# De-worming pregnant ewe?



## Amandakae02 (Jun 10, 2016)

Hi, I believe my first lambs are due any time now!!! I believe it is time to de-worm the herd (2x a year, right?). Is it okay to do it while she is still pregnant? We live in central CA in the valley.


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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Hello,

It is fine to worm pregnant ewes. 

Personally, I am not a fan of worming the whole flock just because it is 'that' time of year. You should check them for worms, then decide whether to deworm all of them, some of them or none of them, IMHO.

Systematic use of wormers decreases its effectiveness over time, i.e., the worms become resistant to the deworming agent.


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## Farmfresh (Jan 11, 2009)

[FONT=&quot]Here is what I have learned - so far - about deworming and vaccination in sheep. I currently raise a small flock of Katahdins and this is the advice that my veterinarian has given me.

Sheep can be de-wormed using several different commercial products. Ivermectin, Valbazen, and Cydectin are three of the kinds. I am sure that some rotation of de-wormer would be better than always using the same product. *The vet said that the Valbazen could NOT be used if the ewe is pregnant*, so in the fall would be the only time you could use it. The product that he recommended for me was the Cydectin. Cydectin oral drench dosage is 1 cc per 11 pounds of body weight. (now I have it saved someplace)

Sheep should be *de-wormed every 3 to 4 months* with one of the de-wormings a few weeks before re-breeding and another of them falling at the coldest time of the year in your area. Do NOT de-worm in either early or late stages of pregnancy. 

Sheep also require an annual vaccination for diseases. My vet recommended a product called Covexin 8. According to the label it vaccinates against: Clostridium chauvoei, Cl. septicum, Cl. novyi Type B, Cl. haemolyticum (known elsewhere as Cl. novyi Type D), Cl. tetani and Cl. perfringens Types C and D. 

The vaccine should be given 2 to 6 weeks before lambing commences in the flock. That will help provide immunity to the newborn lambs. Lambs should be given their primary course beginning at 10 to 12 weeks of age. 

Hope this helps.

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## Hiro (Feb 14, 2016)

Pre-lambing treatment is critical in a parasite control program and should be administered approximately two weeks before ewes lamb, thus preventing the contamination from the periparturient egg rise. This can conveniently be done when ewes are bagged prior to lambing or coupled with vaccination or crutching procedures. Waiting until lambing has occurred, or until ewes are turned out of the lambing barn with their lambs, results in considerable contamination of the environment prior to the treatment. If prelambing deworming is not possible, ewes can be dewormed at lambing and moved to safe pastures. It is important that animals be treated with a dewormer that is effective against hypobiotic larvae. Levamisole and ivermectin are approved products which have that ability. Thiabendazole does not remove hypobiotic larvae when given at approved dosages.

Source


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## Amandakae02 (Jun 10, 2016)

Thank you all for your replies! Very helpful! I went out to trim hooves this morning and found one had recently died, not sure why. I posted a new thread about it if you have any advise of how to tell


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## CelestielAcres (Sep 16, 2016)

We usually only worm about 4-6 weeks before lambing to knock down worm numbers. Getting way too close to lambing we feel is MUCH more stressful to the ewes (the catching and drenching). We use Cydectic which is safe for preg ewes. Sorry to hear about your loss, there are many things it could be that close to lambing. Had she dropped weight or any other signs you could see? I have lost a couple over the years and it always helps me to try to narrow down what might have been the cause. Still very frustrating!


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