Routine monitoring is a vital component of adequate parasite control in sheep flocks. Our clients have been educated to routinely faecal sample every three to four months throughout the spring and summer and to dose accordingly.

Over this season, we have encountered a similar pattern to previous years, from an initial nematodirus surge in mid- to late-spring in young stock, residual fluke burdens in adult stock to variable worm counts from the usual worm suspects, such as Trichostrongylus, Ostertagia, Cooperia and Oesophagostomum.

During the first week in September, we encountered an unusual suspect – tapeworm. The levels encountered were 4,500 to 6,500 eggs per gram of faeces. Tapeworm in sheep is generally seen as non-pathogenic with the main tapeworm being Moniezia expansa, which uses the soil mite as an intermediate host.

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Adult tapeworm is generally found in the bowel and can reach lengths of 1m to 6m. Adult tapeworms’ only concern is obstruction, while it is the immature form which is of greater concern, as it can lead to cyst formation in lungs, liver and muscles. However, this rarely occurs.

In heavy burdens, tapeworm segments can be seen in faeces and these are known as perglottids.

Licenced treatments include Fenbendazole, which has a variable effectiveness ranging from 15% to 74%, and Praziquantel, which is seen to be almost 100% effective. Treatment may be justified in cases where animals are condemned at slaughter due to the present of cysts. In the case of one of the farms which we received positive samples from, they have had 12 to 14 lambs condemned annually for the past few years due to the presence of cysts.

*Aonghus Lane MVB MRCVS works at Parklands Veterinary Group, Cookstown, Co Tyrone.