# Meningeal worm and IvomecPlus



## prairiegirl01 (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi all,

I am having trouble piecing together a treatment plan for my whether. I think my 6 year old whether, Stanley, has meningeal worms based on what I've read here and on the internet. He has been staggering around, weakness started in the hind and moved to the front. He also had terrible itching on his neck and throat. He scratched himself raw. All the while I thought it was other things--first treated his skin topically for mites and treated his feet for foot rot. Gave him a copper bolus. But that didn't seem to do much. I even tried antibiotics. All of this improved things a little but not much. so I went back to the books/net until I came across the symptoms for meningeal worm. They seemed to fit. So, I bought some IvomecPlus and gave him a 3cc dose two days ago (He weighs about 160#), one yesterday and will do another one today. Yesterday I added some Banamine based on what I'd read. Also gave him some selenium and vitamin E. Vicki, can you tell me if I am doing this right? And, how soon should I begin to see some improvement? He seems happier, but is still pretty unsteady on his feet. I was planning to do a 3 day course of the IvomecPlus. Should I do more? Then follow up with Safeguard?

I am worried that I didn't catch this quickly enough and that there will be permament damage. Right now he doesn't really go out to graze with the herd because it's too hard. 

Can someone provide me with a clear course of treatment, dosages, days, and what to watch for? Could this be something else? He's otherwise very healthy--shiny coat, good attitude, eating as long as he doesn't have to walk too far to get it.

No signs in the other goats, but I gave them a 3cc shot to be on the safe side. Is that enough as a preventive measure?

thanks!

Chris


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## Bernice (Apr 2, 2009)

Hi Christine!

years ago when we had our dairy in Arkansas some of our older goats ended up w/ meningeal worm. In our situation they had gone down quickly, by that I mean physically down. The vet tested, Texas A & M sent back the results being meningeal worm. We began with what I recall an intensive ivomec by injection regime for several days. I would suggest if possible for your vet to come out to make sure. I'll see if I can find my notes from then on treatment, it was like 10 years ago.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

You will find a lot more good info on the internet with photos, I am pretty sure we put the link in goatkeeping 101, not sure. I had it once, years back, I had no idea what was wrong with Amber other than she was down in her rear and had cigarette looking holes in her hide that she was self mutilating by chewing on, and was doing it in sort of a manic way.

My vet diagnosed her with protozoal milalitis, so if you have a horse vet tell them it is the same thing in horses and MW is in goats.

We tripled the dosage of Ivermectin Plus (3cc per 100 pounds) (and it was only chosen because it was the only form of Ivermectin my vet had on the truck). We also started her on Naxcel and a sulfa because a goat down in our weather is going to get pneumonia and or cocci/worms.

The Ivermectin will kill the adult protozoa which has been eaten by the doe, think of it as mites left in the grass from white tail deer grazing on your pastures or where your hay was cut. An adult would have to have a break in immunity for the mite to then break the blood brain barrier (which is mature in goats past about 3 or 4 months old) it then settles in her spinal cord, you can feeling the swelling/hard area on her back, and everything from that point back goes to sleep because of pressure, it is not permanent if it is caught before infection sets in. She lays eggs, which are so small they actually migrate as larvae out into the system and come out through the skin, leaving small burr holes where they migrated out, they itch like hell and the goat starts self mutilating and can kill themselves. We used heavy doses of banaime given twice a day to keep her in lala land after initially giving her bute orally to stop her. With the banamine we also gave her dexamethazone, 1cc per 100 pounds the first 3 days IM and then 1/2 cc per 100 pounds for the last 3 days, 6 total.

It was about 4 or 5 days of meds continuously before she started to try to get up and get away from me with all the syringes in my mouth coming at her....She was up within the week, this was in the fall, she went on to get one more leg towards her championship the next year, but I also walked her in the ring very very slowly, she had this weird hitch in her getalong if she ran in from pasture or walked really quickly....so the neurological problems in her rear didn't go away 100%. I blame it on me trying to figure out what was going on, and not calling my vet for at least a guess.

Funny was when I called my vet, she was due to come out the next morning...my family and I went to a local restaurant for dinner, and Merry was there with her kids and in-laws, with vet texts out all across the table  She knew she was going to have to get prepared 

From that day forward I shot and killed white tail deer, and then the next groups of Ridgebacks we raised up were rewarded for killing them, chasing them away etc...where previously I thought they were beautiful and reprimanded the dogs for chasing or killing them....no more, they aren't so beautiful anymore after nearly losing my best doe. V


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## ksalvagno (Jul 8, 2011)

You also want to give Safeguard (Panacur) for 5 days. You would dose it at 1cc per 7 lbs for Meningeal Worm.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Karen what would the Safeguard do?


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## prairiegirl01 (Jun 2, 2008)

I thought I read somewhere that this can't be tested for? So I wasn't going to call the vet for testing? I will call around today and see what info I can get. We don't have a good goat vet. Are you also telling me horses can get this? Yikes! I have four....

What about the other goats who are not showing symptoms? What should I do for them?

Chris


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yes horses get the same type of thing, is it also from white tail deer? No idea. All I know is that the treatment and the information all came from a vet text on horses being treated for protozoal myelitis (EPM) which is really just inflammation of the nervous system by a protozoa  My vet, a horse vet, pulled fluid from the space around the spinal cord which was obviously swollen and also a quick neuro exam was enough to convince my vet this is what is was...she also had never seen this in a goat nor the self mutilating from the migration of the larve.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

As for your other goats, something happend to this doe for this to effect her. There is that internet story and photos of the group of does this happened to, each year for awhile...there simply has to be a lot more to it than this because I live in white tail deer country, our hay comes from fields that white tail deer graze on and are hunted on, it is simply not wide spread enough of a disease (26 years one case) ....so treating with Ivermectin like some places are going to say to do, how can that help? It only kills the protozoa it does not prevent it. Here, Ivermectin isn't a good enough wormer to worm with it for much of anything during the year, so I am not going to give it as a prevention for something that doesn't happen, rarely. Also for us this is a fall problem, not a spring or summer problem, with the does early bred I wouldn't want to be given them dosages of Ivermectin like this either.

For me, perhaps it was luck, but not allowing the deer on my property I am sure helped, but my girls also have access to the huge pasture behind me and it is thick with deer...so who knows. V


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## ksalvagno (Jul 8, 2011)

The studies were done in alpacas and all my experience is with alpacas but panacur/safeguard is supposed to cross the blood-brain barrier and get to the larvae at any point in the body as ivomec can't. I can only speak from my alpaca experience but it worked. I recently had a goat that was showing a weak back end. I gave her a regular dose of Ivomec and 5 days of Safeguard at 1cc per 7 lbs and her symptoms went away.

Meningeal worm can be verified by a spinal tap. Years ago alpaca people were paying Ohio State to do spinal taps on their alpacas for meningeal worm verification. I'm sure very few places do it and probably only at veterinary university hospitals. Meningeal worm also isn't going to infect a whole herd because each goat would have to pick up the worm from the field. It really isn't likely that your field is so full of the worm that everyone would pick it up.

http://goatconnection.com/articles/publish/article_126.shtml - Here is what Dr David Anderson wrote up years ago from his study


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## prairiegirl01 (Jun 2, 2008)

Hi all,

I called three vets yesterday and they all said they've never seen a case of meningeal worm in goats in this part of Minnesota. They said they have seen it in llamas/alpacas, but not in goats. EPM is also rare here in horses. It is much more common in horses from farther South where it is spread by possum feces in hay. The vet said it was more likely to be a virus or thiamine deficiency? Anyway, he is coming out to do a blood draw today and see what we can figure out from that. They also wondered about copper toxicity? Anyway, we'll see what they think and I'll let you know.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Can you take a photo of the sores on her hide? Did thiamin defficency cause that? A virus like what? Please don't let him ruin your doe by having you not treat for menengial worm and spend a fortune on tests that will give you no conclusion at all.

Possum feces in the hay  Yep I would have all the confidence in the world with information from him. Vicki


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## birdiegirl (Oct 26, 2007)

I am trying to remember details of my Nigerian Dwarf doe that contracted meningeal worm a couple of years ago. I first noticed that she was walking funny, like her body was curving sideways in a U-shape. Then, if a member of the herd bumped up against her, she fell over, and acted like she couldn't get up. Then I noticed the intense itching, she was rubbing up on every tree and fallen log she could find. She had several round spots near her collar that looked like cigarette burns, and a tract of raw skin and hair loss on her rear leg- this was the most affected leg, she would limp and drag it along. Thanks to Vicki, I treated her with ivermectin, safguard and banamine. I did not have the dex at that time. After a few days, she was more comfortable, and was somewhat back to her normal self, aside from a pronounced limp. She recovered in time, with only a trace limp that eventually faded. She also delivered kids the following season. 

I hope your goat is doing better!


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## ksalvagno (Jul 8, 2011)

Meningeal worm takes them so fast that I don't fool around. If I suspect M worm then I treat. Worst case is that you did a really good worming. As often as that occurs, I personally don't worry about resistance from that one instance of worming. In the 14 years that I owned alpacas, I treated 2 alpacas that I suspected "might" have M worm. When I saw my goat walking funny this year, I didn't wait for a vet, I just treated. If you have ever watched an animal suffer from it, you just don't wait to treat for any other animal that comes up with the symptoms. I have cared for several alpacas over the years that had M worm and the recovery is long and hard IF they survive.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Be sure to let one of those smart fellows do a necropsy for you after they kill your goat for you.
Lee


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Oh Lee! You just crack me up, but yes I was thinking the same thing. Perhaps the vet is simply confused between white tail deer, snails and meningeal worm and possums and toxo or lepto.....or armadillos and leprosy


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## Bernice (Apr 2, 2009)

Possum feces? :duh :bang


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## tlcnubians (Jan 21, 2011)

It's my understanding (from Dr. Craig) that meningeal worm (Paralaphostrongylus tenius) moves in a larval form through the animal's central nervous system without ever reaching maturity. The goat, sheep, llama or alpaca has to ingest a snail or slug that happens to be the intermediate host for this parasite in order for the animal to become infected. You may see hind end paralysis, blindness, head tilt or hair loss that looks like someone has thrown acid down the back or neck of the goat (when D'Ann's doe was affected, that's exactly what she thought had happened, as the hair loss was in streaks from the top of the goat's neck downward, but it was actually hair loss that followed the nerves down the goat's neck). Sheep and goats are terminal hosts for this parasite and meningeal worms do not produce any eggs or pass larvae into the animals' feces. It cannot be detected by blood testing; only by spinal tap or during a necropsy. Dr. Craig has always suggested that using injected Ivomec (rather than oral dosing) is one of the most effective forms of treatment, but oral dewormers such as levamasol or benzimidazols (Safeguard, Valbazen, etc) can also be used in conjunction with the injected Ivomec.

There is an excellent article on meningeal worm here: http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/deerworm.html with links to additional articles at the bottom.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Actually, I don't think that the vet is confused about EPM in horses. The possum is the host. http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/2004/summer/epm.htm But the parasite that causes meningeal worm in white tail deer is _Parelaphostrongylus tennis_ (and the deer is considered to be the definitive host, snails are among the intermediate hosts) whereas the parasite that causes EPM in horses is _Sarcocystis neurona_ and the horse is only the intermediate host; the possum is the definitive host (where the life cycle is completed). So while we have similar issues with both EPM and meningeal worm, they are not the same problem.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

It's not the same thing as Meningeal worm. It's not the same problem at all.
The meningeal worm is actually a viable deer parasite headed for the brain and the larval stage just looses their way in any host not a deer. This is not the same disease at all. 
The horse problem is protozoan 
Lee


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Cross posting.


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## Bernice (Apr 2, 2009)

Thank you Lee!

While we are sharing links, I happened upon this link which I believe is pretty straight forward.

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/brainworm_nematode.htm

From this site here:

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/parasite.html

Lots of good reading material.


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