Nematodirus
The eggs of Nematodirus worms can survive the winter well. As a result, pastures can already contain large numbers of infective larvae between April and June. When lambs aged 6 to 12 weeks graze during this period, they can easily develop acute diarrhea. The first symptoms of a Nematodirus infection appear within one month after turnout in spring and are caused by the larvae of the worm. The infection can also occur in autumn.

The infection damages the intestines and is accompanied by watery diarrhea, excessive thirst, and in some cases death. Worm testing is useful at least three weeks after the lambs have been turned out to pasture.

Haemonchus
The Haemonchus is a highly fertile worm that can produce 10,000 eggs per day. Infected animals can therefore heavily contaminate a pasture in a short time. The eggs and larvae of Haemonchus rarely survive the winter, as the worm originates from subtropical regions. Haemonchus worms overwinter in older sheep and goats.

This worm is a bloodsucker that resides in the abomasum. Each worm consumes 0.05 ml of blood per day. The more worms living in the abomasum of your sheep or goat, the greater the blood loss. Severe infections are therefore accompanied by anemia.
In an acute infection, your sheep or goat will lag behind the flock and show increased breathing rate and very pale mucous membranes. In chronic infections, the animal’s condition deteriorates and fluid can accumulate under the jaw. Diarrhea rarely occurs.

The worm mainly causes problems in lambs during summer, but it can also affect adult animals. In winter, Haemonchus eggs on pasture die off, as they cannot survive low temperatures. Since the worm overwinters in older sheep and goats, these animals are often the source of infection for lambs after winter.

Trichostrongylus
The worm species Trichostrongylus lives in the small intestine and causes problems in lambs during autumn and winter. In acute infections, lambs suffer from black-colored diarrhea, weight loss, and in some cases death. In mild infections, reduced growth combined with loose stools is observed. Most infections are chronic, with loss of condition being the main symptom.

Teladorsagia
Teladorsagia resides in the abomasum of your goat or sheep. Infected animals show reduced appetite, diarrhea, weight loss, and in some cases death. The animals consume less feed and water and therefore appear thin. They also have little abdominal fill and are often emaciated.

Symptoms are often observed at the end of summer in lambs. In such cases, the animals ingested large numbers of infective larvae in spring. At the end of winter, Teladorsagia larvae develop en masse into adult worms, emerging from the stomach wall. This can cause severe damage to the stomach wall. Acute, severe diarrhea is often observed at this stage.

Through worm testing it can be determined whether your goat or sheep is infected with roundworms. At Worm&Co, we routinely test for this type. If the worm test shows that your animal is infected, we will provide you with a personalized treatment recommendation. This way, your animal’s health comes first and unnecessary worming is avoided.

Prevention is better than cure. Pasture management can significantly reduce worm infection pressure. Fields where no sheep or goats have grazed in the past or that have been recently reseeded are clean. Fields grazed by sheep or goats for a maximum of 3 weeks in early spring are also considered safe. In summer, this period is 2 weeks. Lastly, fields where no sheep or goats have grazed for the past 3 months are also safe. We therefore advise you to rotate your sheep or goats regularly.

Mowing the grass can significantly lower the infection pressure. Grazing rotations with sheep or goats followed by cattle or horses are an effective way to control worm pressure. Feel free to contact our team if you have any questions. We're happy to help!