Worming goats

[Lizjax]

I'm needing some advise on worming our two goats please!!

 

[Green Acres Farm]

You need to run a fecal #1 to see what they have.

Different dewormers target different worms

 

[Lizjax]

Ok is there anyway to do that at home? We're having financial issues right now.

 

[ldawntaylor]

I've heard there are some who send the samples to a lab to have the fecal run. But, I don't know anything about cost or lab name or anything like that. I've seen the info in other threads about deworming goats I just don't remember the details at the moment.

Sometimes a vet will charge a lower fee if you collect the sample yourself.

As for running the fecals at home that might have a bit of an outlay unless you have a microscope already.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

Ok is there anyway to do that at home? We're having financial issues right now.

I have heard most vets charge $10-15. Mine is very expensive and charges $34, so I have learned to do my own. It wouldn't hurt to call some local vets an ask their pricing. Although I haven't, some people ship fecals to a lab and I have heard it isn't pricy. Do you have a microscope?

How old are your goats? Breed?

 

[Lizjax]

No, no microscope. We have 2, a Nigerian Dwarf who is 3 months old and a Boer who is 6 months I think.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

No, no microscope. We have 2, a Nigerian Dwarf who is 3 months old and a Boer who is 6 months I think.

Has your Nigerian Dwarf been on cocci prevention? Young goats are prone to coccidia which is actually a protozoan, not a worm.

It would be cheaper to get a fecal and know what you have than buy a dewormer that won't work and have to buy another.

 

[babsbag]

Have you checked the membrane in their eyes for color? The pinker the better. This will just give you a basic idea if you need to worm NOW or if you can look around for a vet or send a sample off. If they are white that is really dangerous and worming too fast can create another set of problems all on its own.

Do your goats act ok? Pooping normal goat berries?

 

[Southern by choice]

Given your location and ages of goats coccidia would be more likely to be an issue for you right now then worms.
The FAMACHA chart does not work with cocci or and other type worm other than the barberpole.

Do you suspect you are having a worm problem or are the goats showing symptoms that are causing a concern for you?

 

[MaggieSims]

YES definitely call around! you might be surprised at how affordable it might be. most just want a small sample, scoop a few freshest berries from each goat and put in a ziploc baggie, hand to a vet, and you'll know soon, my vet does it while i wait, 5-10 minutes. $10 each time. or each float if i have different samples. I just went through this, with an older goat, who had worms that i might have gotten if i had just wormed and not had the fecal run, but what I WOULD HAVE MISSED, was 3 kinds of cocci overloading her. If i had not had the fecal done, it might have taken her. It was worth my lovely goat to have some poo tested