This spring dose can help to reduce the amount of new infection on pastures in the following autumn. We routinely dose with flukicide before tupping in October, at scanning in January and after lambing, when we turn out the ewes with their new lambs. Running ducks on the pasture is sometimes suggetsted, on teh premise that they eat the snails, but these water snails are microscopic - not big, fat, juicy garden snails - so I'm more than a little sceptical about this. There are chemical sprays are available that kill the snail. Good drainage can help by removing habitat otherwise fence off wet areas, although this often is practical on limited grazing. It is possible to reduce the danger from fluke by removing the intermediate host, the water snail. Sheep, rabbits, deer and horses can also host the parasite. If you are sending cattle or sheep direct to slaughter, it’s worth getting a report back on the livers although livers can be condemned for reasons other than fluke infestation, it’s useful intelligence to have. Liver fluke infection in cattle Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) is a leaf-shaped parasite which lives in the liver and bile ducts of infected cattle. Flukicides are usually a drench and some have a lengthy withdrawal period – up to eight weeks. Triclabendazole is a common flukicide that is now experiencing resistance in some areas but other flukicides such as closantel are now available. There are also issues of resistance to some flukicides. Your vet will be able to advise on whether fluke is a problem in your area. The presence of the water snail in the lifecycle used to mean that liver fluke has traditionally been held to be more of a problem on the wetter West side of the UK, but these climate changes, though, has meant that it is now an increasing problem in the eastern areas too. The “fluke season” is usually held to be October to March but changing climate patterns – warmer and wetter - mean that the season may be lengthening and the impact of fluke growing. Liver fluke also has quite a complex lifecycle, which includes a water snail as an intermediate host so resting pasture doesn’t necessarily have the same effect on fluke as on worms.Ī further problem with fluke is that its presence doesn’t always show up in faecal worm egg counts – it depends on whether it is at the egg-shedding stage of its lifecycle and the since the adult fluke maybe only releases one egg a day, the chances of it being in that wee sample are pretty slim. Keep new donkeys separate until tested and treated accordingly.Fasciola hepatica (Liver fluke) is a serious parasite of both sheep and cattle unlike worms, it is not host specific but affects a number of species.Rest and rotate grazing and don’t overcrowd fields.If possible keep donkeys with the same grazing companions, not continually changing groups.There are blood and saliva tests available, and we are more than happy to discuss the pros and cons on an individual basis. These tests do not identify tapeworm, so we advise that horses are dosed at least in the autumn, possibly in the spring too if particularly at risk. Should a result over 200 eggs per gram (EPG) be detected then appropriate dosing and repeat FWEC to ensure response will be required. If control measures are in place within a stable adult population, donkeys will require FWEC to be carried out in April, June and Sept/Oct. Kits can be collected from the surgery, and our equine vets will tailor your programme to your donkeys’ specific needs.
Fluke worm full#
A new donkey should have a full screen on arrival. With resistance to wormers (where previously effective wormers no longer kill the worms) increasing it is essential that we reduce our reliance on them.įor donkeys, we advise three dung samples to be examined every year, with strongyles evaluated in each and both Fluke and Lungworm to be assessed in one of these samples (spring or autumn). Targeted worm control provides a tailor-made approach designed by our vets, taking into account your individual donkeys needs. Parasite control is about far more than just worming. A ‘zero tolerance’ approach should be taken to Lungworm as once established eradication can be a lengthy process.ĭonkeys grazing wet, marshy paddocks are at risk of liver fluke, and may be at particular risk if grazed with other infected livestock (e.g. Healthy donkeys rarely develop clinical signs, but in horses, an infection can cause severe coughing. Donkeys are affected by strongyles (Roundworm) and tapeworm, just like horses, but there are two other significant parasites.ĭonkeys, unlike horses, can carry the full lifecycle. Though similar to horses in many ways, donkeys have many unique characteristics, and parasites in donkeys are no exception.
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