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Anthelmintic resistance
Last week’s sheep breeding supplement touched on the importance of implementing a good quarantine procedure to reduce the risk of importing disease onto the farm.
There have been a few questions since, on where farmers can source Zolvix or Startect, the two products now recommended for use, along with a moxidection-based product, for reducing the risk of importing resistant worms.
Both of these products are prescription-only medicines, meaning that they can only be sourced through your vet. It is worth contacting your vet in advance, as some practices may not have it in stock and may need to order it in.
There were also a few questions on if it was advisable to use these products if there were confirmed cases of resistance to some of the other wormers on your farm. Veterinary recommendations are to only use these products strategically and not as a routine dose, as routine usage will also increase the risk of resistance occurring.
If the product is to be used, then it should be used at a time that will give the greatest response – for example, with store lambs on the farm and not ewes.
The other two pieces of advice that vets are keen to convey are the importance of getting an accurate assessment of the weight of animals being treated and ensuring dosing guns are calibrated to deliver the desired volume.
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