What is the Best Dewormer for Goats?
Goats make fantastic farm animals. For the most part, goats are simple, hardy animals that don’t require too much special attention in order to live happy and healthy lives. High-quality feed, water, and safe space for goat-related activities are really all they need. Nonetheless, they can sometimes get themselves into trouble (unintentionally, of course) with pesky parasites that may be on your property.
If you begin to notice concerning health conditions in your goats, like diarrhea, weight loss, anemia, edema, or loss of appetite, you may be dealing with a parasite problem. In this case, the only solution is administering a dewormer for goats.
In this article, I will talk about goat dewormers, including the most tried and true products. Then, I will share some ideas for preventing parasites so you don’t have to use dewormer medication in the first place (or at least use it very sparingly).
**J&R Pierce Family Farm is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to allow sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. I often link to Amazon when recommending certain products, and if you choose to purchase, I may earn a small percentage of the sale. It costs you nothing extra, and all recommended products are ones that I personally vouch for.**
The Parasitic Threat
In order to adequately treat your goats for a parasitic infection, or prevent it from happening in the first place, it’s important to understand what parasites are commonly found in goats (and sheep) and how they function.
Parasites in goats can cause irreversible damage or even death. Sick animals present with reduced sexual performance, reduced growth rates, and produce less meat and milk, a critical concern for lactating animals and their young.
The most common parasites in goats are those of the gastrointestinal tract. The most deadly parasite in ruminants like goats and sheep is the gastrointestinal roundworm, Haemonchus contortus, also known as the barber pole worm. The barber pole worm is a blood-sucking worm that can cause anemia, protein loss, and death.
Other common gastrointestinal worms include Teladorsagia circumcincta, Trichostrongylus axei, and the protozoa coccidia. However, by controlling for the barber pole worm, you can control for a variety of other dangerous parasites also.
The Life Cycle of the Haemonchus Contortus Parasite
The barber pole parasite has a lifecycle of 21 days. The cycle starts when larvae are ingested by goats while foraging in the pasture, where they travel to the true stomach of the goat. Once in the stomach, the larvae will either continue developing into adults or, if the growing conditions are not adequate, go into hypobiosis. Hypobiosis is when the parasitic larvae lay dormant inside the host, waiting for conducive contions to continue developing.
If the conditions within the stomach are adequate enough to continue developing, parasites will molt into adults. Once the molting is complete, adults begin to lay eggs. Barber pole adults take 14 days to lay eggs in the stomach of the host. A female can lay up to 5,000 per day. From there, the life cycle continues, and the parasites begin feeding on the host.
What Dewormer is Best for Goats?
Unfortunately, there is no “silver bullet” solution for treating a parasite infection with deworming medication. There are a variety of nuances to parasite treatment that will dictate which deworming agent you try to use for your goats.
For example, the type of parasite matters. In addition, the species of goat, its history with deworming medications, and other factors related to your farm all matter. Nonetheless, here are some key takeaways.
First and foremost, if you suspect your goats have parasites, consult your local veterinarian for guidance.
Focus on preventing parasites in your goats instead of treating them– dewormers should be the last resort.
If you do administer deworming medication, oral drenches seem to be the most effective.
Carefully record the administration process, including names, dates, and medication type.
Dewormers for Goats: Medications Available
When it comes to dewormers for goats, there are a lot of products to consider. I want to break down the options and explain the most popular. Please remember - I am not a veterinarian. I have compiled this information to help you but not to take the place of professional guidance from a veterinarian.
The Three Types of Dewormers for Goats
Dewormers are synthetic chemicals also known as anthelmintics. Only Food and Drug Administration(FDA)-approved anthelmintics can be administered legally without restrictions. Other products are “extra-label” and come with restrictions, which I will explain later.
There are three classes of anthelmintics–benzimidazoles, imidazothiazoles and macrolides. The most commonly used drugs in each category include:
Benzimidazoles - fenbendazole, known as Safeguard or Panacur, and albendazole, known as Valbazen.
Imidazothiazoles - levamisole, known as Levisol or Tramisol, and morantel tartrate, known as Rumatel. Prohibit is a common version of levamisole.
Macrolide dewormers - ivermectin, known as Ivomec, and moxidectin, commonly known as Cydectin.
Of the medications I just listed, only fenbendazole (Safeguard/Panacur), albendazole(Valbazen), and morantel tartrate (Rumatel) are approved for goats. Below, I will share info for Safeguard, Valbazen, and Rumatel. Then, I will get into what extra-label products are.
How to Use Safeguard Dewormer for Goats
Administer orally using a drench gun; shake well before use.
Safeguard dewormer for goats dosage: the recommended dosage of 2.3 mg/lb (5 mg/kg) is achieved when 2.3 mL of the dewormer is given for each 100 lb of body weight.
Store at or below 25 C° (77 F°); protect from freezing.
How to Use Valbazen Dewormer for Goats
Administer orally using a drench gun; shake well before use.
Valbazen dewormer dosage: rate of 4 mL/100 lb of body weight; (equivalent to 4.54 mg of albendazole/lb, 10 mg/kg
Store at a room-controlled temperature between 20-25 C° (68-77 F°); protect from freezing.
How to Use Rumatel Dewormer for Goats
Administer morantel tartrate orally as a sole ration or mix with 1-2 parts of feed, or as a top dress.
Recommended Rumatel dosage: medicated feed should be fed at a rate of 0.44 grams per 100 lb of boy weight; should be consumed within six hours.
Store At or Below 25°C(77°F), Excursions Permitted Up to 40°C (104°F)
Extra-Label Dewormers
An extra-label dewormer is essentially a product that gets used for something other than it was originally approved for by the FDA. That's typically because costs are too high to pursue legitimate approval, packaging, and labeling. So, in the example of goat dewormers, the shortcut is to use a product technically labeled for something else to treat goats for parasites.
For a veterinarian to use a dewormer extra-label product, certain conditions must be met.
A veterinarian-client relationship is mandatory.
Veterinarians must have contact with the animals to diagnose a parasitic infection, and the infection must be life-threatening.
The vet must prove via fecal egg count reduction testing that none of the other traditional deworming products work.
The veterinarian must take responsibility for prescribing the product, and the producer must take responsibility for administering it properly.
What Are Some Natural Dewormers for Goats?
Some homesteaders and farmers are bugged out (pun intended) by the thought of administering chemical-based deworming products like the medications I talked about above. In this case, they may look to use natural herbal deworming products instead. It’s important to understand that scientific research about the efficacy of herbal dewormers argues that they are not effective.
However, there may be some good news. Some research has shown that copper oxide wire (COWP) particles may be effective against barber pole worms. The prospect of using COWP to treat parasitic infections as opposed to synthetic anthelmintics is particularly of interest to organic farmers. In addition, farmers struggling with a dewormer-resistant population of parasites in their animals.
When Should I Deworm My Goats?
Anthelmintics should be thought of as a limited resource. They should be used to treat your animals only when necessary and when your goats are showing symptoms of parasitic infection.
Some symptoms of a parasitic infection include:
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Reduced weight gain or poor body condition
Unthriftiness, meaning not strong or healthy
Loss of appetite
Reduced reproductive capacity and performance
Edema that causes a condition known as “bottle jaw”
Of course, these can also be symptoms of hundreds of other diseases and conditions, so it’s important to make sure you know exactly what you’re dealing with. FAMACHA scoring your animals is always a smart move and is something that should be done regularly (at least monthly) with your herd. If you aren’t sure if it’s parasites or another condition (or to properly identify the parasite), always run a fecal float test. This will give you an idea of the type and number of parasites so you can administer the proper dewormer (or pursue another treatment).
Fecals can be performed by a vet at very little cost, and typically, quite quickly. However, this is also something you can learn to do yourself at home with a good microscope and the right fecal test kit.
Administering Goat Dewormer Medication
There are two methods for administering goat dewormer. You can inject the dewormer medication, or you can administer it orally with a drench gun or by feeding it to your goat. Read the label on your dewormer of choice and consult with a veterinarian for more information.
Most of the time, you’ll administer the medication with an oral drench. That’s because injectable dewormers have a history of exacerbating resistance and being less effective. In addition, injectable dewormers last longer in lower concentrations in the body. The combination of lower efficacy and a persistent presence in the body contributes to building a dewormer-resistant population of parasites.
On the other hand, oral drenching is more effective. That’s because oral drenches deliver a direct dose to the affected area, considering the parasites of concern are in the stomach and intestines. In addition, oral drenches have a shorter meat withdrawal time, meaning you can process the animal for meat faster after an oral drench than you can with an injectable dewormer.
Preventing Worms in Goats
Treating your sick goats for parasites is critical. However, perhaps more important is preventing a parasitic infection in the first place. Well-designed pasture management and sound selection practices can reduce the parasite problems that develop in your goats.
Pasture Management
Goats pass parasites via the manure they leave behind in the pasture. Then, the eggs hatch into larvae and begin to develop into an infective stage within six days. Once the larvae are infective, they can be consumed by the next herd to visit the pasture and then develop into full-blown parasites.
Rotate Pastures and Allow Rest Periods
So, to stay ahead of the six-day development phase of larvae, it’s recommended to rotate your pastures every four to five days. If you only have one large pasture, you can subdivide it with temporary fencing.
However, larvae can survive for a long as 120 days in the pasture. So, one way to prevent parasites is to harvest the area to open it up to heat and sunlight, which can kill the parasite larvae.
Another option is to have rest periods so the larvae die before your goats revisit the area. For example, in the summer, adequate rest periods of 65 days are recommended.
Prevent Overgrazing
The vast majority of parasite larvae are found in the first two inches of pasture. Therefore, to prevent parasitic infection, you can move your goats out of the pasture before they are allowed to graze too deeply.
For example, it's best practice to leave at least four to six inches of pasture when you rate your animals out of a certain area. You may even choose to leave more behind. The goal is to prevent your goats from grazing down to where the larvae can be ingested.
Animal Management
You can also break the parasitic life cycle by implementing multi-species grazing. Goats and sheep share a lot of the same species of parasites, but horses and cattle do not. In other words, sheep and goat parasites cannot survive in other species of animals.
To mitigate parasites, you can deploy the leader-follower grazing system. This is when one species of animal grazes, and then the other is allowed into the same pasture after a rest period to allow for regrowth.
Consider the Genetics
If you are really concerned about parasitic infection in your goats, you can choose to raise goats with a proven track record of parasite resistance. For example, the National Sheep Improvement Program is able to identify parasite-resistant sheep and meat goats through their estimated breeding values.
As a producer, you can enroll in their programming to contribute to their data collection.
For example, it’s important to keep records of when you administer deworming medication. For example, data like which animal, when it was treated, and with what medication are important to record. In addition, it’s critical to track withdrawal times if you plan to use your goats for meat.
Final Thoughts
If you want to raise goats on your farm, be wary of parasites. The proper usage of dewormers can slow the spread of parasites in your goats. However, deworming medication should be considered a last resort and should only be administered when your goats present positive symptoms of parasitic infection.
In the meantime, it's recommended to prevent problems with parasites to the best of your ability. The best way to prevent parasites is with adequate pasture management, like rotating pastures and selecting animals with proven genetic resistance to parasites.
How are you holding up this winter? Are your chickens warm enough? Need winter gardening ideas? Thanks for reading!
