Hi All! Glad to be back to this group..was on GW I am a newbie goat owner..have 7 amazing Pygoras that I got as babies that are now10 months old. Every day I find out how much I DON'T know! We had weird HOT weather here until 2 days ago so I am now treating for worms. My vet had me give them subQ Ivermectin last month..but a fecal last week shows that I will have to dose again. I want to give it orally, as I HATE giving them shots if not necessary..so here are my questions... If I give it orally do I just squirt 1CC it into their mouths with the syringe (without needle of course)? I've heard that they can react badly to this. Since they are nutty about cracked corn (which they seldom get, but for special treat), could I squirt it on individual rations of corn for them and feed that? Or inject it into apple slices????? Any suggestions from you veteran goat owners????
You can give it orally!!! doses vary depending on who you ask. I give 1 cc per 25 lbs or there about. I always round up, better to give to much than not enough. They don't like it but don't react that bad!!!! I put it in from the side of the mouth, aiming for the back of the tonge. They may spit or lose a little of it. I always give a treat afterwards, and all my goats still love me!!!!!! I have given wormers in treats before, but prefer to give them the wormer and then the treat. That way you know they are getting what she should be getting.
the small amount you have to give orally won't hurt them. They sputty and spit a little sometimes but nothing major. I give all my wormers orally - it is much easier, quicker too.
Thanks for the info Thanks for the information guys..I feel more confident now about giving them the ivormec orally.
I'm curious as to what worms the fecal showed. And how long was the fecal done from the first time you wormed? If it's been longer than 3 weeks, the goats could be reinfested, especially with the heat.
Ivermectin question Hi Julie..the goats have roundworms..and the vet had me give them ivermectin subQ about a month ago..two weeks after that treatment I had a fecal done and vet said that the count had dropped but worms were not gone and I should give them another dose I just think that maybe an oral dose this time might do the trick. The weather has not helped at all..too hot, no rain, pastures a mess and goats are eating close to the ground...so for sure they are getting reinfested. It is a challenge to keep them healthy on all levels with this weird weather. I have even been taking them out twice a day for browsing walks just to try to get them the browse they need.
I thought I heard somewhere that giving the ivermec sub-q targets certain types and giving the same stuff orally targets other types. I have no idea if that is right or not though, lol. I am pretty sure the goat dosage is twice the cow dosage though, either way.
A clinic I just went to with the CU (FT Collins Vet School CO), said NEVER give Ivermectin in shot form. He said that once the Meds go in, the meds will burn and "eat" away at the skin. He said they gave goats shot of it, and later butchered the goat. You know how small the needle is right? Well he said the Meat was "eaten sort of speak" about the size of a baseball. That is a lot of ruined meat you someone does market goats. Even if you do not butcher, the meat and muscle is ruined. He said to ALWAYS do it orally. I told him that I almost lost a goat because he threw himself on the ground, and couldn't get up. Once he got up, he would limp around for several hours. I thought he was just a real wimp, he said YES he was but it also burns like H***. I told him that i have been doing it orally fro years. He said that was by far the best way to give it. Yes you can use a syringe, I have used them forever, but I am going to but a drenching syringe. It is a lot easier and they do not spit out as much if any.
I have thought of getting a drenching syringe but wasn't sure if it was really that helpful. So you find it to be Lori?
Stacie, I wonder how I could of ever gotten the correct dose in their mouths with out it. (I am sure I did not) I am sure you all have tried to get the syringe in their mouths, and you just can not get the "big" thing back far enough without gouging their mouths. Then the just spit it out All you have to do is put it on their tong and towards the back of their mouths, and they swallow it all. I think I am going to buy all my 4H kids one for their herds, for Christmas. Last year I bought them all a Cashmere scarf.
I guess with having minis and only useing 3-4ccs of most wormers makes it easy and simple for me, the syringes are pretty small. still an idea though, thanks
ivermectin is given sc if the goat is diagnosed with meningal worms. they also would get sc injection if there is external parasite control. any other parasite overload is treated orally. it is always advisable to repeat the treatment after 14 days to get the most amount of parasites. i also give 1cc per 25 # body weight. if there is a problem with liver fluke, they need to get treated with ivermectin plus. are you in an area with snails? i use a normal syringe for that. i found if i put my thumb behind the front teeth and keep their head level, so they don't get it in the air way, they swallow without pushing the syringe to the back of their throat
SQ is how people usually refer to Subcutaneous or under the skin. That is what threw me. I am familiar with the other terms
i love the syringe gun for giving meds. with the metal tip they can chew on it & it won;t hurt them. when my buck had UC i used it & was able to get every drop of the 60cc in to him. i use the ivermec plus & give it orally. i do them once then again in 10 days & another 10 days after that. i had read an article by sue reith about doing it that way so that you get the worms,lava & eggs.
Thanks for the info Lori..My vet and I have been in a tug of war over this. I have not been in favor of the injections, as I have noticed some long term inflammation at the injection site on a couple of occasions. I am going to go to oral dosing from now on. One of the goats was coughing and I think the vet was concerned about lungworm or lung irritation from the roundworms and possible pneumonia with the weather changing. He said that injections allowed a smaller dosage and faster results as a lot of the oral wormer is degraded in the rumen...but there has got to be a better way than the injections.
