fecal results (am i being bs'd?)...

[sgian]

the vet's assistant said the vet found worm eggs and they recommend panicure. that's pretty much it.

Then we had a long discussion about worming. Her dad raises pygmy goats and they use panicure every 45 days without doing tests. We got nowhere discussing building resistance like with antibiotics ("listen, hon, with all livestock you need to worm regularly") or the usefulness of testing ("all wormers treat the most common worms"). She said that all he found was worms and he didn't look for coccidosis. He just tested the samples mixed together (I had taken a sample from a goat with pale eyelids to see what my newer goats had, a goat with pink eyelids to see what my healthier goats had, and a bottlefed buckling). I finally got to the point that I decided I would just worm my goats with what I had and ask here about a lab to send samples directly to, but I think she realized that my tone had changed and said she would have the vet call back.

So the vet calls back and tells me that all he found was what they call "bloodworms" (and listed off some scientific name if he remembered right) because they feed off of blood. There were no other worms and no coccidosis. He also said that coccidosis was not very common in goats. So I look up bloodworms and find lots of stuff about fishing bait but nothing about goat parasites. What do you all think? Is this just a load of bull? This seems very suspicious to me.

Where can I get some real fecal samples done? Or will I have to learn to do it myself and buy stuff off of ebay?

[Bearfootfarm]

He probably means Barberpole worms, since they are the ones that cause anemia and the pale eyelids.

http://attra.ncat.org/downloads/goat_barber_pole.pdf

I'd use something besides Panacur, since that's one of the wormers they are most resistant to

[susanne]

it would be so much cheaper to do your own fecal that all the things you need are payed off very quick
your vet seems not to be very knowledgeable about parasites in goats. you might want to do google search and print something for him to learn
panacure is the same wormer as safeguard, only effective for tapes, and very very safe for anything else.

[Minelson]

I feel for you and all these problems you are having getting to the right diagnosis. Sounds like you are trying so hard to get things right and having to swim upstream! UGH! If there is another vet in the area I would take a sample there. Doesn't sound like you are getting good info from this one. From what I read there is cocci in all goats and it's a matter of how much is there if treatment is needed so I would be suspicious of someone saying there was none.

[nduetime]

Find a different vet,preferably a large animal vet with some experience. If they are not doing the tests the way you are requesting and not sounding as though they have a clue,spend your money elsewhere. You are still the client and should feel satisfied with their answers and trusting about their advice, if not, you have an obligation to your animals and finances to look elsewhere. Good luck, I know it is hard sometimes to find someone you feel good about, especially with goats.

[goatkid]

Forget the Panicur and worm with either Ivermectin or Cydectin, whichever the breeders in your area are using.

[Cloverbud]

Panacur is a good broad-spectrum dewormer, but it doesn't treat coccidia. AT ALL.

That assistant is completely clueless, and it wounds like the vet is only slightly less so. You can't read a fecal analysis without looking for coccidia, unless you just plain don't know what they look like. You took in 3 samples, and requested 3 separate tests. If they mixed them together and only ran one test, I sure hope they didn't charge you for three.

If they can't get things right on a fecal, I would strongly hesitate to trust them with anything more important (like surgery!) I second everyone that suggests finding a new, preferably large-animal, vet.

[Sweet Goats]

I don't know, maybe you didn't have any cocci in your goats. I do fecal all the time and I do not have any. Yes I do know that all goats have them but maybe there are not enough in the fecal to really show. I thought I was missing it so I took the slide I did and another sample to the vet, he ran his own and he came to the same conclusion. I have only used a dewormer 3 times in 9 years. I do not believe in using a dewormer if you have nor PROBLEMS.

Call around, even a small animal vet can run a fecal on them.

[Cloverbud]

There's a difference between not finding coccidia, and just plain not looking for it, which is what the op said. That the vet *didn't look for coccidia.* Which is just plain sloppy lab work. Some might substitute the word negligent for sloppy.

[oceanmist]

A fecal on goats should include looking for coccidia... ask for a retake free of charge!

make them work for their money for crying out loud!

Misty

[Backfourty,MI.]

I agree with most others here....find a new vet! Also , you can worm with panacur but it only takes care of tapeworms which is good but you need Ivermectin or cydectin for every other kind of worms and cocci you use something different too.
I don't care if the vet assistants dad raised pygmy's worming them every 45 days or not, I would not worm my goats just to worm them.