QLD During May 2024, Pursehouse Rural team members across a range of branches in Northern NSW and Southern attended a Virbac Livestock Parasitology Training Course in Armidale, NSW.
The three-day course covered a comprehensive discussion and practical around livestock parasite control programs for sheep and cattle.
Beginning with an introductory to the Virbac team which included Jill Burch, Will Hiscox, Dr Tim Elliott, and Matt Falconer, Pursehouse Rural team members were then divided into teams to complete a collection of informative hands-on training.
Best Practise Drenching
Commencing with a demonstration of cattle health products from Matt Falconer. Matt performed demonstrations of correct and efficient drenching methods from pour-on drenches and oral application, through to single active injections. There are many other techniques to consider when treating livestock for parasites which include providing the animal with the correct dosage rates, replacing a needle when blunt if performing injections, and ensuring the drenches are completed properly which may include the correct location of the animal’s body.
Sheep Anatomy
Dr Tim Elliot demonstrated and explained a variety of parasites within a sheep's anatomy. One of the key parts of identifying parasites in a sheep includes knowing the symptoms and performing regular drench checks and Worm Egg Count Tests.
Worm Egg Counting (WEC)
Jill Burch and Will Hiscox demonstrated effective advice for when orally treating sheep, the process of a drench check, and how to perform Worm Egg Counts (WEC) in sheep. It is important to not under-dose livestock when drenching, which can easily occur when performing oral drenches, therefore majority of the time, dosage rates should be calculated from the highest weight level within the group. It is significantly important to identify the culture and worm egg counts among livestock. Virbac can complete worm egg counts for your livestock to gather how many parasite eggs may be in your livestock and cultural identification. Once these have been identified, an effective drench routine using the appropriate combination of drenches can treat your livestock correctly and reduce parasite resistance.
Livestock Parasitology
The following day consisted of theory and discussion around livestock parasitology. This training was very interesting with the ability to link the theory back to the practical content learned the day before. The course highlighted the problem parasites, drenches, and different combinations of drenches needed to treat problems within livestock.
On Thursday, everyone returned to the training room to undertake a parasitology exam. After the exam concluded Virbac wrapped up the morning by handing everyone a certificate of completion and team members returned to their vehicles and headed back to their branches.
A huge thank you to Virbac for this opportunity to better understand parasites within livestock and how to best manage them and provide support and correct advice for our customers.
