DEWORMING PROGRAM (SWINE/POULTRY)

Adoption of a deworming program is aimed at eliminating or reducing the parasite load

of the animal by applying drug or herbal preparations. A wide variety of chemical dewormers are

commercially available, but such compounds must be used correctly and judiciously to obtain a

favorable clinical response and to preclude selection for anthelmintic resistance. An ideal

anthelmintic should have the following properties:

1. Has a broad spectrum of activity against mature and immature parasites

2. Easy to administer to a large number of animals

3. Has a wide margin of safety and be compatible with other compounds

4. Does not require long withholding periods because of tissue residues

5. Economical

The length and frequency of anthelmintic use, dosing, grazing system, feeding

management, and use of cheap, sub-quality drugs are considered as factors that affect the

selection of parasites for anthelmintic resistance.

The foreseen problem on the eventual inefficacy of currently available anthelmintic necessitates

strategic planning of a deworming program as a means of worm control. One should not rely on

the use of chemical dewormers as the sole method of worm control but should integrate it with

management programs for sustainability.

1. Identification of the species or type of parasites is necessary before applying treatment.

Request a technician or veterinarian to collect appropriate samples (e.g., blood, feces, tissues,

fluids, and parasites) for parasite examination and identification by a parasitologist. Knowledge

of the specific parasite involved is important in the choice of appropriate, specific drug or herbals

to be used. For example, piperazine and levamisole compounds are cheaper and effective against

roundworms but they are ineffective against liverflukes.

2. Dosing of animals at appropriate intervals is necessary to prevent the establishment of

adult parasite load capable of doing harm to the animal. The timing of dewormer application

should coincide with the peak seasonal availability of the infective stages of the parasite. For

example, the dose may be given before the onset of the rainy season to eliminate standing adult

population, which will potentially spread the infection once the conditions conducive for its

multiplication commences. A follow up may be necessary to eliminate the larvae of the parasite

present in other tissues or organs of the body at the time of medication.

3. The recommendations on the label of drugs should be carefully read and strictly

followed. The dose of the drug should be computed to ensure best efficacy results. The animal

should be weighed individually or in the case of a large group of animals, the heaviest animal

should be weighed and the computed dose shall apply to the rest of the group. The disadvantages

of under dosing include: a) reduction of drug efficacy,

b) Decrease in animal production performance, and

unnecessary expenses and extends the withdrawal period of the drug longer than specified.

4. Proper dispensing of anthelmintic drug influences its efficacy. The assistance of a

technician or a veterinarian may be sought. A drenching gun, or in its absence, softdrink bottle or

cut bamboo stem with a blunt end may be used as alternatives for this purpose.

5. Young animals are more susceptible to parasitism than mature ones. There are some

parasites that can be acquired by prenatal route or via the milk. The first dose should be given as

early as possible to prevent infection at a vulnerable age.

6. Newly arrived stocks should be quarantined, diagnosed for the presence of parasite, and

given dose of an appropriate drench before introduction in the herd. This will minimize the

transmission of parasite species that may be harbored by the animal. They should be separated

from the herd for about a month. Deworming with 2 or 3 classes of drugs a few days before or

after arrival is recommended.

7. A regular antiparasite program is more effective if coupled with control of the parasite in

the environment.
8. Alternate use or rotation between anthelmintic classes every year is recommended to

prevent the development of anthelmintic resistance. If resistance against one class has been

recorded, all drugs belonging to the class should be abandoned from the rotation scheme.

9. Propagation of flies and other arthropods may be reduced if their breeding places are

destroyed. For example, animal manure where flies deposit their eggs may be collected

immediately and laid scattered under the heat of the sun. It may also be useful to pile the manure

in heaps and apply larvicide on top. This will kill the eggs or larvae under the heaps due to very

high temperature. Other approaches involve the incorporation of chemical compounds in feeds

which prevents the development of larvae on manure.

The following deworming schedules for ruminants and swine make use of broad-

spectrum antiparasitic compounds. The anthelmintic preparation used for cattle is also used in

sheep and goats. While it is ideal to identify the specific parasite load of a particular animal prior

to treatment, this is not always feasible in the field especially in remote areas. It is assumed,

however, that parasite infection of animals in smallholder system consists of a mixture of more

than one species of parasites.

POULTRY

Anthelmintics (dewormers). In the Philippines, deworming of poultry has mainly been

limited to large commercial layer and breeder farms and private gamefowl breeders. Deworming

in these farms is instituted in order to prevent loss of condition, growth retardation, diarrhea,

anemia, reduced egg production, and probable mortality in infected birds. Layer and breeder

farms deworm their stock twice before the onset of lay. Deworming during the laying period may

be indicated in farms with high intestinal parasitic challenge. Some of the more common poultry

dewormers include Piperazine HCl, Hygromycin B, Levamisole, Mebendazole, and

Fenbendazole.

Coccidiostats (against intestinal and cecal coccidiosis). Anticoccidial compounds include

amprolium, clopidol, monensin, salinomycin, robenidine, sulfachloropyrazine, sulfaquinoxaline,

and halofuginone drugs. These are available as solubles for drinking water or as premixes for

feed incorporation. Coccidiostatic drugs may be given in feed from the first day to broilers and

replacement pullets to prevent or treat coccidiosis. Breeder flocks and replacement pullets

destined for floor adult housing are given coccidiostats, enough in order to keep the disease
under control until the birds develop active immunity. Judicious use of anticoccidials is

recommended due to the increasing problem of drug resistance. Shuttle programs wherein one

drug is given in the starter ration and another in the grower ration are advocated to reduce this

problem. Attention should also be given to proper litter management. Prevention of wet litter

should be aimed in order to prevent the development of infectious stages of coccidia. Oocysts of

Eimeria sp. require moisture levels in excess of 25% to mature and wet litter is often associated

with outbreaks of coccidiosis.

Antimalarial and antileucocytozoonosis. Control of insect vectors (such as Culex sp.,

Aedes sp., Culicoides sp., and Simulium sp.) is an important means of control. Preventive

medication and treatment is in the form of pyrimethamine, chloroquin and sulfa drugs given

during the rainy season in anticipation of the proliferation of these insects.

Implementing antiparasitic program in free-living (unconfined) poultry poses certain

problems related to the delivery of the optimum dosage to the birds. The birds should be

confined at least for certain periods to insure that they ingest the optimum dose of medication.

This may be inconvenient if not possible in backyard system of raising free-living chickens.

Thus, recommendation for parasitic control in poultry may be applicable only to backyard raising

of broilers and/or layers in confinement.

The management system influences the type and degree of parasitic infection in pigs.
Hygiene and sanitation play an important role in preventing the spread of parasitism in the herd.
Studies show that backyard farms tend to have higher infection rate than commercial farms. This
may be attributed to the more organized management system that can be afforded by these farms.

An efficient worm control scheme should not rely on the regular deworming program but
should also consider strict hygiene and sanitation to prevent reinfection. Pig pens should always
be kept clean and dry. Feeding and watering troughs should likewise be maintained as clean as
possible. Sows should be brushed clean before being transferred to the farrowing pen to make
sure parasite eggs that have stuck to the skin and hairs are removed. Possible vectors like
earthworm, flies, beetles, and other arthropods should be controlled.

A broad-spectrum dewormer that is safe and economical will be a good choice. It is best
however to determine the species of parasite present in each group of pigs to come up with a list
of drugs where the parasite is specifically susceptible. In most cases however, fecal analysis is
not routinely done, hence the choice of a broad-spectrum dewormer becomes a common practice.

Pig Class Schedule of Deworming

Piglet 4 weeks of age

1week after weaning

Grower/Fattener 5-6 weeks after last deworming

Sow/Gilt 2 weeks before breeding

2 weeks before farrowing

2weeks after weaning litter

Boars/Replacement Breeders At least twice a year (3-4 month

interval)

Source: PHILIPPINES RECOMMENDS FOR ANIMAL HEALTH CARE