Grit – September 01, 2019

(^66) September/October 2019
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Regardless
of how you manage your animals, parasites should
always be on your radar. Parasites are a significant cause
of disease, lowered production, and high mortality among livestock. These
problems create unnecessary economic loss, regardless of whether livestock are
kept as a source of income or simply for family benefit, because treatment and
replacement stock are more costly than preventative practices.
Successful parasite management is no longer a simple matter of grabbing
the most convenient dewormer from the shelf. Due to widespread parasite
resistance to nearly all dewormers, safe and correct deworming usage nowa-
days requires a multifaceted approach. To ensure you’re only using dewormers
when necessary, utilize fecal sampling, selective deworming, and sound pasture
management.
Evolving Deworming Strategies
Traditional wisdom has been to rotate dewormer medications, deworm on a
schedule, and deworm each individual animal — no fecal tests required. Unfor-
tunately, by following these practices, we’ve unwittingly exposed our livestock’s
parasites to every single class of anthelmintic (dewormer) year-round. This
constant exposure gave the parasites ample time and opportunity to evolve and
“learn” how to resist practically all available dewormers. No new anthelmintics
are in the making, hence the need for a new approach.
These tips will help
you develop a strategy
for deworming
your livestock safely
and effectively.
By Kristi Cook

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