Worming cattle pre-housing: What you need to know
Cattle become infected with internal parasites (gutworms, lungworm and fluke) during the grazing season, so treatment around housing for at risk animals can be a key point in many control strategies. Helping to minimise parasite burdens over winter, maximise production and reduce contamination of pastures in the subsequent spring.
Maximise impact with a pre-housing treatment: Choose a product with persistent activity
By using a product with persistent activity, such as Moxodex, treatment can be given four to five weeks before housing. This provides cover for the tail end of the grazing season – often the period of highest risk for gutworm and lungworm infections in youngstock.
For spring-born suckler calves, the combination of high pasture contamination due to a build up over the summer and the stress of weaning can leave them particularly susceptible to gutworm infection and associated disease.1 This is also a high-risk time for lungworm, with Irish disease surveillance data showing the highest number of cases in October, and lungworm being the causative agent in 18% of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) cases2.
Protection lasts up until housing, when there is then little risk of reinfection. This regime can offer several management, health and productivity advantages over treatment at housing:
- More convenient – reduces multiple dosing if a late season dose and housing dose would be required.
- Reduces further stress at housing.
- Maximises production gains from autumn grazing, as youngstock will be worm free for the last few weeks before housing.
- Lungworm burdens are cleared, which can help minimise pneumonia problems in housed cattle.
- Cattle enter the sheds lice free if the product also provides external parasite treatment.
What parasites are of importance?
Gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes:
Economic losses due to GI nematodes can be substantial, with poorer feed conversion and reduced growth rates of up to 30%, even in mild infections.3 The two most economically important GI worms of cattle are Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophora.
The lifecycle of gutworms is direct, with larvae being ingested from pasture. These then develop to adults within the gut, producing eggs which are shed in the faeces onto pasture. Once environmental conditions are appropriate, these eggs hatch to infective stages and are once again picked up by grazing animals.
Disease from gutworms is known as parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE) and is caused by damage to the gut leading to malabsorption of water and nutrients. Clinical signs include reduced growth rates, poor body condition and scouring, which can be severe. Death due to dehydration and malabsorption can occur relatively quickly in untreated animals and severe cases can take significantly longer to reach target weights.
Disease is usually seen in late summer and early autumn (type 1 disease) however both Ostertagia and Cooperia can inhibit their development and overwinter as larvae in the gut wall (hypobiosis). These then emerge en masse in the spring and can cause severe disease, known as type 2 disease. Choosing a product which treats larval stages, such as Moxodex, around housing prevents this.
Following exposure, animals develop a strong immunity to gutworms so disease is usually seen in younger animals or those that are immunosuppressed.
Lungworm:
Lungworm is caused by the parasite Dictyocaulus viviparus. The life cycle is direct, similar to gutworms, with adults laying eggs in the airways, which are coughed up and swallowed, before being passed in the faeces onto the pasture.
Clinical signs include coughing, particularly after exertion or handling. Weight loss can be significant and more severely affected animals often adopt an ‘air hungry’ posture with head and neck outstretched and tongue protruding.
Lungworm is most often seen in first grazing season calves, as a strong immunity develops after exposure. Occasionally disease outbreaks can be seen in older cattle if they have had insufficient exposure to develop immunity or immunity has waned.
Ectoparasites:
Lice and mites live on the surface of the skin and live off either dead skin cells or blood. They are most commonly seen in housed cattle in the winter months, causing itching, skin damage and possibly anaemia from blood loss in severe cases.
What to use: Moxidectin spotlight
Moxidectin (Moxodex) has persistant activity, protecting from the reinfection of gutworms for 5 weeks, and lungworm for 6 weeks. It is also effective against hypobiosed Ostertagia, so can be used to prevent the development of type 2 disease. Moxodex is effective in the removal of mites and lice, minimising contamination being brought into housing areas, but has no efficacy against fluke.
It is important to use wormers responsibly, worming the right animals at the right time with the right wormer. Treatment plans should be tailored according to individual farm risk.
References:
1. AHI, A Guide to Parasite Control at Grazing for Irish Farmers and their Vets
2. All-Island Animal Disease Surveillance Report 2021
3. COWS, Roundworms September 2023
Worming cattle pre-housing: What you need to know
Cattle become infected with internal parasites (gutworms, lungworm and fluke) during the grazing season, so treatment around housing for at risk animals can be a key point in many control strategies. Helping to minimise parasite burdens over winter, maximise production and reduce contamination of pastures in the subsequent spring.
Maximise impact with a pre-housing treatment: Choose a product with persistent activity
By using a product with persistent activity, such as Moxodex, treatment can be given four to five weeks before housing. This provides cover for the tail end of the grazing season – often the period of highest risk for gutworm and lungworm infections in youngstock.
For spring-born suckler calves, the combination of high pasture contamination due to a build up over the summer and the stress of weaning can leave them particularly susceptible to gutworm infection and associated disease.1 This is also a high-risk time for lungworm, with Irish disease surveillance data showing the highest number of cases in October, and lungworm being the causative agent in 18% of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) cases2.
Protection lasts up until housing, when there is then little risk of reinfection. This regime can offer several management, health and productivity advantages over treatment at housing:
- More convenient – reduces multiple dosing if a late season dose and housing dose would be required.
- Reduces further stress at housing.
- Maximises production gains from autumn grazing, as youngstock will be worm free for the last few weeks before housing.
- Lungworm burdens are cleared, which can help minimise pneumonia problems in housed cattle.
- Cattle enter the sheds lice free if the product also provides external parasite treatment.
What parasites are of importance?
Gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes:
Economic losses due to GI nematodes can be substantial, with poorer feed conversion and reduced growth rates of up to 30%, even in mild infections.3 The two most economically important GI worms of cattle are Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophora.
The lifecycle of gutworms is direct, with larvae being ingested from pasture. These then develop to adults within the gut, producing eggs which are shed in the faeces onto pasture. Once environmental conditions are appropriate, these eggs hatch to infective stages and are once again picked up by grazing animals.
Disease from gutworms is known as parasitic gastroenteritis (PGE) and is caused by damage to the gut leading to malabsorption of water and nutrients. Clinical signs include reduced growth rates, poor body condition and scouring, which can be severe. Death due to dehydration and malabsorption can occur relatively quickly in untreated animals and severe cases can take significantly longer to reach target weights.
Disease is usually seen in late summer and early autumn (type 1 disease) however both Ostertagia and Cooperia can inhibit their development and overwinter as larvae in the gut wall (hypobiosis). These then emerge en masse in the spring and can cause severe disease, known as type 2 disease. Choosing a product which treats larval stages, such as Moxodex, around housing prevents this.
Following exposure, animals develop a strong immunity to gutworms so disease is usually seen in younger animals or those that are immunosuppressed.
Lungworm:
Lungworm is caused by the parasite Dictyocaulus viviparus. The life cycle is direct, similar to gutworms, with adults laying eggs in the airways, which are coughed up and swallowed, before being passed in the faeces onto the pasture.
Clinical signs include coughing, particularly after exertion or handling. Weight loss can be significant and more severely affected animals often adopt an ‘air hungry’ posture with head and neck outstretched and tongue protruding.
Lungworm is most often seen in first grazing season calves, as a strong immunity develops after exposure. Occasionally disease outbreaks can be seen in older cattle if they have had insufficient exposure to develop immunity or immunity has waned.
Ectoparasites:
Lice and mites live on the surface of the skin and live off either dead skin cells or blood. They are most commonly seen in housed cattle in the winter months, causing itching, skin damage and possibly anaemia from blood loss in severe cases.
What to use: Moxidectin spotlight
Moxidectin (Moxodex) has persistant activity, protecting from the reinfection of gutworms for 5 weeks, and lungworm for 6 weeks. It is also effective against hypobiosed Ostertagia, so can be used to prevent the development of type 2 disease. Moxodex is effective in the removal of mites and lice, minimising contamination being brought into housing areas, but has no efficacy against fluke.
It is important to use wormers responsibly, worming the right animals at the right time with the right wormer. Treatment plans should be tailored according to individual farm risk.
References:
1. AHI, A Guide to Parasite Control at Grazing for Irish Farmers and their Vets
2. All-Island Animal Disease Surveillance Report 2021
3. COWS, Roundworms September 2023