I'm doing final edits on my book, which means checking references, so I'm coming across all the stuff I've read. Here is the abstract of the research article on top dressing vs bolusing copper oxide wire particles:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19945224
Bottom line -- save your fingers and just top dress the COWP.
Replies
I mix it in with a few raisins. My goats would rob a bank to get raisins - they love them so much. The COWP sticks to the raisins and they clean it all up.
Awesome, thank you Deborah and Julia for your assurance and confirmation, AND for doing the research Deborah! I do love your book and have recommended to everyone who buys my kids. Have a great day
Just open the caps and pour it on a SMALL amount of grain so they are licking it all up! Then as Deb said, you can check to see if they ate it all and can add a little more grain to get them to lick up the rest. I like the idea of putting a tiny bit of molasses on there so the copper sticks to it. I often have leftover little bits of copper in the bottom that doesn't get eaten, and the molasses would help with that.
That is correct that you can top-dress it on grain or peanut butter or whatever. I actually contacted Santa Cruz because they specifically state that it must be administered as a bolus, and I asked them if they had any research to back up that claim, and they do not. They were just repeating what has been written on the Saanendoah website for 20 years and has not been updated for nine years. Joan Burke, PhD, who I cited above, has done research on top dressing vs bolusing and found no difference in the deworming ability of COWP. We have been top dressing for quite a few years and do liver biopsies on dead animals and we haven't had a case of copper deficiency in any goat where we had top-dressed the COWP.
Shana Henry said:
So Ive got my COWP, Ive never used it before, and had read I need to administer with a balling gun. It sounds like you are saying this is unnecessary and I can safely sprinkle it on their grain? DO i just open up the capsule and pour it on? Im sure they'd enjoy the PB too, but I thought somehow the boluses were supposed to stay intact until they made it into the goat's stomach... I will wait to confirm, but boy, that sounds heaps easier!
So glad to hear this! I tried cutting the tip off a syringe and putting it in peanut butter, then shooting it in the back of my doe's mouth, but I didn't get it back far enough and I could hear her crunching away.
I still use the capsules because I have about 700 left and because it's just a convenient way to store the correct amount for goats.
Adrienne said:
Nice! so I don't need the gel caps? Sweet! They melt in the summer anyway!! ( which is 7months long down here)
I have never seen any recommendation to avoid giving it to pregnant does or any caution about it causing problems in pregnant does.
I just received my COWP in the mail yesterday and wanting to give this to my herd. One of my does is for sure pregnant and due the middle of February. My other doe I bred, but two weeks later she had bloody discharge for 3 days. She never went back onto heat, so not sure if she is pregnant or not. Can I give the COWP to my pregnant does or should I wait until they deliver?
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next