Know the Basics of Strategic Deworming

Keeping a healthy herd requires proper planning.

A strategic deworming approach involves more than administering a dewormer annually. It's about knowing when parasites could be compromising the health of your cattle.

"Timing is critical for strategic deworming programs," says Gary Sides, cattle nutritionist, Pfizer Animal Health cattle and equine technical services. "Along with timing, selecting the appropriate active ingredient, using proper administration techniques and even taking geography into consideration are all vital parts of getting the most out of your deworming program."

A strategic program aims to interrupt the life cycle of the parasite. To do that, cattle producers should deworm their herd twice a year — once in the spring at the beginning of grass green-up and again in the fall before winter turnout.

"If spring deworming is done correctly, it can be very beneficial moving into fall because parasite loads are greatly reduced," Sides says. "Likewise, fall deworming is still very important to clean up any parasites that might have been missed earlier in the year and takes care of the parasites that may overwinter in the cattle."

When a dewormer is used correctly as part of a strategic deworming program, it can help cow-calf producers ensure that they are feeding cattle, not the parasites, and ultimately allow the animal to utilize forage more efficiently.1

After determining the appropriate timing and identifying the parasites of concern in the area, the next step is choosing the right dewormer.

"There is not one single product class that is effective against all internal and external parasites," Sides says. "Your veterinarian is a valuable resource to help pick your battles and maximize efficiencies with the parasite products available to you."

Sides recommends using a broad-spectrum dewormer such as Dectomax® 1% Injectable, since it is proven most effective in controlling the most economically important parasite — the brown stomach worm3 — for up to 21 days.4 In regions where biting lice are a concern in the fall, Dectomax Pour-On is a beneficial fall treatment for external parasites.

"Implementing a strategic deworming program could mean big improvements to a producer's bottom line," Sides says.

Over time, better parasite control will pay with performance. In fact, deworming contributes to a lower cost of production over the lifetime of the animal.1

"Strategic deworming programs are one of the most important tools in the toolbox," says Sides. "Producers looking to improve the health and performance of their cattle this fall should look to Dectomax to protect their cattle from parasites."

Important safety information for Dectomax: Dectomax Injectable has a 35-day preslaughter withdrawal period. Dectomax Pour-On has a 45-day preslaughter withdrawal period. Do not use in dairy cows 20 months of age or older. Do not use in calves to be processed for veal. Dectomax has been developed specifically for cattle and swine. Use in dogs may result in fatalities.

1Ibarburu MA, Lawrence JD. Economic Analysis of Pharmaceutical Technologies in Modern Beef Production, in Proceedings.NCCC-134 meeting on Applied Commodity Price Analysis, Forecasting, and Market Risk Management, Chicago, April 16-17, 2007.

2Cash cost per cow. CattleFax Cow-Calf Budget, 2009.

3Strickland JE. Internal parasite control in cattle. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Bulletin 1086. November 1992.

4Dectomax 1% Injectable Product Label.

Editor's Note: This article was provided as a news release by Pfizer Animal Health.

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