Posted by GoatWorld on August 21, 2002 at 00:17:09:
In Reply to: corid vs other wormers posted by Justinerupp on August 20, 2002 at 18:17:26:
Hello Justine,
Dalice is right on the Corid and Albon. They are for coccidiosis. You should not have to give these "coccidiostats" after 6 months of age as the kid will develop a natural immunity to coccidiosis.
According to Natural Goat Care (page 227-228),if you feed minerals that are properly balanced, and contain adequate copper, coccidiosis "shouldn't" be a problem. The belief about the Corid (Amprolium) specifically is that it will deplete Thiamine levels. While I've never seen legitimate documentation to substantiate this claim, I do know that several people have switched from Corid to the Albon. And for some odd reason, I don't see it sold in our area as of two years ago.
So my advice overall would be that you should really only administer Albon (using Dalice's guide to dosage) only if you suspect that coccidiosis is going to be a problem. Your vet may not be aware of Albon or prescribing Corid as a "blanket" drug because it can be administered to a number of animals. If I recall correctly, Corid does mention goats on the label - Albon not.
I know that since I have given a steady ration of a mineral called Kow Kalf Kreep blocks to our goats, kids included, we haven't had one single case of coccidiosis yet (knock on wood). So there very well may be truth in the copper being a preventative.
On the worm problem itself, the Ivermec is a good choice as is such "3rd generation" wormers like Cydectin which are given orally. To really gauge just how effective ANY given wormer is, you need to either learn how to do fecals (it's fairly simple) or have your vet do them and give you the FULL results - not just a "yeah, they have worms or, no, they don't have worms". Even after they are wormed effectively, they are still going to have a residual amount of worms and parasites.
It is basically the "kill ratio" that you go by with each wormer. Actually, once you start doing fecals, you'll be amazed at the various things you see and learn about. It's not for everyone, but I highly recommend doing them.
Best regards,
Gary