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By Grant Crawford, Ph.D., Cattle Technical Services, Merck Animal Health

Deworming is no longer a set-it-and-forget-it management step. With antiparasitic resistance on the rise, cattle producers should take steps to evaluate effectiveness of their deworming programs - and adjust internal parasite control strategies accordingly.

Successful deworming should result in a 90% or greater reduction in parasite eggs in manure.¹ The Fecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT) offers a standardized diagnostic tool to test manure for the presence of eggs. 

You can now request a free FECRT kit from Merck Animal Health at https://www.merck-animal-health-usa.com/safe-guard/cattle/products/fecrt-kit.

Here are key steps:

• Sample manure from 20 head of cattle, all from the same age and management group. The ideal age is between six months and two years of ago. For herds under 20, sample all animals. 
• Take initial samples before treating animals with a parasite control product. 
• Using a zip-top plastic bag turned inside out, collect a golf ball-sized sample from each bag individually. Place all 20 samples into a larger zip-top bag. 
• Refrigerate - but don't freeze - the samples overnight before shipping. 
• Send samples to a parasitology lab. Ship with a freezer pack using overnight or two-day delivery. 
• Use the same process to take 20 additional manure samples at 14 days after treatment. This provides ample time for deworming products to work. 

If post-treatment FECRT results show a less than 90% reduction in parasite eggs, check for improper dewormer dosage or application. If no dosage or application problems exist, results showing less than 90% reduction could signal emerging antiparasitic resistance. 

Discuss diagnosis, treatment and control with your veterinarian. Learn more at SafeGuardWorks.com. 

¹Dobson R, Jackson R, Levecke B, Besier B, et al. Guidelines for fecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT). World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) (2001) Proceedings: 23rd International Conference of the World.