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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 cannot breathe, its digestive system 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.

When I tell people l that their goats are wormy,  they often say, "but I just de-wormed."    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.

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.  There are always worms in the goat that haven't reached the point in their life cycle where they hatch 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,  de-worming isn't enough.  You have to give daily SQ injections of Vitamin B 12  (red  injectable liquid, vet prescription only)   and  Red Cell oral iron supplement (Jeffers  1-800-533-3377) for 30 consecutive days.  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).

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    10.1.23