Parasites In Livestock

Parasites are a significant threat to the health of cattle and livestock. Although we use the example of a horse thoughout, the parasites amd worms written about here apply similarly to other cattle.

A single horse can be susceptible to over 60 kinds of parasite and may harbour one or two different sorts of worms at any one time. The results of internal bugs are significantly more prevalent in young and seemingly undernourished animals.

Egg Count

A young animal with an egg count of 2,000 eggs per gram of faeces — not a uncommon amount — can discharge up to 25 million eggs a day. You read that right 25 million. This creates an almost instant source of infection for other nearby animals in the pasture or the stables. Although the eggs aren’t visible to the naked eye, a proper microscopic investigation of a horse’s fecal droppings may show more then you thought possible. Confirming the presence of worm eggs can determine what parasite types are present and estimate the state of the infection.

Many of the products used to eliminate intestinal parasites in animals have become ineffective through overuse and misuse. Fear of the detrimental impact that parasites can cause may cause an over-reaction that’s self-defeating.

Life Cycle

Most worms begin their lives as eggs, maturing into larvae. Young parasites can within a matter of weeks become adults that in turn lay eggs, commencing this life-cycle once again. As an egg or larva, once inside the horse’s digestive organs, each adopts a unique pattern of migration, most often ending up in the bowel. The majority of worms are defecated in the horse’s manure; other grazing horses will somehow ingest those eggs.

Of the many signs that verify parasitic activity, colic can suggest a serious infestation as can underweight, poor growth or coat shine.

Roundworm

The Parascaris equorum or roundworm is one of the first parasites that infect young foals. Growing anything up to 12-15 inches long, they customarily remain as eggs until ingested. Found anywhere in the surrounding environment they’re coated with an adhesive protein that helps them stick to all kinds of surfaces - barn walls, buckets, troughs, a horse’s mane and even a mare’s udder if she lies down on the dirt. A foal can be infected by eating hay, nursing or merely brushing up against a fence post.

Once ingested, the eggs hatch inside the small intestine. Larvae penetrates the gut tissue and enters the blood vessels travelling to any part of the horse’s body. Much damage is wrought during the migration itself. From the liver they reach the heart, enter the lungs then the windpipe where they’re coughed up before being swallowed into the gut. Pneumonia often takes place in a compromised lung. It takes 10 to 12 weeks for roundworm to finish this cycle . Most foals become plagued by larvae straight after birth; most worms are maturing when foals are 2 - 3 months of age.

A serious infestation of roundworm frequently causes blockages in the gut, leading to obvious digestive difficulties.

Bloodworm

In certain countries blood worms are thought to be the most dangerous parasite to horses. The prolific nature of blood worms makes them seem to resist the effects of conventional de-worming medications. As adults, blood worms become insatiable blood suckers causing anaemia, diarrhoea, and damage to the gut lining at the same time settling in the lower bowel and surrounding arteries where they irritate and inflame, causing parasitic aneurysm. The blood flow is usually diminished usually resulting in a rupture or in extreme cases, the horse’s death from internal bleeding. Lameness is an indicator of blood clots from parasites lodged in the arteries of the rear legs.

It takes about 6 months for the maturing worms to complete their migration before settling in the large intestine. Foals less than 6 months old will unwittingly shelter blood worms as they migrate.

Pinworm

Adult pinworm live in the rectum of horses. Female worms migrate to the anus to deposit eggs in a cement-like deposit. This “egg-cement” dries, cracks, and together with the eggs, detaches from the skin in flakes causing irritation, constant itching and restlessness.

The affected horse rubs its tail on any nearby object, causing a characteristic “rat-tail appearance.” Serious rubbing may result in further irritation and secondary infection of the anus, tail and surrounding skin. Pinworm are rather more a nuisance than a threat. As horses rub their rear ends and tails on nearby objects, the eggs are deposited to await another animal that licks the object, ingesting the egg.

Tapeworm

Tapeworm are different from other internal worms. Female tapeworm don’t lay eggs. Instead , tapeworm segments containing eggs break off inside the digestive tract which are then passed in the manure.

Second, tapeworms have an indirect life cycle. Before they become infective to a host, they develop from an indirect host. For instance a horse passes eggs in its dung; mites in the pasture digest these eggs. The eggs hatch and develop into larvae that are infective to horses. As the horse is grazing, the mites containing the infective larvae are ingested after which they migrate to ileocecal valve. After 6 to 12 weeks the mites start shedding segments full of eggs. If not eliminated, persistent conditions could lead to avoidable surgery.

Threadworm

Threadworm essentially affects foals, often ingested from larvae present in a mare’s milk. Threadworm larvae are found in mare’s milk from 4 to 40 days after foaling; foals may become badly infected by 2-3 weeks of age, proven by dysentery and indigestion.

Bots

Bots are the larvae of flies that have become highly specialized as parasites of horses. Female flies lay up to 900 eggs in as little as 3 hours, gluing them to the hairs of the horse’s mane or body. Horses can sense when flies are attempting to lay eggs and react by continually moving and throwing their heads vigorously. Riders have commented that during this phase, horses can become temporarily unmanageable.

Although there are different varieties of bot fly, the common bot lays its eggs on the hairs of the horse’s front legs. Hatching happens when they’re rubbed by the moist lips of the host. The larvae emerge during this process and fasten to the mucous membrane in the mouth, thereafter penetrating the mouth, lips, gums and tongue before migrating to the digestive tract.

The presence of large numbers of bot flies cause damage to the lining of the stomach, with a resultant deprivation of nutrients. In cases of heavy infestation, death may occur.

On any estate Pareto’s law applies - 20% of the horses shed 80% of the parasites. If you can identify the hosts, you can create a good de-worming schedule. Rather than de-worming every animal more frequently than is required you can de-worm the horses that shed the most eggs. This practice will save everyone a considerable outlay of time and money.

Strongly recommended for getting rid of worms from animals of all shapes and size is Critter Cleanse, a five hundred year old broad spectrum herbal formula originating in Ancient Phoenicia.

From a family of Clydeside Scots, Graeme was born and brought up in Hong Kong. He lived for 35 years there, as well as in Borneo and Indonesia. Intrigued by the way in which the different Asian cultures approach their health and welfare, he studied aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine and became familiar with many other ancient healing methods, from the traditional Jamu herbal medicine healers of Java to the body balancing mechanisms of Jin Shin Jyutsu, from Japan. Together with his wife Phylipa, Graeme runs Resources For Life, a natural health business in Chichester, West Sussex. Much of what is available on their web site has origins steeped in ancient wisdom.

For more information on Critter Cleanse, a broad spectrum, anti-parasite natural herbal formula click here.