Tapeworms?

curly_kate

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Well, I'm a goat newbie who's getting a trial by fire, I guess. I have 2 Nigerian dwarf goats - wether & doe who are siblings. They are almost 3 months old. We're dealing with UC with the wether (he doesn't have any stones, but has crystals). Because of the UC, these guys aren't getting any grain. They browse on a mixed pasture of weeds and grass and both are good grazers. So the little guy (Lucky) has been on a regime of sulfa/ace/acid pack drench/probiotic.

I found droppings with a piece of a dead worm in it :sick, but I've seen both of them poo today & it looked totally normal. There's droppings all over where they were grazing today, and all look great. Lucky was just at the vet yesterday, and he didn't say anything looked off (other than his problems peeing). Clover hasn't seen a vet, but she's acting completely healthy - pigging out on grass, drinking fine, into everything possible.

We've had these guys for about 6 weeks now, and they were wormed before we got them.

So help out a clueless newbie: what should I be doing?
 

Southern by choice

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If it is tapeworms you will want to use Fenbendazole (Safe-Guard)
Recommendations for treatment of tape are generally 9cc per 100lbs 1x day for 3 consecutive days. Best to always check with your vet for his/her recommendations though.
Tapes are generally not a real big deal in goats unless you are seeing them chronically and seeing goats loose condition.
They are generally considered pretty benign.

Having fecal exams are the best way to determine what kind of parasites your goats may have.

Worming them before you got them was great, however most goats will have a bloom after being transported etc. Best to repeat a deworming (depending on the type parasite) 10-14 days later.

We always recommend for people to take a fecal up to their vet approximately 4-5 days after bringing them home. Looking at fecal count Numbers and treat as necessary. We also recommend that any goat/s new to your property EVEN IF THEY ARE YOUR FIRST GOATS be placed in a 30 day quarantine. Fecal at 4-6 days because of parasitic blooms also cocci blooms. Treat, observe and recheck by the 30 day mark..if all is good then release them to your fields. This is important, as you do not want to infect your land with parasites or cocci. You want those emptied into a dry-lot quarantine area. A small kennel like 10x10 or 10x20 is adequate.
 

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