Worming & Xeno Question

[GPTV]

Right now i have been on this forum for a while now & have read that its wise to treat as a precaution against worms.

I have noticed in the last week that the girls outdoor run has had a few slugs & mainly snails (20+) in or around it on wet days. i have removed any i have found & they have found themselves a new habitat in the fields about half a mile away (i don't like killing things & i don't want to use slug pellets &/or poison everything in the food chain from snails upwards).
The run has a removable waterproof roof & perspex sides dependent on the weather as to if they are up or not. i dont want to stop putting the girls out for their grass time that they love. but i am worried that the slugs&snails may be passing parasites etc on to the girls ... am i right in thinking molluscs etc can be carriers of worm eggs?


A few members have mentioned the Xeno 450 spot on as a general lice/parasite/wormer.
Is this the best or most efficient medication for a preventative treatment & how often is it recommended to be applied? i am sure i have read somewhere the frequency of treatment but cant remember where.

Also when reading some of the blurb on Viovet i read this....
"Xenoestrogens, such as those found in Xeno 450, imitate estrogen and are steroid hormones. For this reason the treatment is to be used only as directed, and should not be administered to any other animal due to the product’s active-ingredient content."

... now would this product be suitable for my 7+ piggy who has had HCG hormone (Chorulon) injections for cystic ovaries?

http://www.viovet.co.uk/Xeno_450_Sp...t_t=1409230232&sct_q=xeno+450+spot+on&sct_r=1

Sorry for the long thread, but i thought it best to ask the medically minded on here first, before i ask the vet (as they are not totally guinea savvy & they think i'm a paranoid, neurotic, Guinea pig hypochondriac mum at the best of times...
you guys class it as normal )

From the girls & I xx

 

[Liane]

I would be interested in hearing thoughts on this as I just found a slug AND a snail in their food bowel. Replaced the nuggets and gave it a clean, but I don't want my piggies getting worms or anything, they much prefer being in the run so I try and put them out whenever it is warm and dry.

 

[helen105281]

There are mixed reviews on worming both on here and in general. I do routinely worm my pigs using the sheep version of Panacur but this is done at the clinic I go to.

I don't use Xeno for preventative mite treatment, they are given oral Ivermectin through the clinic too.

 

[GPTV]

Any suggestions anyone?

Would @helen105281's panacur suggestion be better than Xeno? ref the way it works or is it all based on the same method of working? How often would it need to be used & will the vets look at me in shock if i was to suggest sheep panacur, (always nice to be prepared for explanations to the vets, as they are not 100% cavy savvy but not bad)

@Pebble
@Abi_nurse
@Amanda1801
@furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary
@Elwickcavies

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thankyou. xx

 

[helen105281]

A lot of vets use the rabbit version, which is ok but not as broad spectrum apparently.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

I will try and remember to ask Simon his thoughts on this when I see him tomorrow. Will let you know what he says. I have been finding a few slugs in the food bowls of the outdoor piggies just recently too.

 

[GPTV]

@furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary That would be great thankyou.
I wouldn't want the girls getting worms because of slugs&snails or depriving them of grass time if its not an issue.
Also I dont want to upset the hormone balance for Ellie now she's been uti &bleed free 6months because of hcg jabs.

Xx

 

[Amanda1801]

A lot of vets use the rabbit version, which is ok but not as broad spectrum apparently.

Panacur is Panacur. It's fenbendazole whatever version you use, it just comes in different formulations for different uses. You'd need to give a hell of a lot of the 2.5% suspension to a horse! The reason the "sheep" version looks different to the "cat/dog" version is because different parasites have different animals as their hosts, so it looks like a larger list of things is covered, but in reality these are just parasites that we don't need to worry about in cats/dogs.

@GPTV the best thing to do would be to phone your vet surgery in advance, with current weights of your pigs, so that a vet can calculate a dose and prepare the correct quantity of the correct product. It wouldn't be as simple as popping in and collecting it there and then over the counter as the receptionist is unlikely to be able to calculate the dose for you unless they're experienced in using a formulary to work out drug doses (unlikely in my experience). Most vets ask for 24-48 hours for a prescription request so while it's not a POM-V medication, I'd give them that notice period to calculate the correct dosing schedule for you.

Personally I don't preventatively treat my pigs for anything as my individual pigs risk is minimal. They only eat grass from my garden and my dog is treated for worms monthly so my garden is pretty "clean". The tortoise on the other hand eats weeds from the "dirty" big wide world, he's 5 years old, has never been preventatively wormed but has faecal analysis for worms every 3 months and has never had a positive faecal analysis. Therefore I think my pigs risk is negligible. Plus Panacur tastes foul! They are only ever preventatively treated for mites (Xeno being my product of choice personally) if they're going into rescue for bonding - as peace of mind for the rescue but also with the knowledge that times of stress can trigger mite outbreaks.