Most parts of Canada have seen much better forage growing conditions this year. Chances are, you spent a good deal of time and energy this past summer managing, growing and harvesting grass, hay or silage that you’ll spend all winter feeding to your cows. If your herd has worms, flukes, coccidia or other internal parasites, you’re feeding them, too. Each mouthful of grass or feed your cows graze or eat is shared with the parasites they’re carrying. The nutrients those parasites use come at the expense of your cows. The bigger the parasite load, the more nutrition they steal.
Internal parasites shed their eggs in the animal’s feces. The eggs hatch in the manure pat, move onto the grass, are consumed by other animals, develop into adults inside the digestive tract, produce more eggs, and the cycle continues. Parasite larvae survive much better in the moisture and warm weather that produce good forage yields.
Drought, cold and good grazing management all help to control internal parasites but they don’t entirely eliminate them. Many producers use one of the “mectins” (e.g., Ivomec, Bimectin, Dectomax, Eprecis, Eprinex, Ivermectin, Longrange, Solmectin) to combat both external and internal parasites. Some internal parasites have become resistant to the mectins, but they can still be effectively treated using “bendazole” products (e.g., Panacur, Safe-guard, Valbazen). In some cases, using both a mectin and a bendazole together may give better control of internal parasites. This is known as “combination deworming.”
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