# Hookworms



## JN (Nov 4, 2011)

As I've posted before....This has been the hardest most discouraging year we've had since raising goats. Parasites have been a problem like never before. I now have a doeling who has been battling with hookworms. She's literally wasting away and will not stop scouring. I've used chemical wormers repeatedly which have done nothing. I've used cydectin, ivermectin, and levamisole. I took a sample to the vet and she is still loaded. The vet gave me the levamisole. I have been giving her B Complex injections in hopes to keep her going. I've also been giving her probios. She is eating and browsing but looks just horrible and is weak. I've been keeping a blanket on her because the poor little thing stays cold. Any ideas on what to do?? I'm honestly considering putting her down. Thanks for any advice you can offer.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

I've never dealt with hookworms in goats, but I found this googling - says the ivermectin kills the adults but not the larva. To do 5 days of Panacur or Safeguard. That makes sense to me cause that is the drug you give dogs for hookworms. Is Levamisole a white wormer? If so that might work, but you might need to give for five days. Read through the thread and see if it helps:

http://goatbeat.net/index.php?action=printpage;topic=3609.0


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Start her on some garlic, a couple cloves every hour or two the first day, then every couple of hours the next day until scours stop and then continue giving 4-5 times a day for a couple more days, then twice a day for a few more days. Add some cayenne to it if you have it, just some, don't make it too hot where she won't want it. Mix it with honey to help with taste. Other options if you have them: black walnut, powdered clove, powdered ginger...there are others but these might be some you have. 

I've just never seen scours continue on a goat that was getting garlic. The next day they dry up. It kills bacteria too.


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## JN (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks y'all. No Levamisole is not a white wormer. It's clear. I had a friend tell me to try panacur today. I've used it in the past (a few years ago) and it wasn't affective. But it's worth a shot.

I have tried mincing garlic and combining that with some cayenne and forming a ball with peanut butter. It has always worked well in the past but didn't for her. But I didn't give it to her that often. I'll give it another try. 

Thanks so much!


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## Angela (Feb 13, 2010)

Since you have already found that panacur is not effective, I would use Valbazen. While I have not had a problem with hook worms, Valbazen has worked well for me here.


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## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

Did you give the Panacur/Safeguard over the course of 5 days? Thats what you need to do to kill the parasites.


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## skeeter (Aug 11, 2010)

Dex is also helpful. Hookworms eventually attack the brain stem. Once neurological symptoms set in it's too late so, it helps to keep the inflammation down.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Did the Panacur not work for hookworms before? Different drugs kill different worms. I have found uses for the white wormer in the past, but I did use Safeguard for goats at 3X the recommended dosage and for 5 days.


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## JN (Nov 4, 2011)

Thanks again for your helpful info. I bought some Safeguard today. How many little "clicks" would you recommend? She's about 50 pounds. Over the weekend we made her a make-shift pen in our barn which has a concrete floor in hopes to be able to avoid re-infestation. We've been giving her garlic, cayenne and pb balls throughout the day for the last few days. No change yet. She isn't eating much feed but is eating lots of hay and is drinking water. We're also still giving her daily B Complex injections.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

How much garlic has she been getting? Would expect her to be cleared up by now for sure...though I've not dealt with hookworms specifically and it could be that something more is needed. 

How did you come to the conclusion of hookworms? I've really not heard of them in goats.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Ok, it's by fecals, I gather. Hookworm eggs sure do look like barberpole eggs. I'd be more inclined to think it's barberpole. I know cydectin should work for that though. What dose did you use and did you follow up in 10 days and 10 days again? 

How are her eyelids?

Barberpole is our main worm issue here, by far. I've had great results with fir meadow's GI soother mixed with garlic, 1-2 cloves per dose, double or triple dosing and giving every 1-2 hours all day. I've also used the D-worm A just the same with the garlic and works great. Also doesn't require the follow-ups at 10 day intervals.

With anything that's kind of dug in like this, it does take longer to get out of the hole.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Also, she's only 50 lbs...been treated for cocci?

IME, garlic works on cocci, but it takes longer than with barberpole. I really like baycox for acute issues with it.


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## JN (Nov 4, 2011)

She's been getting one minced garlic clove at a time every hour or so during the day time hours. So much that she has garlic breath at all times. :/ 

I took as fecal sample to the vet to be tested early last week. They said she was "loaded with hookworms."


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Double the horse dose of safeguard. Goats need more than a horse. So if your goat is 50 lbs give the dosage for 100 lbs of horse.


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## Ashley (Oct 25, 2007)

Yeah, I doubt it, bet it's HC. They're in the same family and their eggs are similar.


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## Escondida (Sep 28, 2011)

There is a lady who has developed an herbal formula for treating goats. Since I drink the fresh raw milk, I try to take care of my animals using natural products. I have been using her two part formula for 3 years now on my dwarf Nigerians and my Great Pyrenees LGD. No problems whatsoever. Her site is loaded with years of goat care and info. Here is the page that describes her herbs http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/


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## JN (Nov 4, 2011)

Thank you for that info, Ralph. Sadly, I've used Molly's Herbals and found that it wasn't affective with all parasites here. I did use it to treat Cocci and it worked. One bad worm that it didn't kick was the HC/Barber pole. I do not like using chemical wormers and try to avoid all chemicals as much as possible. In our home and in our barnyard. There have been times I've used chemical wormers. Some have worked, many have not. I have found another wormer called Land of Havilah that I'm trying. Many people have had great success with it. Even in the South. Let's hope!! 

Our doeling is doing better. We moved her into the barn (concrete floor) where we can keep her waste cleaned up to avoid re-infestation and to keep her off of the infested ground. We also scrubbed her hooves and bathed her in hopes to remove parasite eggs. She's now passing solids instead of pure liquid. Praise God! We plan to put up some temporary stalls in the barn for the rest of the herd. We'll keep them there for the rest of the winter so hopefully come spring we'll have nice fresh pasture for them and our new kids to come. 

Thanks for all your help everyone!


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## jdavenport (Jul 19, 2012)

Do you have any was to till and replant the pasture? Since you don't usually have many hard freezes down in Texas, I don't think resting the ground will do much. If you till the soil down 12" or so and plant new pasture, that might get the worm load down to reasonable levels. Burying the larvae and eggs will suffocate many of them. You could also add a few steers to the pasture rotation. They eat the eggs and larvae, but don't get sick. We haven't had goats long enough to have a problem, but we're rotating pastures, following the goats with chickens and running our own monthly Famancha and fecal exams. This winter has been colder than usual, with -8 degree lows and lower to come next week. I'm hoping it kills not only the barberpole worms but the nasty little flea beetles that seem to eat half my garden every spring. At least that is what I tell myself every morning and evening when I go to milk


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Jennifer, did you end up using the safeguard? Do you still feel it was Hookworms or do you think the vet made a mistake and it was HC?


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