Ivermectin?

[Elyse Nicholson]

I use Ivermectin to deworm my goats, but last night my brother told me that out of all of the different types, Ivermectin was the one I shouldn't use because the industry experts are trying to get people to use other types so there isn't an Ivermectin resistance. Agree?

 

If so, what would you use instead?

[Deborah Niemann-Boehle]

Perhaps he is confused with Cydectin, which is in the same class of dewormer as Ivermectin. Cydectin is the "big guns," which you should not use unless you have a resistance to everything else. Once you have a Cydectin resistance, your only option in the chemical realm is to use THREE dewormers at the same time, one from each class of dewormer. If you use any chemical dewormer, the parasites on your farm will develop a resistance at some point. Depending upon how much land you have for rotational grazing and how many goats you have, it may happen later rather than sooner. Deworming all of your goats, rather than just the ones that need it, will make it happen sooner. Deworming on a random schedule, rather than "smart drenching" will make it happen sooner. The website, www.wormcontrol.org, has all the most up-to-date info on deworming. They are the researchers who are studying this subject every day in sheep and goats.