- RELATED: Peace of mind wins over cost
A recent Meat and Livestock Australia survey has revealed farms across Australia are not worming working dogs regularly enough to stop the spread of costly sheep measles.
With the role of the farm dog on properties yet to waver, the responsibility to monitor and maintain their health continues to be a top priority for business management plans.
According to Livestock Biosecurity Network's Dr Patrick Kluver, the survey revealed on average, farm dogs are administered a tape worm treatment twice per year, however this needs to be increased to monthly as the parasite lifecycle is 35 days.
"There are three dog tapeworms which have a life cycle that includes sheep: hydatids, sheep measles and bladder worm", Dr Kluver said.
"The old recommendation for controlling hydatids of worming every six weeks is probably also too long for effective sheep measles control," he said.
He added that economically, the most important disease to control is sheep measles, given it affects the majority of properties in all sheep regions in Australia with an estimated cost to the sheep industry of millions of dollars every year.
"The losses to the industry occur in a number of ways at processing - most lesions occur in the sheep’s heart and diaphragm and are condemned; if there are more than five lesions, then the whole carcass is condemned."
John and Penny Holland, "Uungula" Wuuluman, near Wellington, rely on their pack of seventeen working dogs to cover a 5140 hectare property of tough terrain.
With the property stretching 12 kilometres, John Holland said the use of horses instead of dogs is not always practical.
“It’s very demanding country out here, so we need dogs to be able to get up over the hills where the motorbikes can't get to,” he said.
Running more than 12,000 sheep between themselves and their sons, the Hollands have maintained a worming program for more than 30 years on the advice of the local vet.
Penny Holland manages this vital aspect of the family business, following a strict regime of administering an all-wormer every three months.
“Many years ago we only wormed for specific types, but with the increase in travel and activity, I decided to use all-wormer all the time,” Mrs Holland said.
“Everyone wants to achieve the same; the better you look after your animals the more income you can produce.”