Moxodex – a closer look at the active moxidectin
- What is moxidectin?
- What is Moxodex licensed for in sheep?
- When can I use Moxodex in sheep?
- What are the advantages of using Moxodex?
- Are there any disadvantages?
Gut worms are a big problem in sheep, impacting health, welfare and productivity and it is estimated that they cost the UK sheep flock £84 million pounds per year.1 Here we take a closer look at Moxodex and the active moxidectin, and why it could be a good option for parasite control in your flock.
What is moxidectin?
Moxidectin is a broad-spectrum wormer in the ML (Clear) class of wormers. Depending on the specific product formulation, it can be used as an oral drench or injection in sheep.
What is Moxodex licensed for in sheep?
Moxodex 1mg/ml oral drench targets most common gut and lungworms in sheep, including some activity against worms which are resistant to benzimidazoles (White drenches).
It provides essential cover against the worms associated with parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE), as well as Nematodirus spp. and Haemonchus.
When can I use Moxodex in sheep?
Moxodex 1mg/ml oral drench has a persistent action of up to 5 weeks against Telodorsagia and Haemonchus, allowing for an 8-week dosing schedule, it also has a short meat withdrawal of just 14 days.
Lambs:
Moxodex can be used to prevent PGE in rotation with other wormer classes (overuse of a single wormer class can increase the risk of resistance developing). Treatments should be based on faecal worm egg counts (FWECs), weight gain and lamb condition to ensure the correct animals are wormed at the right time. Also, when dosing, try to leave a proportion of the strongest and healthiest animals untreated. This provides a population of worms to dilute any resistant parasites that may develop.
Ewes:
Moxodex can be used in pregnant ewes pre-lambing as an aid in combating the periparturient rise in worm burden, therefore reducing pasture contamination for the years lamb crop. To reduce the risk of resistance developing it is important not to use moxidectin in ewes around lambing year-on-year and to leave at least 10-20% of ewes in each grazing group untreated when using long-acting products. Body condition score and FWECs can be used to identify the need for and ewes requiring treatment.
Resistance to moxidectin is not widespread, in fact, moxidectin was shown to have the least resistance in the studies conducted on sheep in Wales, with just 19% showing resistance to this active.2 However, reports are increasing.3 To preserve the effectiveness of this useful drug it is important to use it responsibly.
General tips for responsible worming:
- Know your flock’s resistance profile to select the right wormer
- Aim to leave 10% untreated (choose unaffected animals)
- Don’t dose and move
- Only treat when needed (strategic worming)
- Don’t underdose
- Use calibrated equipment
Read more about resistance in gut worms and how to reduce the risk on your farm.
What are the advantages of using Moxodex?
- Persistency of action - allowing for an extended dosing schedule. This minimises handling of lambs, reducing stress, workload and the risk of injuries during handling/gathering.
- 14-day withdrawal period – significantly shorter than many other wormer groups. This allows for more rapid marketing of treated fat lambs, to target better market prices.
- Can be used in pregnant, breeding and lactating animals and has a wide safety margin for overdose.
Are there any disadvantages?
- Moxidectin 1mg/ml oral drench has no persistency of action against Nematodirus (similar to other classes of wormers) therefore additional treatments may be required where challenge with Nematodirus is expected.
- Moxidectin 1mg/ml oral drench is not suitable for use in the treatment of sheep scab.
- Not effective against fluke.
Moxidectin can be toxic to dung-feeding organisms and fish, so it is recommended to treat based only on clinical need/worm egg counting and to keep treated animals away from watercourses for 3 days. The active is also toxic to dogs, particularly collies (as for ivermectin), so it is important to avoid accidental exposure.
More Information
To find out more about Moxodex click HERE or speak to your local farm vet or agricultural merchant.
Watch our video on Moxodex.
References:
1. Nieuwhof, GJ., & Bishop, SC. (2005). Costs of the major endemic diseases of sheep in Great Britain and the potential benefits of reduction in disease impact. Animal science, 81, 23-29.
2. WAARD_FINAL_PROJECT_REPORT_1_-_19-11-15.pdf (meatpromotion.wales)
3. SCOPS 2024
Moxodex – a closer look at the active moxidectin
- What is moxidectin?
- What is Moxodex licensed for in sheep?
- When can I use Moxodex in sheep?
- What are the advantages of using Moxodex?
- Are there any disadvantages?
Gut worms are a big problem in sheep, impacting health, welfare and productivity and it is estimated that they cost the UK sheep flock £84 million pounds per year.1 Here we take a closer look at Moxodex and the active moxidectin, and why it could be a good option for parasite control in your flock.
What is moxidectin?
Moxidectin is a broad-spectrum wormer in the ML (Clear) class of wormers. Depending on the specific product formulation, it can be used as an oral drench or injection in sheep.
What is Moxodex licensed for in sheep?
Moxodex 1mg/ml oral drench targets most common gut and lungworms in sheep, including some activity against worms which are resistant to benzimidazoles (White drenches).
It provides essential cover against the worms associated with parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE), as well as Nematodirus spp. and Haemonchus.
When can I use Moxodex in sheep?
Moxodex 1mg/ml oral drench has a persistent action of up to 5 weeks against Telodorsagia and Haemonchus, allowing for an 8-week dosing schedule, it also has a short meat withdrawal of just 14 days.
Lambs:
Moxodex can be used to prevent PGE in rotation with other wormer classes (overuse of a single wormer class can increase the risk of resistance developing). Treatments should be based on faecal worm egg counts (FWECs), weight gain and lamb condition to ensure the correct animals are wormed at the right time. Also, when dosing, try to leave a proportion of the strongest and healthiest animals untreated. This provides a population of worms to dilute any resistant parasites that may develop.
Ewes:
Moxodex can be used in pregnant ewes pre-lambing as an aid in combating the periparturient rise in worm burden, therefore reducing pasture contamination for the years lamb crop. To reduce the risk of resistance developing it is important not to use moxidectin in ewes around lambing year-on-year and to leave at least 10-20% of ewes in each grazing group untreated when using long-acting products. Body condition score and FWECs can be used to identify the need for and ewes requiring treatment.
Resistance to moxidectin is not widespread, in fact, moxidectin was shown to have the least resistance in the studies conducted on sheep in Wales, with just 19% showing resistance to this active.2 However, reports are increasing.3 To preserve the effectiveness of this useful drug it is important to use it responsibly.
General tips for responsible worming:
- Know your flock’s resistance profile to select the right wormer
- Aim to leave 10% untreated (choose unaffected animals)
- Don’t dose and move
- Only treat when needed (strategic worming)
- Don’t underdose
- Use calibrated equipment
Read more about resistance in gut worms and how to reduce the risk on your farm.
What are the advantages of using Moxodex?
- Persistency of action - allowing for an extended dosing schedule. This minimises handling of lambs, reducing stress, workload and the risk of injuries during handling/gathering.
- 14-day withdrawal period – significantly shorter than many other wormer groups. This allows for more rapid marketing of treated fat lambs, to target better market prices.
- Can be used in pregnant, breeding and lactating animals and has a wide safety margin for overdose.
Are there any disadvantages?
- Moxidectin 1mg/ml oral drench has no persistency of action against Nematodirus (similar to other classes of wormers) therefore additional treatments may be required where challenge with Nematodirus is expected.
- Moxidectin 1mg/ml oral drench is not suitable for use in the treatment of sheep scab.
- Not effective against fluke.
Moxidectin can be toxic to dung-feeding organisms and fish, so it is recommended to treat based only on clinical need/worm egg counting and to keep treated animals away from watercourses for 3 days. The active is also toxic to dogs, particularly collies (as for ivermectin), so it is important to avoid accidental exposure.
More Information
To find out more about Moxodex click HERE or speak to your local farm vet or agricultural merchant.
Watch our video on Moxodex.
References:
1. Nieuwhof, GJ., & Bishop, SC. (2005). Costs of the major endemic diseases of sheep in Great Britain and the potential benefits of reduction in disease impact. Animal science, 81, 23-29.
2. WAARD_FINAL_PROJECT_REPORT_1_-_19-11-15.pdf (meatpromotion.wales)
3. SCOPS 2024