Fluke treatments in cattle

[Walterp]

Walterp's Rule of Farming #465 - there's nothing like a dead cow to prove that you've got a fluke problem.

A local seminar on cattle fluke was packed to the rafters, to hear the UK's leading expert (Dr Philip Skuse) explain more about what looks to be a permanent problem - damp Summers and mild Winters mean all grazed livestock are at risk of dropping down dead, when fluke mature inside the bovine host.

Our vet confirms this, and suggests treatment every 3 months if cattle go outside all year round. Don't bother FEC testing - it's so bad, you should assume it's already on your holding and go look for your auto injector.

He's right, isn't he?

 

[hillman]

Yes and no don't keep blanket dosing it like worms you will end up with resistance
Do a couple of dodes then test to check

 

[multi power]

assuming you are selling barren cows n fat cattle direct to slaughted get a report on a few livers, then you know for sure what you are dealing with

 

[Penmoel]

What would you reckon to jab with, Trodax just for the fluke or Ivomec Super a month after housing?

 

[multi power]

going from memory trodex is effective on mature fluke only, so is ideal a month after housing

 

[Penmoel]

I thought it was the other way around, Trodax did immature and adult whereas Ivomec only did adult, but has the added benefit of lice worms etc

 

[multi power]

next time im at homei will read the bottle, im sure there is trodax there

 

[gone up the hill]

Walterp's Rule of Farming #465 - there's nothing like a dead cow to prove that you've got a fluke problem.

A local seminar on cattle fluke was packed to the rafters, to hear the UK's leading expert (Dr Philip Skuse) explain more about what looks to be a permanent problem - damp Summers and mild Winters mean all grazed livestock are at risk of dropping down dead, when fluke mature inside the bovine host.

Our vet confirms this, and suggests treatment every 3 months if cattle go outside all year round. Don't bother FEC testing - it's so bad, you should assume it's already on your holding and go look for your auto injector.

He's right, isn't he?

If You house cattle in the winter but graze in the summer then simply dose once with Fasinex 2/3 weeks after housing and that will sort the problem out! ( as it only kills mature and not immature fluke ).

As for grazing cattle then I would dose in Oct/Nov then again In Feb/March..

 

[hillman]

I've dosed mind at housing a fluke then a dose a month later to take out remainder of fluke +Rumen fluke which is getting as big of prob

 

[DrDunc]

I was at a talk given by the royal dick vet school / the college / and the moredun research on the same subject.

Fecal samples don't show fluke until there's adults shedding. By this time there's already damage.

The life cycle takes up to six weeks from picking up a cyst on the grass, to adult fluke. Therfore treating a month after housing is too soon, unless you treat them again?

A flukicide doesn't stop egg production immediately, unlike anthelmintics for other parasites. Fluke infected animals will still excrete larvae onto pasture for mud snails to become infected.

Therfore, to break the cycle, you need to move the stock onto ground that has no snails. The issue now is the changed climate means the snails are everywhere.

What can be done with out wintered livestock is to dose them in the autumn when they are infected with cysts, immature and adult fluke. Then move them to a field which has not been grazed all summer (such as a silage field).

With not being grazed, the livestock will not have excreted larvae to infect the snails. Therfore the snails won't have been host to generate the cysts that attach themselves to grass, which livestock graze, and start the cycle again.

For fluke infected livestock infected with resistant larvae, the only solution is treat with something like flukiver that has no known resistance (yet), but which only kills adults. Then move the livestock indoors, or to ground that cannot contain any cysts from never having been grazed since the previous autumn, then treating again in six weeks time.

Always dose to the heaviest weight in the batch.

 

[DrDunc]

If You house cattle in the winter but graze in the summer then simply dose once with Fasinex 2/3 weeks after housing and that will sort the problem out! ( as it only kills mature and not immature fluke ).

As for grazing cattle then I would dose in Oct/Nov then again In Feb/March..

Wrong.

It takes up to six weeks for fluke to mature into adults.

 

[choochter]

That's very helpful. DrDunc, thanks.
Mine have been affected by liver fluke this past year.
And my farm isn't wet. Just that 2012 was wet all the time.
So, where did the fluke come from? Could it have come down a stream?

 

[llamedos]

That's very helpful. DrDunc, thanks.
Mine have been affected by liver fluke this past year.
And my farm isn't wet. Just that 2013 was wet all the time.
So, where did the fluke come from? Could it have come down a stream?

it only takes a deer or hare to carry them and deposit on your pasture, where un infected snails live, even in wheel ruts, and the whole cycle starts.

 

[le bon paysan]

Wrong.

It takes up to six weeks for fluke to mature into adults.

Fasinex takes out early immatures. House for 2 weeks then treat is our program

 

[choochter]

Edit. I meant 2012 being wet.
Wheel ruts - plenty of them that year! In outwintered fields. And deer. Wouldn't mind a bit of venison.

 

[Blue.]

going from memory trodex is effective on mature fluke only, so is ideal a month after housing

I thought it was the other way around, Trodax did immature and adult whereas Ivomec only did adult, but has the added benefit of lice worms etc

Merial Trodax Fluke Injection for Cattle & Sheep - 1ltr
34% Nitroxynil injection mainly used for the treatment of immature and adult liver fluke in cattle and sheep.
Dosage is 1.5ml of solution per 50kg liveweight by subcutaneous injection.




I'm using trodax on everything except the store lambs,used tramazole then will use flukeiver after Christmas on the lambs.

Despite having dairy cows housed 365 I still get slaughter reports with active fluke,I'm sure its been brought in with silage.

 

[DrDunc]

Fasinex takes out early immatures. House for 2 weeks then treat is our program

If You house cattle in the winter but graze in the summer then simply dose once with Fasinex 2/3 weeks after housing and that will sort the problem out! ( as it only kills mature and not immature fluke ).

As for grazing cattle then I would dose in Oct/Nov then again In Feb/March..

@le bon paysan is correct.

Therfore @gone up the hill is also correct drenching them at 2/3 weeks after housing with Fasinex, as the active ingredient tricloabendizol is the only one that treats early immature and immature. They're wrong that it only treats matures.

Nitroxynil (trodax), closantel (flukiver, closamectin etc) only treat immature and or adult. Therfore the early immatures aren't controlled.

Hence these latter two types should be used after livestock has been away from all source of infestation for six weeks.

Bought in stock (especially sheep) should be treated with nitroxynil immediately, quarantined on clean pasture, and retreated after six weeks. Thus any tricloabendizol resistant fluke are controlled and you don't introduce it into your flock / herd.

Tricloabendizol resistance is increasing rapidly, so vigilance and proper control is of the utmost importance.

 

[Wilky]

Just to add to the above advice from DrDunc

http://www.scops.org.uk/endoparasites-liver-fluke.html

If you scroll down to the second table you will see the effectiveness of the different flukicides on different ages of fluke (applies to both cattle & sheep). A liver fluke does not become an adult until 12 weeks after the start of its life cycle so if you just use an adulticide (albendazole, oxyclosanide, clorsulon (ivomec super)) then any fluke ingested in the 3 months previously will not be killed. In other words you will not get a complete kill of all fluke when using these products unless cattle are housed for 3 months before treating them.

If you want to do them sooner I would use nitroxynil (trodax) from 6 weeks after housing or triclabendazole (fasinex or other generics) from 2 weeks after housing.

For sheep if they aren't being housed then you will never really stop picking up the fluke but highest risk is still the autumn. The advise is to use triclabendazole up to christmas when fluking and then flukiver or trodax after christmas to kill any resistant fluke. If you are in a high risk area and do them at lambing then using one of the adulticides is advised here.

Hope this helps!

 

[M-J-G]

Wrong.

It takes up to six weeks for fluke to mature into adults.

Fasinex kills down to two weeks so all fluke are old enough 2 weeks after housing.

 

[mo!]

Fasinex kills down to two weeks so all fluke are old enough 2 weeks after housing.

Or Endofluke or tribex. This new.Fasinex 240 is licensed for dairy cattle, but it is quite restrictive on when you can use it.

We pulled out a few poor doers and treated them. Looked at the DWG a month later and the increase was more than enough to pay for the dose. We have treated everything on housing since.