Youth exhibitors should consider deworming options for their show pigs: Deworming products for show pigs (Part 2)
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EmailAs youth exhibitors in Michigan prepare their animals for fair they should map out a pig care strategy, this includes being mindful of the need, and consider their options for controlling parasites.
When treating your animal, there are a number of products available to use and most of these can be found at your local feed store or agriculture supply store. These medications are typically less costly when purchased in multiple-dose packages; sharing product with other 4-H or FFA club members is often a useful buying strategy. Deworming medication can be given via injection, orally (in the feed or water) or topically (1), although topical wormers are not very effective on swine, because they do not have enough hair follicles for absorption of the medication. More treatments for mites and lice are available for topical delivery (2, 3), but only members of the mectin class are effective when administered as an injection, and these bring the added benefit (i.e., versus the topical products) of a long duration of efficacy. It is important to evaluate each of these products to make sure you are using the best treatments for your pigs. Below is a summary of some anti-parasitic products commonly found in feed supply stores and agriculture supply stores.
Safe-Guard® (Fenbendazole)
- Is an orally fed product, which comes as a pellet when labeled for swine.
- Controls lung worms, stomach worms, nodular worms, round worms, and kidney worms.
- Safe-Guard pellets are meant to be top-dressed or mixed into swine feed and fed for a period of 3-12 days, depending on the rate at which it is mixed.
- There is no withdrawal time for Safe-Guard and it can be fed up to slaughter.
- Please note, Safe-Guard does not address external parasite issues (mange or lice).
Ivomec® (Ivermectin)
- Can be found as an injectable, oral (premix) or topical product at most stores.
- Controls gastrointestinal (large roundworm, red stomach worm, nodular worm, thread worm) worms, lung worms, lice and mange mites in swine.
- Ivermectin injectable should be injected subcutaneous under the skin, in the neck of the animal.
- Withdrawal time is 18 days pre-slaughter for injected product or 7 days for the oral product.
Noromectin® (Ivermectin)
- This product is the same as ivermectin, the label name is different.
- All of the above information for ivermectin applies.
- Withdrawal time is 7 days for the product when given in feed.
Dectomax® (Doramectin)
- Is an injectable product labeled for swine.
- Controls round worms, lung worm, kidney worm, lice and mange mites.
- Dectomax should be injected intramuscularly, in the neck of the animals.
- Withdrawal time is 24 days pre-slaughter.
Wazine® (Piperazine)
- This product is given orally and mixed with the animals drinking water.
- Controls round and nodular worms.
- Withdrawal time is 21 days pre-slaughter.
Even though each of the listed deworming products will address the key roundworm species that infect pigs, Safe-Guard is typically the gold-standard for control of round worms; rotating this product with a product from the mectin family (Ivomec or Dextomax) will provide the broadest spectrum of coverage, as those products also provide long-lasting control of mites and lice. Treatment with a product from the mectin family should be administered about a month prior to the final exhibition or marketing so that withdrawal times are followed. Exhibitors can then follow up a week or so before fair with the Safe-Guard product, which does not require a withdrawal time.
For more information on deworming products see the article: Youth exhibitors should consider deworming options for their show pigs: Other methods to increase the health of your animals (Part 3)
