Posted by Sherry on January 12, 2001 at 20:23:13:
In Reply to: As long as we're on the subject of worms..... posted by Mary on January 12, 2001 at 12:54:55:
You may be referring to my post. I am just repeating what I have read. I am by far no expert on the matter! My worming schedule is every two months. I rotate between Ivomec injectable, Safe Guard and Valbazen. I tried the pour-on Ivomec once. The dog jumped up, hit the cup I was carrying and 60cc of the stuff went down my chest....not fun. I told my husband if I began to gain weight and my hair got shiny then we knew what was wrong with me!
I do feel that all of us (whether we care to admit it or not!) harbor parasites. Goats are constantly mouthing everything they come in contact with and there's no way they can help but pick up parasites, but you can't go giving them wormers in the afternoon to get rid of what they might have picked up that morning! The best any of us can do is keep the parasite load down to a healthy level. As long as my girls are healthy and shiny, I feel my program is working. When they begin to appear scruffy, it's time to re-think the program. Figure out what works best for you. My program has come from many...MANY...suggestions from many people. Except for the exceptional few, I think most of us here just offer up what we do and what works for us. I say there are as many ways to keep goats as there are goat keepers! Use what you can and what you feel comfortable with. You know your herd better than anyone. That's about the best advice I can offer.