Parasite management

Urban Homestead

Urban Homestead

Bean Stalker
Messages
208
Do you guys treat your livestock and pets year-round, only during the warm seasons, or only as needed (when they actually have parasites)? I treat my livestock and pets during the warm months as a preventative, but since it's not cooling off until much later than usual, I'm wondering if that's too much medicine.
 
Almost Eden

Almost Eden

Bean Stalker
Messages
212
My cats get Revolution and my dogs get Heartguard Plus as their preventative most months. I usually skip December-February though since mosquitos (heartworms) aren't out then. I dose our livestock now and then.
 
RanchHouse

RanchHouse

Farm Hand
Messages
64
I think that it depends on the animals in question. The recommendation is that pets should have a full health check once a year. In my view, what's most important is having enough personnel who can carry regular inspections and notice when livestock are either in good health or not.
 

RichZ

Chocolate Milk Cow
Messages
454
Most treatments for parasites are toxic chemicals. I don't treat my dogs and cats prophylactically, they all get check ups twice each year. However, it's harder to do that with livestock. When I had large numbers of sheep and goats, I treated them twice a year with ivermectin.
 
Digger

Digger

Golden Chicken
Messages
116
I think that it depends on the animals in question.
And where you live. People in cooler climates might get away with not giving their dogs a heartworm preventative, but in the South where mosquitos are out for 8 or 10 months out of the year, it seems foolish to risk it. I've never known a vet who didn't recommend it.
 
 
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