Sick lambs, Lost 2

[farmerjan]

Also, many university studies say to use 2 wormers together... it should get more worms that might be resistant to one or the other wormer... BUT... it will make any surviving worms or eggs resistant to both wormers....
They are the experts.... I am just a "dumb farmer" that has done it for a few years out in the day to day.....
The old saying about the cure is worse than the disease, goes for worming... too much too fast, will kill them from the toxic body reaction to dead parasites in the gut and the toxin can go into the blood stream poisoning the animal too fast to counteract....

 

[Baymule]

Many vets say to use 2 different classes of wormers at one time. I agree with @farmerjan. My vet thinks it’s dumb too, for the very same reasons.

 

[Leigh Ann]

Welcome to the forum, but sad for you.

I am going to give you a little different advice than @Baymule .... and we are good friends so not a slight to her.

Do not give nutridrench when you worm... you are feeding the worms. Any type of nutritional support should be given 36-48 hours later.. and they should get straight water for the 24-48 hours after worming. You want them to flush out the worms, not give them additional nutrition which can counteract the wormer.
The B-12 is a shot and is an appetite stimulant as well as nutritional boost, that can be given anytime... I would also wait 24-48 hrs. for the iron if oral... iron shot would be fine.
Severe worm infestations will become toxic as they die in the gut tract... I will not do such a harsh worming so fast... But that is me...I am NOT a vet... I would do the ivermect, 2 days later do nutritional support for 3-4 days... 7-10 days a second ivermect... nutritional support again after 48 hours.... then after there has been at least a decent reduction in the worms and eggs, hit them with a different wormer which will be like coming at them from a different angle... I like prohibit for our sheep after an ivermectin treatment... and we use ivermectin oral FOR SHEEP... it is a little different strength I think, than the injectible. All literature says to not use cattle ivermectin for sheep and goats... especially not to use the pour on as a drench. Then go back with prohibit about 2 weeks later.... It is an oral product.

Again, that is strictly me. Oklahoma State U... has a good website with alot of information on sheep and goats. Also Georgia State has some extensive info.

Hi

 

[Leigh Ann]

Hi farmerjan, Thank you for your reply. So, you are saying... Only water and no feed or hay for 24 hrs after worming right? Do not use cattle ivermectin.
Give nutri drench 2 days after worming.
I have Valbazen (albendazole oral) can I use that instead of buying another wormer?
A B 12 shot good anytime. I see 1 to 2 ml for small animals. What dose for 100 lb sheep?
Iron shot anytime after worming. Wait 2 days if oral.
Repeat 7 to 10 days after 1st worming.
If I have this wrong, please correct me. I to worry about too much at once. May I use Safeguard and Valbazen for my wormers? If the other is best I can get it. Appreciate your advice. Any advice from experienced sheep farmers is so welcome. I am still in the learning stages. Thank you.

 

[SageHill]

Hi farmerjan, Thank you for your reply. So, you are saying... Only water and no feed or hay for 24 hrs after worming right? Do not use cattle ivermectin.
Give nutri drench 2 days after worming.
I have Valbazen (albendazole oral) can I use that instead of buying another wormer?
A B 12 shot good anytime. I see 1 to 2 ml for small animals. What dose for 100 lb sheep?
Iron shot anytime after worming. Wait 2 days if oral.
Repeat 7 to 10 days after 1st worming.
If I have this wrong, please correct me. I to worry about too much at once. May I use Safeguard and Valbazen for my wormers? If the other is best I can get it. Appreciate your advice. Any advice from experienced sheep farmers is so welcome. I am still in the learning stages. Thank you.

To get someone tagged in a reply you need to use the @ as the first character in the name then pick their name in the dropdown menu that will show up as you type - that way they can see they were mentioned and go straight to the reply. So for your post @farmerjan will do that -- no need to edit your post as she'll see it in this post.

 

[farmerjan]

Okay, sorry for any confusion. I meant to NOT use electrolytes in the water, for 24-48 hours after worming... just plain water. Feed and hay is fine... will help pass the worms/eggs and all out in the manure especially hay as the bulk will help to move the manure through their system faster.
Any kind of nutridrench and such 36-48 hours after worming (48 is my preference to give the wormer time to pass through more) and feed and hay and water as normal... Reworm with the SAME product in 10 days.... same protocol 48 hours just water and hay and feed... electrolytes added after ONLY if they seem a little weak...
I am not big on electrolyte water for more than a couple days to get them "back on track".....
Sometimes you can overdo the nutritional support like nutridrench... Understand that you are putting all sorts of additional stuff into their gut tract that is not usually there and that alone can mess up the balance of good and bad bacterial and microbes...
Then I would go with the different wormer 3-4 weeks later...

BUT at this point, that might not be necessary. Safe guard seems to be a little more harsh on their system... and Valbazen it is not to be used in first trimester pregnant sheep or goats, or within 45 days of removal of breeding male... it messes with the conception and development of the fetus...... Technically Safe guard is not listed for sheep... just Valbazen...
Understand that both Valbazen (albendazole) and Safe Guard (Fenbendazole) are in the SAME family of wormers...Benzimidazoles....

Ivomec and Cydectin are in the (Avermectin) family.

Prohibit (Levamisole) is a different family of wormers... Cholinergic family...

So if you are using both/either Valbazen and Safe guard, you are using the same wormer. Different companies, little different make up... but the same basic wormer..

I would give 2 ml of injectible Vit B-12 once to the sheep... can be repeated in a week... usually we will give it to cattle once or twice a week if they are really off feed... Iron should be a one time thing.... you can overdose on iron although it is metabolized if the animal has access to sunlight... with Vit A.. and copper.... BUT... if you are feeding alfalfa hay, they are getting mostly adequate amounts... unless they are severely anemic... and one shot after worming should take care of most all but the worst case....and too much copper can kill sheep so do not feed supplemental copper...

 

[Leigh Ann]

@farmerjan
I have wormed the lambs all at 3 months when I got them with Safeguard. Twice, 10 days apart. Then at 6 months, now, I wormed them10 days ago with ivermectin. A few days later turned them out on the big pasture. My little bottle fed Baby Grace died on Monday. She was puny Sat evening. Sunday I knew she was sick, then gone on Monday. Another was having the same symptoms.
I started electrolytes Tues,Wed,Thurs to the other 5 sheep for 3 days. After day two of electrolytes, the other lamb died. I had been researching and trying to figure out what it was making them sick. I had also changed their food but mixed it with the old for 2 days. Friday two had scours. I figured from changing food. The sick that had passed did not have diarrhea. I joined here and Saturday wormed with Safeguard and fed the WORMS with nutri drench. Oops...I closed the others off the big pasture. Fed little less feed and gave hay Sat evening. Today all 4 look good. Stool is pellets. Eating normal. Still not on the big pasture. They have grass in the area they are in now. I will give vitamin B 12 tomorrow. I guess next they will need worming again Saturday, to be aggressive with worming. This is where we are.now. Thanks for getting back to me.

 

[Leigh Ann]

@farmerjan
I have wormed the lambs all at 3 months when I got them with Safeguard. Twice, 10 days apart. Then at 6 months, now, I wormed them10 days ago with ivermectin. A few days later turned them out on the big pasture. My little bottle fed Baby Grace died on Monday. She was puny Sat evening. Sunday I knew she was sick, then gone on Monday. Another was having the same symptoms.
I started electrolytes Tues,Wed,Thurs to the other 5 sheep for 3 days. After day two of electrolytes, the other lamb died. I had been researching and trying to figure out what it was making them sick. I had also changed their food but mixed it with the old for 2 days. Friday two had scours. I figured from changing food. The sick that had passed did not have diarrhea. I joined here and Saturday wormed with Safeguard and fed the WORMS with nutri drench. Oops...I closed the others off the big pasture. Fed little less feed and gave hay Sat evening. Today all 4 look good. Stool is pellets. Eating normal. Still not on the big pasture. They have grass in the area they are in now. I will give vitamin B 12 tomorrow. I guess next they will need worming again Saturday, to be aggressive with worming. This is where we are.now. Thanks for getting back to me.

 

[Leigh Ann]

I will check on iron too.

 

[Baymule]

Pig iron is injectable, where you buy it, ought to be able to help you with the syringes and needles.

Walk your fields. If you don’t know what a plant is, take pictures. I have Apple ID there are other plant ID apps. Or post pictures here and we will try to help identify. There may be toxic plants, but normally sheep leave toxic plants alone. Or they eat them, but certain parts or at certain time in growth. My sheep would strip the leaves off black nightshade but not the deadly berries.