# Worming sheep, what's the best? Injection, pour on?



## Snowytails

We are new to sheep.  Is there another way to worm sheep?  We've been using Ivermectin injections.  Is there another way? Pour on? Drench? I've heard the best is injection but would rather do something easier. Any advice?  We were told to worm right before lambing.


----------



## norseofcourse

I've never used injectible dewormer on my sheep, I dose them by mouth with a worming syringe.

Because of the problem with parasite resistance to dewormers, it's better to only deworm when there's a problem.  Do yours have signs of worms? (low energy, pale eyelids or gums)?  Have you had a fecal worm count done?


----------



## Snowytails

I don't think they have signs of worms....the breeder we got them from told us to worm right before lambing....we have a pregnant ewe....they are Shetland sheep.  What brand do you use?  Is that a drench?  We are trying to learn all these things


----------



## mysunwolf

Sheep should almost always be wormed with a drench; the way small ruminants' bodies work makes this the most effective method for stomach worms. 

We actually worm right before breeding and right after lambing. We try not to worm when they are pregnant unless they really need it. 

Ivermectin in any form doesn't work very well around here. We personally use the eyelid color as a general guideline (FAMACHA scoring), then take a poop sample to our vet for a fecal analysis to find out what kind of worms are the problem. After that we use a different wormer depending on what kind of worms our sheep have. If they don't have any signs of worms, we will often not worm, but it would not hurt to have a fecal done.


----------



## Snowytails

We live in northern CA,  and Breeder we got them from, uses ivermectin and it seems to work...but I will definitely check their eyelid color etc before making a decision.  Thanks so much for your help.


----------



## soarwitheagles

There are three main families of dewormer medication.  We recently switched to Prohibit drench and it worked wonders.  From what I read, it is a very good idea to switch each time between the three dewormer med families to avoid the trap of having the worms build up a resistance to the meds.

Here is a well written article about deworming that I have found to be incredibly helpful and informative:

http://www.sheep101.info/201/parasite.html

Another good rule to follow is to deworm with two of the dewormer med families when bringing purchased sheep to your property.  I wouldn't dare introduce purchased sheep to our ranch and flock without doing this...

PS I have included a chart of the various dewormer meds.

Hope this helps!


----------



## norseofcourse

@Southern by choice wrote a really good two-part article on parasite fecal analysis.  Even if you don't do your own fecals, it's got really good info in it.  Just because a fecal says your animal has worms, doesn't mean you need to deworm it.  It's a judgement call, based on the worm count in eggs per gram (EPG) and other signs the animal may have.

Part 1:
https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/the-mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis.55/

Part 2:
https://www.backyardherds.com/resources/mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis-part2.57/

Also, recent research is questioning the long-held practice of frequent switching of dewormers, they are now saying it causes resistance to all of the products used, and that you should use one product until it's no longer effective, then switch.  There are other strategies and things to consider:
http://www.wormx.info/testknowledge

The American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (say that three times fast, lol) is a *great* resource for research and current news.
http://www.wormx.info/

Their monthly 'Timely Topics' are really good.  Look under the "Topics" heading - there is enough information to keep you reading for weeks, and much of it is easily readable instead of a bunch of techinal jargon you can't make heads or tails of.  There's also enough technical stuff for us math and data geeks, too


----------



## greybeard

norseofcourse said:


> Just because a fecal says your animal has worms, doesn't mean you need to deworm it. It's a judgement call, based on the worm count in eggs per gram (EPG) and other signs the animal may have.


It's been my experience, that this also  holds true for all ruminants most of the time. For cattle, there is an acceptable parasite load the animal can have and still get good growth and health, but attempting to keep one 100% parasite free would be a futile endeavor, and cause more harm than good, not to mention the unnecessary expense.


----------



## Snowytails

Thank you for all the info


----------



## Sheepshape

A faecal worm egg count is the best decider....your vet may well be happy to carry this out for a very reasonable sum.

Over here we always worm about 6 weeks before lambing as this is when the ewe has reduced resistance. (Her body stops rejecting 'foreign protein'  as she has to not reject the growing foetus). I then worm the lambs at 6-8 weeks of age and the ewes pre tupping. Other wormers are given determined by faecal egg count.

Use a wormer which is appropriate for your geographical location (and hence which worms are prevalent) and use flukicides if fluke is endemic.

Older animals develop worm resistance to a certain extent.


----------



## Gorman Farm

We do fecals 3 x a year and FAMACHA monthly. We live in Florida where the barber pole worm is the worst culprit. The vet uses Cydectin for those, we only had to worm the ewes after lambing, other than that the counts have been very low. The vet did give two of of lambs ivermectin at 6 weeks last year but so far this year they haven't needed it. It is important you check with your local vet they know what is in your area and what to check for, and what wormer to use and can advise you.


----------

