Internal Parasite Control for Meat Goats

Introduction Two of the most common questions on the minds of many goat producers are; “when should I deworm my goats?”, and “what should I use to do so?”. Unfortunately, there are no simple answers to these questions because all production programs differ in many ways. Therefore, we will look at some of the factors that affect these answers so you can better make the decisions for your herd. When it comes to internal parasites, goats have special problems. In cattle, roundworms are usually an economic problem in that they waste feed inputs and decrease growth and production. In goats, these same considerations are valid, but the very life and health of the animal may be threatened by Haemonchus contortus, or the “barber pole worm.” It bleeds the goat and causes death by anemia. In addition there is a serious lack of parasiticide drugs that are labeled for legal use in goats. Only two such drugs exist at this time and research has shown that neither is very effective on Oklahoma goat farms. While there is a strong temptation to use drugs labeled for cattle or sheep according to the dose and route of administration for these species, goats are actually very different. Using cattle or sheep doses and routes will likely not be effective and can lead to resistance problems. The reason for the lack of research and availability of legal drugs for use in goats is simple economics. A market of one million goats just can’t support the research and development costs that a market of 100 million cattle can. For this reason, many of the drugs used today are used “off-label”. This means that in order to be legal they must be prescribed by a licensed veterinarian who has first hand knowledge of the animals. Because all goat operations are different and any effective program will probably involve usage of off-label drugs, your local veterinarian is the best source for helping you set up a comprehensive treatment and management parasite control protocol for your farm.