There are a number of ways to assess the parasite burden on animals.

The gold standard is by veterinary inspection post-slaughter – admittedly too late for someone worried about a growing beast.

That said, comrades to these growing stock, such as cull cows, can provide subtle clues as to efficacy of treatments or possible infestations elsewhere in the herd.

Always study your AHI report when slaughtering cattle. In smaller factories not providing the service, make it your business to see the vet on duty regarding your animals’ lungs, livers and rumen.

A faecal egg count remains the most effective tool for detecting parasite infestations in the live animal. However, as a diagnosis tool it is not rock solid, with liver fluke, egg output can be low in infested animals and there will be limited egg output before the fluke completes its life cycle in the bile duct. In addition, infestation with liver and rumen fluke will generally not be herd-wide. With worms, the sensitivity of the test reduces as time passes post-collection.

Where postmortem analysis of other animals on a farm isn’t a reality, faecal egg count test results can be used as a confirmatory tool where there are symptoms such as coughing, pneumonia cases, excessively dirty rumps/tails, poor appetite, rough coat, swollen jaw or poor animal weight gain.

Taking a faecal sample

Where fluke is suspected, target the animals in question.

For worms, take one sample for every five calves in a group. If collecting samples from a penned animal, insert two fingers of a gloved hand into the back passage of the animal to encourage dunging. Collect an equivalent tablespoon full of dung in the glove and then fold it back on itself, tie it like a balloon and insert the glove into a sealed plastic bag.

It also is fine to collect fresh dung samples from the field, provided they are indeed fresh. Once collected, samples must be submitted for analysis as soon as possible.

A maximum of 48 hours should pass between collection and analysis and samples should be kept in a fridge prior to testing, where possible.

Your vet will organise the testing procedure itself and advise you on the results.

Faecal testing will typically cost €2-€5 per sample.

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