Page 28 - WCA December Ketch Pen 2020

Break Out of Your Comfort Zone with a New Deworming Strategy
Improve efficacy by administering a dewormer with an alternative mode of action
A limited number of dewormers — and active ingredients — are available on the market, which is why it’s important for cattle producers to know how each product works and how these products can best be utilized.
“Dewormers interfere with the parasite’s bodily function at the cellular level, and by disrupting that cellular function, they cause paralysis and death,” said Mike Nichols, DVM, Boehringer Ingelheim. “Producers are often encouraged to rotate parasite-control products in order to improve efficacy and enhance herd performance.”
The challenge is that you may think you’re using different dewormers, but in reality, you may not be. Macrocyclic lactones and benzimidazoles are the two general categories, or classes, of deworming products on the market, each having different chemical structures (See figure 1).
Benzimidazoles are white wormers that are typically administered orally. These short-acting products are generally very effective against adult worms and other intestinal parasites, but have little residual killing power.
Macrocyclic lactones have a longer duration of activity against a much broader range of parasite stages than benzimidazoles. These dewormers are available in both pour-on and injectable formulations.
“It’s important to remember that there are multiple active ingredients within each class, all of which use the same mode of action to eliminate parasites,” emphasized Dr. Nichols. “By administering a parasiticide from the opposite class, producers can take advantage of an alternative mode of action to improve deworming efficacy.”
Figure 1: Macrocyclic lactones and benzimidazoles are the two general categories
of deworming products on the market. There
are multiple active ingredients within each class, all of which use the same mode of action to eliminate parasites.
Before you switch up your deworming program
Monitoring effectiveness of treatment can help you determine if and when using a different class of products is necessary. By performing a fecal egg count reduction test, producers can assess the effectiveness of products being used. Your herd veterinarian can advise you on the proper method and assist you with conducting the test for the most accurate results.
Barrett Franz of Bay City, Texas, is a commercial cow-calf producer with several operations along the Gulf Coast. When asked about his single best piece of advice for other cattle producers looking to improve their parasite- control programs, he explained the importance of taking fecal samples.