Vets urged to talk season-long parasite control with farming clients

Vets have been encouraged to talk to their farming clients about the benefits of adopting season-long parasiticide strategies.

It is said adopting longer-term strategies can prevent significant production and economic losses during the grazing season, ease animal stress and minimise labour costs associated with gathering and handling herds multiple times.

Studies have shown worms can cause up to a 30% reduction in youngstock growth rates, while irritation from flies can cause growth rate losses of up to 0.3 kg per day and half a litre per cow per day in milk loss.

Veterinary surgeon Patricia van Veen, Zoetis’ national veterinary manager, said: “First and second season grazing youngstock are at particular risk as they are naive and therefore vulnerable to worms due to pasture worm burdens from overwintering larvae or eggs passed by previously infected animals.

“Spring and early summer offer ideal conditions for worm larvae to develop and pasture burdens to build to levels that may cause disease and production losses in grazing livestock.”

Serious impact

She added: “Flies can lead to problems in cattle of all ages, like fly worry and diseases such as pink eye and summer mastitis, which have the potential to spread among batches and seriously impact animal health, welfare and future productivity.

“Early intervention from the start of the grazing season will help manage flies before their numbers escalate as they can rapidly multiply.”

Zoetis recommends the use of Cydectin 10% LA Solution, a long-acting injectable wormer containing moxidectin, said to allow animals to develop natural immunity when exposed to larvae passing through the gut wall.

For flies it offers Flectron ear tags, which offer five months’ protection against flies by slowly releasing the active ingredient, cypermethrin, onto the tag’s surface.