New machines mean we can help you to make more informed drenching and management decisions with fast FEC results now a reality for all cattle.
With a constant stream of decisions to make and work to be done on-farm, new technology that makes it easier for farmers to manage their animal health needs gets a thumbs up from us.
We have just received some new faecal egg count machines that, once set up, will be able to give us results in less than 5 minutes, which we are pretty excited about!
The Parasight system was born in Australia to combat the rise of anthelmintic (drench) resistance. The portable push-button machines show you an image of the parasite eggs and generate a count of the eggs per gram in any given sample for cattle, sheep, goats and horses.
Anthelmintic resistance is a growing concern in cattle. To minimise this issue, we want to avoid over-treating stock with anthelmintics, or treating them with ineffective products. FEC is one of the most effective ways of slowing this resistance. It assesses patent infections in animals, by determining the egg output from adult laying worms.
FEC can assist in parasite management decisions by
Confirming a diagnosis of parasitism, and assessing if anthelmintic treatment is required;
Assessing likely contamination of pasture, particularly from youngstock;
Checking efficacy and assessing possible resistance to anthelmintics by doing a pre-drench and post-drench check.
It is important to note that after 8-9 months, cattle develop some immunity to parasites that can lead to suppression of egg production, and in this case, FEC may not give an indication of the current parasite challenge.
If you are wanting a faecal sample tested, rectal samples are preferred, however a fresh sample can be collected from the ground if it is less than 10 minutes old, and still warm and moist. Ten to fifteen individual faecal samples per group are preferred. Just bring them in-clinic, or contact the Farm Distribution team to arrange for them to be collected from your farm on your normal delivery day.
With the Parasight system, the ease of running the samples will mean that even during busy times of the year, our vets and techs will be able to process your samples in-house, which means a speedier turnaround time for you and ultimately enables you to make quick and easy drenching decisions.
- Emily Chisholm
