whipworms

[monicaei1]

Hi all,

I have 4 fayoumis hens, all about 2 years old. great egg layers, wonderful birds. They sleep in the coop at night, but roam the yard all day. I also have 2 dobermans, who are GREAT with the chickens. Sometimes I think that the dogs think the chickens are part of the pack, and the chickens are sure the dogs are part of the flock. I have even seen them steal scraps from the dogs, which is HILARIOUS. Sadly, our young rescue Leo is quite a mess. He came to us HW positive, and will be treated sometime this month. And just this week we discovered what we thought was a stomach bug is actually whipworms. We are treating both dogs now with Panacur. The vet tech mentioned in passing that this could be from eating bird droppings, or grass onto which birds have pooped. To my knowledge I have never seen Leo eat bird poop, and there certainly is some in the yard. If he were eating it, he wasnt doing a very good job. We have completely sterilized the house, in case any had been transported inside on the bottom of a shoe. I actually went out yesterday and scooped with a garden trowel all that i could find. That being said, once the eggs are here, short of bleaching my yard there isn't much I can do. ADVICE? I REALLY want to keep my chickens, I am quite fond of all four of them. Anyone else ever had this problem???

Monica

 

[Dar]

call your vet and see if he can/will do a fecal smear of the chickens droppings.. then you will know if they are carriers,

When I feed my chickens i crush a clove of garlic in there as well as a preventative.. its not enough to alter the taste of the eggs

 

[kickinchicken]

I am a former vet tech.....that being said......whipworm can enter thru the soles of your feet while walking thru the grass barefoot, thru your hands if you are gardening without gloves and can enter the home in many ways. They just kinda sit in the grass with their hideous feet out waiting for something (humans, dogs, cats, children, chickens, raccoons) to grab on to and in the skin they go.....
I, personally, treat my dogs with a heartworm preventative with whipworm killer (Sentinel) so I know they will not be carriers. I have five 8-week-old chicks that I will be testing for worms soon. I am hoping the DE will keep the bugs at a minimum and will be researching preventatives for my flock. Whipworm is very tough to get rid of in dogs and I am sure if the birds get it, it will be a long drawn out process as well. Prevention is key!

 

[crittersitter]

Did your vet give you Panacur to treat for 3 days then repeat in 3 weeks and repeat in 3 months? Just be sure to do "poop patrol" in the yard even while the dogs are being treated otherwise you will end up repeating the entire deworming process.

 

[monicaei1]

Thanks guys!
I got 3 days worth of panacur for both dogs, with no discussion of follow up treatment??? Leo also got an antibiotic shot, an anti nasuea shot and an additional course of antibiotic for 5 days, 2x day. Poop scooping of the canine variety is a daily chore, as I hate the idea of the chickens rooting through it for bugs.... somehow in my mind it makes the eggs less appealing, plus I really like my lawn.

So if I assume the chickens are carriers, how should i treat them? I find the idea of bringing a fecal sample to my vet a bit much, and I am treating my old dog on the assumption that she has been exposed, so i guess thats a good approach all around. Do they make chicken dewormer? Fayoumis are small, not bantam small, but only about 3.5-4 lbs.

Also, thanks about the sentinel. Our vet said the same and we are switching over from heartguard to that. I try to limit the chemicals I expose them to, but now this seems manditory.

You guys rock! I have suburban chickens, and know of no one else to ask!

Monica

 

[kickinchicken]

monica: I ONLY use Sentinel on my dogs at this point. I haven't used any of that topical crap in over 4 years and knock-on-wood....no flea/tick issues. I feel that if I HAVE TO expose them to some form of pesticide each month, I'd rather do it only with the heartworm preventative and Sentinel is like Ft. Knox as far as preventative is concerned. I wonder if they make one for hens!!!