Jo Brown is the author of this month’s Tails. What are we going to worm with and most importantly – do we need to worm them?
As much as we don’t want to admit it, Autumn is creeping in quickly. Last cuts of silage are making it into the pit this week, and most importantly (for me anyway), it means that lambs are off the ewes preparing for the forthcoming tupping season.
So what does this mean for us?
Since spring this year, we have been offering worm egg counts, followed by drench tests to see if the worming has been effective. We have had some very positive results come through with regular samples sent in resulting in low or negative worm burden. This is reducing the use of worming products and risk of resistance within the flock. The most important part of this is to evaluate if you really do need to worm!
We’re in the great position of being able to test samples within 24 hours of receiving them and get the results back out to you as soon as possible. So please send in your samples!
As well as sheep, don’t forget your cattle! A sample brought into us this year caused quite a stir within the practice when live lungworm appeared under the microscope. It is uncommon to find actual worms in the sample, but satisfying for everybody involved! This really highlighted the importance of getting samples to the practice before taking action.
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