.)

All dewormers used with goats must be given orally. No back drenching. No injections, with one exception (meningeal deerworm) which has nothingto do with Haemonchus contortus.

Do fecal counts under a microscope at least once a month. Not every goat has to be tested. Random selection of pellets should suffice. The only way you know what kinds of worms and what wormload exists is by doing fecals using McMasters slides and counting the number of eggs per gram.

Fecal counts are essential for worm control.

FAMACHA is a field test only. Don't rely on it solely. The color of the inner lower eye membrane reflects only those worms that are already sucking blood and causing anemia. FAMACHA does not tell you how many worms are in the goat that haven't yet reached the point in their lifecycle to begin sucking blood.

Deworming does *not* mean it worked. The only way you know if your dewormer actually worked is to do fecal counts using McMasters slides and counting eggs per gram.

Learn to do your own fecals. Buy an MSK-01L microscope and the necessary supplies. "Doing Your Own Fecals is Easy" is an article I wrote in conjunction with Dr. James Miller, DVM and retired professor of parasitology, Louisiana State University. Find it on the Articles page at www.tennesseemeatgoats.com. Print it out. Read it. Read it again

Use the information.

The white-colored dewormers (Safeguard/Panacur, Valbazen) don't kill stomach worms in most of the USA any more. Vets will recommend them because of short withdrawal time in meat and milk residue, but that doesn't help you if your goat dies from worms.

Don't use feed-based dewormers or dewormers that you top-dress on feed. Goats have a strict pecking order. The goat needing deworming the most will be the one who gets the least amount to eat.

Accurately dose dewormers. Under-dosing or over-dosing allows worms to mutate and learn to survive the dewormer. Everything we use for goats is off-label, so you must learn accurate dosing from a knowledgeable goat raiser.

Do not rotate dewormers. Use one dewormer until it quits working, then change to another class of dewormer. Sometimes you have to use two different dewormers at the same time. When a really bad wormload exists, combinations of dewormers may be necessary. However, if the goat population is too dense and/or the weather is too wet, this will *not* solve the problem.

Use "Smart Drench" techniques. Only deworm goats in need of deworming. Use FAMACHA, fecal egg counts, and clinical signs of infection ("bottle jaw," rough hair coat, depression, off feed, diarrhea -- understanding that these symptoms can be the result of other issues, but you always begin by checking for worms) to identify wormy goats. Use a drenching nozzle (not an injection syringe) to place the dewormer over the back of the tongue. Dewormer deposited in the front of the mouth doesn't get into the proper part of the goat's stomach or may be spit out.

You can't count upon availability of veterinarians for accurate goatadvice and care. Goats are a minor ruminant species (less than 1.9 million in the USA in 2013 and declining, down from 12 million in 1990), so vets don't receive much formal education about goats. Goats are not a sizeable market for vets or pharmaceutical companies, so we goat raisers have to learn how to use products off-label.

Over-crowded conditions and/or climate too wet = death sentence for goats. Under such conditions, you can de-worm repeatedly and not solve the problem. Some places are not suitable for raising goats.

Find a mentor who knows goats. With that person's assistance, educate yourself to better care for your goats.

Almost all problems with goats start with heavy worm loads. Proper management is 100% of raising healthy goats. Controlling worm loads is your starting point.

Suzanne W. Gasparotto, ONION CREEK RANCH, Briggs, Texas 6.1.26