5 important points to consider when worming your dairy cows

The use of injectable versus pour-on worm treatments is a subject for much debate on Irish dairy farms.

With many farmers now looking at dosing options, as cows show coughing symptoms, it’s a good time to look at the benefits of using an injectable treatment with zero milk withdrawal.

1. No worries of pour-on being washed off or licked off?

Pour-on wormers risk being rained off, licked off or they can also drip off. We can’t control the weather and licking is a common, natural behaviour in cattle that increases with changes in groups and at times of stress.

This reduces the amount of dose making it into the treated animal so limiting effectiveness of the treatment. In addition, untreated animals which lick treated animals ingest a part dose.

All these factors lead to sub-optimal dosing which increases the risk of resistance developing on your farm.

As an injectable treatment, Eprecis® delivers a more precise treatment option. As all the dose gets into the animal rather than relying on absorption through the skin, efficiency is increased – 89% of applied Eprecis® reaches the circulation compared to only 17% when using pour-on.

So a full dose is received, effectiveness is maintained and the risk of resistance is minimised.

2. Is pour-on damaging your environment?

Pour-on wormers can be washed off treated animals when it rains or part of the treatment can drip off. This can get into watercourses and on to the grass, causing damage to the environment and can lead to animals ingesting a part dose as they eat and drink – which can help build resistance on your farm.

All treated animals also excrete product in their faeces that has a negative impact on the environment.

Reducing the dose of product given therefore reduces both the concentration of product excreted and consequential ecotoxicity.

Pour-ons are administered at higher doses compared to Eprecis® and therefore have the potential to be more ecotoxic.

3. Injection with eprecis® is easier than you think

Injectable worming couldn’t be easier when you use Eprecis®. It has a low volume dose of only 1ml per 100kg bodyweight.

It’s a highly syringeable aqueous solution which makes injecting easy, even in the very coldest weather. It’s also delivered in CLAS shock-resistant vials, specially designed for on-farm use, so there’s no risk from broken glass.

Available with a quality applicator that can be adjusted on the go it takes the hardship and guesswork out of dosing.

4. Treats lungworm fast

Lungworm is hard to control. Regardless of the management strategy, outbreaks can still occur, so when lungworm strikes you need to act FAST.

Eprecis® is fast acting with peak plasma concentration reached within 48 hours compared to typically four days for pour-on treatments.

You get more of the active ingredient into the system quicker delivering faster results. Why wait for a pour-on; treat fast with Eprecis®.

5. Value for money and responsible use

With accurate and quick results you can ensure that you are getting a return on investment and assisting in responsible medicine use on your farm.

Eprecis® was an innovation winner at the National Millstreet Dairy Show. This award recognises a new product which has revolutionised an aspect of dairy farming.

Co. Mayo farmer Ronan Joyce milks 125 Jersey-cross cows and uses Eprecis® due to its reliability, accuracy of use and that it can be administered in any weather conditions.

The zero milk withdrawal is a huge benefit to Ronan, as not withholding milk is worth between €8-9/cow/day.

About Eprecis® Injection

Eprecis® is a unique and highly effective parasiticide for the treatment of gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms, warbles, mange mites, sucking lice and horn flies in dairy cows.

It delivers fast acting, precise and efficient treatment to the right cow at the right time. Proven to increase milk yield and dry matter intake (DMI), Eprecis® can play a major part in boosting your herd’s productivity and help you to #takebackcontrol.