Rumen fluke

[Red Fred]

Has anyone had any experience of this? I've just sent some dung samples in for fluke testing and they have shown up the presence of rumen fluke. Googling seems to show it isn't susceptible to the normal liver fluke drugs, and the vet recommends Lefavas drench. I just wondered if anyone else had a problem with this as it is the first time I have had it crop up.

 

[bovine]

From the COWS manual:

Generally, mature rumen fluke do
not cause clinical
disease. Where disease has
been reported, it has invariably involved large
numbers of immature rumen fluke in the
intestine, usually the duodenum, and typically
in young stock. This results in severe enteritis
characterised by ill-thrift and profuse, fetid
diarrhoea. In severe cases, it has proved fatal,
in both cattle and sheep

Only one flukicide, oxyclozanide,
has reported activity against adult and
immature rumen fluke,
although none of the
commercial flukicides containing
oxyclozanide, either on its own or in
combination with levamisole, have a specific
label claim for rumen fluke. Oxyclozanide is a
medicine that kills liver fluke in its own right
but is only capable of killing adult liver fluke.
​

So it's only pathogenic in it's juvenile form, and the only product we have to kill it, only kills the adult stage.

If you are not seeing disease I wouldn't worry. If already treating animals for adult fluke then using Zanil rather than anything else may be prudent.

 

[aangus]

Has anyone had any experience of this? I've just sent some dung samples in for fluke testing and they have shown up the presence of rumen fluke. Googling seems to show it isn't susceptible to the normal liver fluke drugs, and the vet recommends Lefavas drench. I just wondered if anyone else had a problem with this as it is the first time I have had it crop up.[/QUOTE

Had 2 bullocks with rumen fluke last year bought from an organic farm, dosed them with biamectin plus that was no use then read an article in Irish farmers journal about rumen fluke and they reccomended lefavas diamond, worked a treat

 

[bovine]

'worked a treat' doing what?

 

[Sweepa]

That diamond stuff didnt work for us on some animals.

 

[aangus]

'worked a treat' doing what?

cattle never looked back

 

[bovine]

It doesn't cause problems in its adult form.

 

[M-J-G]

That diamond stuff didnt work for us on some animals.

What did you do with them then?

 

[Sweepa]

What did you do with them then?

Trying to figure that one out, been treated for lots of stuff and still no luck.

 

[del_boy]

we dung sampled cows last year and they came back with rumen fluke, the vet recommended a drench called DOUVISTOME (only the vets can sell it apparently) we used this and was amazed with how quick the cows picked up, it really did transform them. they started doing better and the muck really firmed up. we dung sampled again this time and results came back the other day and they had traces of rumen fluke again but vet said not to bother to treat for it this time because they recon that recent talks and studies say that rumen fluke doesnt cause the animal any problems. we are a bit confused by this, we're not sure whether to treat for this again or just use a normal fluke drench. anyone have any advice on this? cheers

 

[MrA.G.]

I had to shoot 5 nine month out calves within a couple of days back in 2012. Dung samples were clear as it was a immature problem, massive burden showed up in post mortem. What class of stock did you sample? If young growing cattle are showing I would drench them, cows I would decide based on if the count was high or low.

 

[le bon paysan]

We have to do them here. Cattle will die if its not controlled. Also my friend killed a heavily infested cow, after drenching they can bleed inside where the fluke let go, if heavily infested and in poor condition the treatment can be too much. We never let cows get into that state . Zanil and Douvestome are the only solution. Cows need 180 ml- 220 ml of Zanil depending on weight, this exceeds the stop dose and should be done only with the vets recommendation .
the warmer your climate , the bigger a problem Rumen fluke (paramphistome ) becomes.

 

[Notquiteretired]

I was at a meeting today where this was discussed and I'm sure adult Liver Fluke treatment was recommended approach - if any, and anecdotal feedback from farmers in NI was that the cattle have never looked better. (sadly only half listening in). Really interesting that most the farmers did not know the life cycle of liver fluke and the ones happy to be vocal were using adult treatment too early.

 

[del_boy]

I was at a meeting today where this was discussed and I'm sure adult Liver Fluke treatment was recommended approach - if any, and anecdotal feedback from farmers in NI was that the cattle have never looked better. (sadly only half listening in). Really interesting that most the farmers did not know the life cycle of liver fluke and the ones happy to be vocal were using adult treatment too early.

when does immature fluke become adult fluke, how long does it take?
our cattle have been in over 6 weeks now, would you treat for rumen fluke?

 

[Notquiteretired]

I'm sure 6-8 weeks see here
There's no clinical evidence to justify treating adult Rumen Fluke but the anecdotal reports were compelling.

 

[del_boy]

I'm sure 6-8 weeks see here
There's no clinical evidence to justify treating adult Rumen Fluke but the anecdotal reports were compelling.

last year after we drenched for rumen fluke we saw a big improvement, we was just wondering why and cant understand why the vet is saying not to bother this year, last year was important to do it, this year they are saying treating for rumen fluke has no effect but we beg to differ.

 

[Notquiteretired]

last year after we drenched for rumen fluke we saw a big improvement, we was just wondering why and cant understand why the vet is saying not to bother this year, last year was important to do it, this year they are saying treating for rumen fluke has no effect but we beg to differ.

That was echo'd by the NI guys today.

 

[GTB]

What are the symptoms of rumen fluke please? We have a few bad do-ers here.

 

[del_boy]

what sort of treatment do you use for rumen fluke?

 

[del_boy]

What are the symptoms of rumen fluke please? We have a few bad do-ers here.

we sampled ours as they wasnt doing aswell as they should have been for the grub they was on, and there muck was a bit loose, dung samples came back for rumen fluke, drenched for this and they altered pretty quick