Spring Drenching Young Cattle | Worm Control for Calves & Heifers

Do your young stock need a spring drench?

Strategic drenching of cattle will reduce the risk of developing drench resistance and greatly reduce the number of times stock need drenching.  Both spring and autumn calves and heifers should have had a winter drench in May / June but may need a strategic drench in August / September if worm pick up has been high in the last couple of months.

Winter and early spring worm burdens can rise quickly, particularly in wet years.  The two key worms involved are Ostertagia and Cooperia.  Both can cause significant disease at this time of year with Ostertagia being particularly nasty as it burrows into the lining of the fourth stomach causing permanent damage and ongoing issues with weight gains.

As there are many causes of scouring and weight loss in young stock, getting a FEC done before you do spring drench is sensible to ensure the problem is worms.  Simply drop a pooled faecal sample (5 - 6 g of manure from 5 - 10 animals mixed in a single bag) into the clinic and you will have a result in a few hours.

The best drench for young stock is Dectomax V - this is a dual active drench containing doromectin and levamisole.  Using an injectable dual active drench at this time of year is important for two reasons. Firstly, Cooperia is pretty much 100 % resistant to all mectin drenches but almost 100 % sensitive to levamisole and Ostertagia that have burrowed into the lining of the fourth stomach are difficult to kill with an oral or pour on drench.

If you have cattle in a liver fluke area - a fluke drench in August or September is essential to remove any remaining adult fluke before summer.  The choice of fluke drench will depend on the type of stock (dairy vs beef), resistance issues and handling facilities - have a chat to one of our vets if you are unsure about your options.

Pick up a Dectomax Victory Pack (6 x 500 ml Dectomax V + Gun) for the special price of $950 (inc GST) during August and September.