The levamisole story blew up this month. (Levamisole is a mysterious cocaine cutting agent that can have nasty side-effects. The Stranger published a series on this last summer.)

But the hottest levamisole news is straight outta the High Plains/Midwest AG Journal:

“Lack of worm control in goats can destroy herd”

The recent wet weather and the warm days to follow usually means an increase in internal parasites or worms in sheep and goats according to Jodie Pennington, Ph.D., small ruminant educator with Lincoln University Extension… [I think they meant that Dr. Pennington is a “small-ruminant educator,” but I prefer to imagine her as a “small, ruminant educator.”]

Worms not only kill both young and old goats, they contribute to poor growth rates, an unthrifty appearance, coughing, diarrhea, and, in severe cases, bottle jaw. To minimize contamination of uninfected goats, Pennington says it is essential to maintain a dry, clean environment with a sound manure management plan.

“Depending on location and density of animals in the field, de-worming may have to be repeated at different times during the year. But doing so is essential because a lack of control of worms can destroy a herd,” said Pennington…

One of the most effective programs includes monitoring the level of parasite eggs in the feces, (fecal egg counts). This provides an indication of the quantity of worms. All de-wormers can be effective but presently two of the most effective de-wormers are moxidectin and levamisole (which recently came back on the market as a sheep drench).

What’s “bottle jaw,” you ask? See this site by Clear Creek Farms (“nestled in the hills of southern middle Tennessee”) for a description of the condition (basically, a throat swelling caused by “worm overload”) and the sweet story of a goat named Julie who spent 10 days on an IV drip in a vet’s office to cure her case.

Know your sheep drench!

Brend an Kiley has worked as a child actor in New Orleans, as a member of the junior press corps at the 1988 Republican National Convention, and, for one happy April, as a bootlegger’s assistant in Nicaragua....

4 replies on “Know Your De-wormer!”

  1. The goat farm where I work uses pumpkin seeds as a de-wormer. Snorting pumpkin seeds probably wouldn’t rot your face!

    They also use Pepto Bismol as a drench. Gives the goats adorable pink lips!

  2. If you think levamisole is bad, you should see the stuff they used to use for sheep dip. My great-grandfather used arsenic and lead.

  3. I think you mean “Ag”, not “AG”. I initially read that as “High Plains/Midwest Attorney General Journal” and was wondering what the hell an Attorney General would want with goat de-worming.

  4. We used to feed chewing tobacco to our dogs, cows and horse. Hmmm, maybe twice a year. Pretty good de-wormer, but a rather narrow therapeutic index.

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