# I think my goat has pinworms?



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

My alpine doe has had a rough looking coat for awhile and my dh observed it was from her scratching her hair on her back, biting at it. I have noticed that she itches a lot. This morning I saw a thin, white, wiggly thing squirming around by her anus. At first I thought it might be a gnat larva, since we have A LOT of gnats in the quonset hut that they live in right now. Thinking about her itching though, pinworms may explain it. How can I tell for sure if she does have them? If they are pinworms, what would be the treatment, and would I need to treat everyone, or just the doe that is having problems with it?


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Do you know how to run your own fecals? Lots of info here on how to do it, maybe in the GK101 section or the Wormer/Cocci section. Anyway, you can always have your vet run it. They'll be able to tell you what worms they have and what the counts are. Then you can treat based on that info.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

I agree with Cindy, a fecal would also tell you what other worm loads you may be dealing with. This time of year if you haven't shaved your doe her hair could just be weathered. She could be copper deficient too.
A live squiggling pinworm indicates time for treatment here. However since we started copper bolusing and fecal sampling, treating accordingly, we are keeping the worm loads down.
Tam


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## freedomfrom4 (Nov 4, 2009)

Wouldn't tapes be a little white squigley worm?


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I am a vet tech (but don't work in a practice right now), so I do know how to run my own fecals, but I don't have a microscope right now. I did bring in a sample to the local vets around a month ago, and we were clean except a few coccidia, which I was told not to worry about on adults. 

I copper bolused the does June 7. I can see areas on this particular doe where I had shaved and hair is growing back (around udder). They are much more black than the reddish hair that is long. I just ordered clippers, so I will be shaving her down when they arrive. She really does chew on her hair.

I think tapeworms are bigger than this thing, but I'm not an expert on goat tapeworms. It was a pretty small, thin thing.

I think I should probably just assume it was a pinworm. From what I am reading, them and tapes are the two that won't show up on a fecal.

So, I guess my question now is how do I treat it, and does the whole herd need treatment?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Just like in children, if one child has pinworms they all do, so yes treat the herd....Safeguard/panacur, Valbazen, Levamisole, any white wormer. It is of no consequence, like tapes to a healthy adult do....in my herd if I saw pinworms I would simply wait until the herd needed to be wormed, say pre breeding in September, and use a cocktail of Cydectin (the normal HC wormer) and also do a worming of Safeguard/Panacur at the same time. Vicki


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## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

Thank you. I see what you are saying about it being inconsequential, as far as the goat's health and milking is concerned. But, it probably is not very comfortable for her...just like in kids, I bet it is really itchy! I will go ahead and treat them all then. Thank you so much!


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## chell20013 (Feb 7, 2011)

Nancy, you are right, tapes are bigger than the pinworms, looking more like overcooked orzo....


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